The recipe calls for marzipan, yet she mentions using almond paste. Which is it? They are not the same.

Renee, thank you for asking—marzipan is correct, and I just updated the headnote to make that clearer. (Although we tested it with almond paste once and it was still pretty good!)

Yes, well they are and aren't the same thing. It depends some on where you are in the world. Some people use the two terms interchangeably as well. Both are made of almonds to varying amounts, sugar, and a binder of some sort. Almond paste is usually coarser than marzipan as well, and not as easily modeled into things like fruit shapes. Usually the binder is egg whites- and since the author of this recipe is vegetarian- that could technically eliminate both products except the homemade version. However, she does mention two of the common German brands which is often sold as marzipan. In the end, I don't think it will really matter which you opt to use. It would really come down to personal preference, so long as you used a quality brand that wasn't high in sugar and low in almonds, flavored with an artificial flavoring. If you object to using eggs, or perhaps can't use them- then the homemade version would be best.