Today is National Macaron Day!! Although some may say that a cookie does not deserve a national day…this is not just any cookie..it’s a pastry of perfection! The light and airy texture, combined with endless filling options, is unlike any other dessert. It is a little taste of heaven if you ask me…but getting there…is not for the faint of heart. Each step of macaron making is very precise and requires measuring, weighing,whipping and timing.
My friend and I decided to take on the challenge of French Macaron making. Besides…with a Periodontist and a future Endodontist at the task, I don’t think you could ask for more precise personalities. Although some of our creations were duds, most of them were just as beautiful as they were delicious. If you love baking, and are up for a rewarding challenge, I encourage you to make the most amazing macrons you will ever taste. They are sure to impress both you and your friends.
- 168g Powdered Sugar
- 168g Almond Flour (Bob’s Redmill)
- 55g Egg Whites
- 55g Egg Whites (yes you need 2 separate prep bowls, each with 55g of egg
- whites)
- 150g Sugar (White)
- ¼ cup Water
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, the volumetric amounts are listed below, but again..precision is the key to success, therefore I recommend using the grams measurements if possible.
- 1.5 cups Powdered sugar
- 1.5 cups Almond Flour
- 4 Egg whites (separated 2 and 2..as noted above)
- ¾ cup Sugar (white)
- ¼ cup Water
- ++Gel food coloring is optional++
- Line 2 baking sheets with either a baking mat or parchment paper (I had better luck with the parchment paper). To make sure that each macaron is the same size, use a small container (approx 1″-1.5″ diameter) to draw circles on the paper. If using a mat, place the parchment paper “stencil” under the mat so you have a guide when piping the dough. Also, the pencil side of the parchment paper should be placed face down so that the lead/ink does not transfer to your baked goods.
- Prepare piping bags with 3/8″ tip (I used a #804 and #802).
- Preheat oven to 275 ( You may want to use a thermometer to insure that your oven temperature is accurate). If your oven is too hot it will over cook the cookies and the tops will crack, if it is too low of a temp, they will not develop the beautiful ruffle “foot”
- Place 55g of egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and attach wire whip
- In a saucepan on medium-high heat, bring water and sugar to a boil.
- Gently and continually stir the sugar/water mixture to allow for even distribution and melting of sugar. When you begin to see little bubbles forming at the base of the pan, stop stirring.
- Place thermometer in pan and when the temperature reaches 230F, start whipping the egg whites on high speed.
- When the sugar syrup reach 235F and the egg whites are foamy, remove the syrup from the head and SLOWLY add the syrup to the whipping egg whites. 9.Continue to beat the meringue for 8-10 minutes until the mixing bowl base is cool to the touch
- Which the meringue is whipping, place the powdered sugar and almond flour in a medium sized bowl. (I recommend sifting the to together to even distribute the two ingredients, and to remove unwanted clumps).
- Mix the powdered sugar, almond flour and 2 additional egg whites (55 g), into a paste with a stiff rubber spatula. If you wish to add food coloring or any extracts (1/4 tbs) this is the time to add them.
- Fold in the cooled meringue until the shiny batter develops. The folding process is important: allow the batter to drip off of your spatula like molten lava. Do not vigorously beat or whip.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe out the meringue to the size of the circles you stenciled out on the parchment paper.
- Bake for 12-20 mins on the center rack of your oven
- After 12 minutes, check every 2 minutes to see if they are done. The more accurate your oven temperature, the closer the baking time will be to 20 mins.
- To check if they are done, touch the tip of the macaron and try to shake it. The cookies are done when the top barely moves against the ruffle (foot) of the macaron
- Cool at room temp before filling. If you are patient, they are said to be best when refrigerated overnight covered with plastic wrap…I didn’t have the patience for that! I allowed the to cool..and then filled them and ate the right away. If you do refrigerate them, allow them to return to room temp before unwrapping and filling
- For filling, I used a chocolate ganache and a butter cream to create a barrier for the jam filling, so the jam wouldn’t seep out when they were handled or bitten into. I paired the butter cream with a lemon curd (store bought), and the ganache with both blueberry and raspberry jam (store bought). Only a small amount of jam or filling is need.
Since this is very technique sensitive, I tried to take photos of each step to help you visualize the process.
I used #802 and #804 tips for piping
Slowly pour in the syrup as the egg whites are rapidly whipping
Use a firm rubber spatula to create a paste of almond flour and powdered sugar..add food coloring as desired.
Pipe the meringue into the prepared bags. I used a tall glass to keep them upright when I was not using them.
Bake/cool/fill/eat!
