Homemade Mozartkugeln

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The world famous chocolate confection that originated in Salzburg, Austria in 1890 in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!  Filled with marzipan, pistachio and nougat, they are irresistibly delicious.  This homemade Mozartkugel recipe will give you everything you need to create these incredibly decadent chocolates entirely from scratch!

On frequent occasions my German mom would wake my brother and I up in the mornings to Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.”  She would turn up the stereo in the living room so that the orchestral strings permeated the whole house.  She must have thought that Mozart would help mitigate the misery of having getting up early…or at least make the experience more “educational.”  It’s a miracle we didn’t grow up hating Mozart, having been conditioned to associate his music with groggy eyes and wobbly early morning walks to the bathroom.  Instead we grew to admire Mozart and to love classical music in general.  We grew up in Stuttgart, just a little over 3 hours from Mozart’s birthplace of Salzburg, Austria, and we enjoyed taking family trips down there where we’d walk the cobblestoned streets, visit the Mozart museum, and of course pick up some Mozartkugeln.  (There were definitely some Sound of Music tours in there as well, but that’s a different subject.  Back to Wolfgang….)

What is a Mozartkugel?

A Mozartkugel (kugel is German for “ball”) is a dark chocolate confection shaped in ball and filled with marzipan, pistachio and nougat.  It was first invented in 1890 by Paul Fürst, a confectioner in Salzburg, Austria in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Fürst won the gold medal for his confection at the 1905 World Exposition in Paris and established his company that would continue making Mozartkugeln for many generations to come.  This was during a time when it wasn’t common to patent food creations and as the popularity of these chocolate confections took off, numerous other companies started making the same thing and even using similar names.  One company called them “Real Salzburg Mozartkugeln” while another called them “Real Reber Mozartkugeln”, and so on.  In 1981 the courts decided that Reber had to place a hyphen between Mozart-Kugeln to distinguish a difference in brands and then in 1996 that the courts made a further injunction that only the Fürst brand could call them “Original Salzburg Mozartkugeln.”  The Fürst family still makes them today, now the 5th generation overseeing their handmade confections.

Below is a list of a few of the different brands of Mozartkugeln.  The last I heard there are a total of 13 different brands.  The brands I’m most familiar with and ate growing up in Germany are Mirabell (made near Salzburg) and Reber (made in Bavaria), both of which I personally prefer over Fürst because of the separate and pronounced layers of regular marzipan and pistachio marzipan in addition to the nougat.  Reber is the world’s biggest producer of Mozartkugeln, producing 180 million Mozartkugeln every year.  That’s nearly a 500,000 Mozarkugeln every day!

 

 

How to Make Mozartkugeln

You can add the two marzipans and nougat in any position and order you like, there is no right or wrong (as you can see from all the different “official” variations).  I chose to pattern mine after the Mirabell brand of Mozartkugeln this time.

The process of making these is quite simple and the ingredients can be prepared far in advance.  The almond and pistachios marzipans as well as the nuss-nougat can be made weeks in advance and then it’s just a matter of assembling them and dipping them in melted chocolate.  Outside of Austria and Germany the nuss-nougat is nearly impossible to find and even in Austria and Germany it’s nearly impossible to find the pistachio marzipan.  But don’t worry because I’ve got you fully covered for both!  Not only is it extremely easy to make your own, it’s also cheaper than buying it AND it tastes better.  Win-win!

To make your own Mozartkugeln you’ll need to make a batch of our homemade marzipan, pistachio marzipan, and German nougat.

Once assembled they’ll keep for a least a couple of months in the fridge stored in an airtight container.  That gives you plenty of time to make them in batches to give away to special friends and family members.  I say “special” because only those you value most and who treat you best are worthy of receiving these ultra-decadent, extra special chocolate confections!

Tips for Making Mozartkugeln

• Let the nougat sit out at room temp until soft enough to shape.
• Refrigerate the balls for at least an hour before dipping them in chocolate so that the marzipan and nougat is firm when you pierce the balls with the skewer.
• Once they’re dipped in chocolate place them in the fridge so the chocolate will set quickly.

These two steps will help prevent the balls from sliding down the skewer while you’re waiting for the chocolate to set because the ingredients are too soft and the weight of the balls are too heavy.

Note:  You only need to use the skewers if you want round Mozartkugeln (ie, with no flat bottoms ;)   Keep in mind that many of the brands of Mozartkugeln are flat on the bottom, including the most popular brand – Reber – so don’t feel like you have to make them round.  It’s simply comes down to personal preference and any shape you choose will taste equally delicious :)

Homemade Mozartkugeln Recipe

Let’s get started!

Note:  One batch marzipan, one batch pistachio marzipan, one batch nougat, 2 cups dark chocolate wafers — this will make about 18 Mozartkugeln and you’ll have some pistachio marzipan and nougat left over.  If you double the regular marzipan recipe you’ll  have enough of the remaining ingredients to make around 30 Mozartkugeln.

The size for each ingredient will depend on how large/small you want your Mozartkugeln so I’m just providing general guidelines.

Pinch of some of the pistachio marzipan and roll it into a ball using the palms of your hands.  Set aside.  Scoop out some of the nougat and roll it into a larger ball than the pistachio marzipan, then flatten it into a disk.  Set aside.  Pinch off some of the almond marzipan and roll it into a larger ball than the nougat, then flatten it into a disk.

Now it’s time to assemble them.  Take the pistachio marzipan ball and set it on the disk of nougat.  Close the nougat around the pistachio marzipan and roll back into a ball.  Now set the pistachio-enclosed nougat ball onto the disk of marzipan.

Close the marzipan around the nougat ball to fully enclose it and then roll it into a ball in the palms of your hands.

If you’re making round Mozartkugeln which will require impaling them on a skewer, I recommend chilling the prepared balls for at least an hour before dipping them in chocolate.   This will firm up the kugeln help prevent them from sliding down the skewer while you’re waiting for the chocolate to set because the ingredients are too soft and the weight of the kugeln are too heavy.  If you’re not making round kugeln and plan on dipping and setting them on a flat surface to dry then there’s no need to chill them first.

Dip the kugeln in the melted chocolate to thoroughly and evenly coat them, letting the excess chocolate drip off.

If using skewers stick the bottom ends of the skewers into some styrofoam to keep them upright while the kugeln are drying, making sure the kugeln don’t touch each other.  I recommend placing them in the fridge where they will dry more quickly which will help prevent them from sliding down the skewer over time.

If you’re not using skewers, place the chocolate dipped skewers onto a lined cookie sheet or other surface until set.

To make these all the fancier you can wrap them individually with regular or gold foil.

Store your Mozartkugeln in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for a couple of months.

Enjoy!

For more Austrian goodies be sure to try our:

• Apple Strudel
• Kaiserschmarrn
• Vanillekipferl
• Linzer Cookies