A layer of homemade marzipan sitting on a meltingly soft shortbread biscuit, stuck together with a whiff of raspberry jam; all thickly coated in milk chocolate. And what fun to make!
In the beginning there was marzipan
It all started with Ritter Sport marzipan bars revival. Scratch that – it started before that, with a sizeable chunk of marzipan languishing in the freezer (yes, marzipan freezes very well, at least the homemade variety), left over from the glorious Battenberg. I meant to do something with it, only couldn’t come up with the right idea.
Ritter Sport inspo
Then – Ritter Sport. If you don’t know them, Ritter are a German brand of chocolate and before you make a sarky comment about Germans not being world-renowned for their confectionery, they are very good indeed.
Completely forgotten through half my adult life, I was recently reminded of the brand and boy, how it took me back! Strawberry Yoghurt, White + Crisp, Cornflakes or Whole Hazelnuts – they can keep all their Mars and Bounty bars if I get a Ritter Sport.
To put the long story together, that’s how these bars came about. Marzipan enrobed in chocolate with a finger of biscuit inside, just because there was a Ritter Butter Biscuit too.
What's in these bars?
Ritters regardless – and I am not sponsored by them or paid in kind, regrettably - this is a hugely fun activity as, to be honest, anything involving dipping in chocolate is.
The biscuit is a little softer than shortbread, more French than Scottish; the marzipan absolutely must be homemade and you can take your pick of the chocolate: dark for sophisticated palates, milk for everyone and white for those who like it sickly with sugar sprinkled on top.
Why and how to temper chocolate?
Chocolate does not have to be tempered but it’s sad to see it going from glossy to dull and shineless as it sets – which is what will happen unless you temper it.
Very briefly: melt it in the microwave or over a double boiler to the point when about a quarter is still in solid chunks. Finish the melting process off the boil by stirring vigorously until the chunks dissolve.
Then the most important point: hold your horses and wait with the dipping until the chocolate is almost cold; that’s what ensures gloss and shine.