During this time of year, you’re likely to find at least a few treats at Aldi that feature marzipan. For instance, it’s a component of the stollen Aldi sells for the holidays.
Marzipan consists primarily of two ingredients: sugar and ground almonds. It’s a paste that can be used like an icing or frosting, or it can be incorporated into baked goods (such as stollen), or even formed into animal or fruit shapes. Marzipan dates back hundreds of years, with various forms found around the world from Europe to the Middle East, and even parts of Latin America and Asia.
This year at Aldi, I decided to try some chocolate-covered marzipan goodies. Winternacht Edelmarzipan comes in two varieties:
- Edelmarzipan-Brot, which features a dark chocolate marzipan log
- Edelmarzipan Baumstamm Nougat, which features a milk chocolate marzipan log filled with hazelnut praline
I bought one of each to try.
Dark chocolate Edelmarzipan at top, milk chocolate Edelmarzipan at bottom.
Winternacht Edelmarzipan is a Seasonal Item, which means Aldi does not stock it all year. It’s sold during the winter holiday season, especially as Christmas approaches. Aldi does not offer online ordering for this if it’s sold out at your local store.
Winternacht Edelmarzipan cost $2.49 for a 3.35-ounce bar at the time of writing. That comes out to about 75 cents per ounce.
Winternacht is not a company but instead is the private label Aldi uses for various German or European treats it sells during the holidays. Other Winternacht products I’ve written about include pfeffernüsse, spekulatius cookies, and panettone.
Edelmarzipan literally translates from German to English as “noble marzipan.” These are made in Germany and contain fair trade certified cocoa.
To understand why this is called edelmarzipan and not just marzipan, it’s helpful to know that German marzipan has different quality levels. They all contain marzipanrohmasse, which is a base of raw marzipan that contains two thirds ground almonds and one third sugar. Then, the different types all contain that base but also have additional sugar.
- Lübecker Edelmarzipan made in Lübeck, Germany, contains 90% marzipanrohmasse and 10% sugar (in addition to the sugar already in the marzipanrohmasse, for a total of 45% sugar).
- Edelmarzipan (which is what this Aldi marzipan appears to be) contains 70% marzipanrohmasse and 30% sugar (in addition to the sugar already in the marzipanrohmasse, for a total of 65% sugar).
- Konsummarzipan contains 50% marzipanrohmasse and 50% sugar (in addition to the sugar already in the marzipanrohmasse, for a total of 85% sugar). This type of marzipan is often marketed as candy.
- Königsberger Marzipan, which actually originated in Switzerland, contains ground almonds, powdered sugar, egg white, and lemon juice. It has a light golden exterior color.
Nutrition information and ingredients. Dark chocolate at top, milk chocolate at bottom. (Click to enlarge.)
These are rich and filling, and if you’re not accustomed to eating marzipan, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether you’ll like them. The marzipan filling has a sweet almond flavor, as you’d expect. It has a soft, somewhat coarse, and chewy texture. If you like the flavor and texture of Almond Joy or Mounds candy bars, you might like these, although Almond Joy and Mounds have coconut, which of course this marzipan does not.
We did like the chocolate coatings on these, and we’re partial to the milk chocolate and hazelnut praline one. The marzipan filling is okay, but marzipan is not something we’re big fans of. In fact, marzipan is not hugely popular overall in the United States. Nonetheless, these were fun to try.
Dark chocolate at top, milk chocolate at bottom.
Keep reading for more information about each Edelmarzipan bar Aldi sells.
Winternacht Edelmarzipan Brot:
The Winternacht Edelmarzipan Brot dark chocolate marzipan log contains sugar, ground almonds, chocolate liquor, water, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, and invertase.
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains tree nuts (almonds). It may contain hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, wheat, milk, soy, or egg.
One bar serves about three, with one serving netting you 150 calories, 8 grams of total fat (10% DV), 1.5 grams of saturated fat (8% DV), no sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 17 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars (32% DV), and 3 grams of protein.
Winternacht Edelmarzipan Baumstamm Nougat:
The Winternacht Edelamarzipan Baumstamm Nougat milk chocolate marzipan log filled with hazelnut praline contains sugar, ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk, lecithins (soy), and invertase.
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts), milk, and soy. It may contain pistachios, walnuts, wheat, and egg.
One bar serves about three, with one serving netting you 160 calories, 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 2.5 grams of saturated fat (13% DV), 5 mg of sodium (0% DV), 20 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 18 grams of total sugars, 17 grams of added sugars (34% DV), and 2 grams of protein.
The Verdict:
Winternact Edelmarzipan is made in Germany and comes in dark chocolate or milk chocolate with hazelnut praline varieties. These feature soft, chewy marzipan with sweet almond paste, all covered in either dark or milk chocolate. If you like marzipan, you’ll enjoy these. Marzipan isn’t our favorite, but we always like trying different foods from our favorite German grocer.
