Marzipan Witch, Pumpkins and Cauldron

Name: Marzipan Witch, Pumpkins and Cauldron
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1-1/4 cups (enough for four witches, four pumpkins and four cauldrons).
Ingredients: 1 can (8 ounces) almond paste; 1/4 cup light corn syrup; 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar; Purple, orange, green, yellow, brown and red gel food coloring; Garlic press; Large serving board; Yellow gift wrap for covering board; Clear cellophane for covering board

LIKE MAGIC, these bewitching treats can appear in a flash—and are sure to charm your guests on Halloween! The whimsical witch, pumpkins and candy-filled cauldron consist of marzipan, edible clay that's simple to shape and sweet to eat. You can make it using the basic recipe on the next page. Once you see how easy marzipan is to prepare, you'll likely want to come up with your own creations for Christmas, Easter and other occasions, too!

Ingredients

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Purple, orange, green, yellow, brown and red gel food coloring
Garlic press
Large serving board
Yellow gift wrap for covering board
Clear cellophane for covering board

Directions

Directions: Cover serving board with yellow gift wrap, taping wrap on the back side of board. Cover wrapped board with cellophane in the same way. Set board aside for now.
Prepare marzipan according to the following recipe.
Crumble almond paste into a large bowl. Knead in corn syrup. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, kneading well after each addition until thoroughly blended.
Tint 1/2 cup of marzipan purple, kneading in a small amount of food coloring at a time until desired color is achieved.
In the same way, tint 1/4 cup of marzipan orange, 2 tablespoons green and 1 tablespoon each yellow, brown and red. Leave 1 tablespoon plain. Discard remaining marzipan or set aside for another use.
Shaping Marzipan: Refer to the photo as a guide while shaping marzipan as directed in the instructions that follow. Gently press the shaped pieces together and position as shown on the covered serving board.
Witch: With 4-1/4 teaspoons of purple marzipan, shape the witches hat, dress and shoes.
With 1-1/4 teaspoons of green marzipan, shape the head, nose, hands and two 1-in. long ropes.
With 1/4 teaspoon of orange marzipan, shape two 1-in.-long ropes. Twist one orange and one green 1-in. rope together, forming one of the witch's legs. Repeat with the remaining 1-inch ropes for the other leg.
Press 1/2 teaspoon of orange marzipan through a garlic press. Attach the pieces to the head for hair.
With plain marzipan, shape the white area of each eye.
With brown marzipan, add a pupil to each eye.
With red marzipan, roll a thin rope for the mouth.
Pumpkin With 1-1/2 teaspoons of orange marzipan, shape a 1-1/2-in. ball. Slightly flatten the top and bottom. Using a sharp knife, make shallow ridges around the sides of the pumpkin from center top to bottom.
Measure 1/4 teaspoon of green marzipan for the stem, leaves and vine tendril. Shape a small diamond shape for the stem.
For the leaves, flatten a small amount of green marzipan to an 1/8-in. thickness between two sheets of waxed paper. Remove the top sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut out two leaf shapes and make veins on each.
Roll a small piece of green marzipan into a thin rope and spiral it slightly for the vine tendril.
Cauldron: With 1-1/2 teaspoons of purple marzipan, shape a 1-1/2 inch ball. Slightly flatten the top and bottom. With purple marzipan, shape a 3-1/2-in.-long x 1/8 in.-thick rope and four 1/4-in. balls. Place the rope around the top edge of the cauldron for the rim. Evenly space the balls around the bottom of the cauldron for the legs.
With orange, yellow and plain marzipan, shape five candy corns. Place inside the cauldron.

Finished size: Witch is about 6 inches long x 2-3/4 inches wide. Cauldron is about 2 inches high x 11-1/2 inches wide. Each pumpkin is about 1-1/2 inches high x 1-1/4 inches wide.