Bebek, on the European side of the Bosphorus, is Istanbul’s most expensive suburb, lined with elegant restaurants and bars that will charge you $25 for a cocktail.

That was where I came across almond truffles, served in wooden boxes emblazoned with the golden logo of a shop called Meşhur Bebek Badem Ezmesi (Famous Bebek Almond Paste). It opened in 1904 and it sells only almond confectionery. If you make my version, you’ll save a fortune—even when you include the orange blo