20/12/2015
Festive Holiday Macarons (French Macarons Recipe)
via TabiEats
INGREDIENTS （6 macarons）
egg white 35 grams/1 1/4 oz. (about 1 medium egg)
confectioners' sugar ５６ｇ/8 tablespoons
almond flour 40ｇ/7 tablespoons
granulated sugar １４ｇ/a little more than 1 tablespoon
cream of tarter ０．５ｇ/just a pinch
red and green gel food coloring
Peppermint Buttercream
unsalted butter １００ｇ/7 tablespoons
confectioners' sugar ２００ｇ/about 1 cup
peppermint extract or oil
DIRECTIONS:
Sift almond flour and 8 tablespoons confectioners's sugar in a fine mesh sieve to get rid of large pieces and lumps. Use a spatula to push through. If you have any large pieces of almond flour leftover, discard them. Mix well until combined. Since we're making two colors, let's divide the mixture into two even portions. Using a kitchen scale is very userful here but if you don't have one, try your best to divide into two portions as best as you can.
Separate your egg. Put the egg white into a clean bowl. If your bowl has any oil or other impurities, success is difficult. If unsure you can wipe it with some vinegar or lemon juice and paper towel. Add a pinch of cream of tarter to help stabilize the meringue. Start at a low speed until frothy. Add 1/3 of your granulated sugar and beat until blended. Add another third of the sugar and beat for 30 seconds. Finally add the rest of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Now divide the meringue into two. You can simply keep the other half of the meringue in the bowl you used to make the meringue with. Add the half portion of almond mixture along with a touch of red food coloring. Fold gently to combine. Once the mixture is no longer dry, continue to gently mix until you get the consistency of lava. Scoop some up and pour it back into your bowl to check. Transfer this mixture into a piping bag (or ziploc bag) and set aside.
Do the exact same thing for the other half but substitute with green food coloring instead. Pipe the macarons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Give the tray a few taps to make sure there are no air bubbles. Let the macaron cookies rest for 20 minutes or until it is no longer wet. If you touch the upper shell of the macaron, it should be dry. If it isn't leave it out to dry until it's no longer wet. Nothing should stick to your fingers.
Preheat oven to 200 C/ 390 F. Bake for 3 minutes at this temperature. Lower the temperature to 140 C / 280 F and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
To make the buttercream filling, cream the butter (room temperature) until creamy and fluffy. Add in the confectioners's sugar and mix until nice and spreadable consistency. Add a few drops of peppermint extract or oil for flavor. Mix together and put this in a piping bag or plastic bag.
Once the macarons are done, take them out of the oven and set to cool completely. Do not touch them until they are cool as they are fragile and will easily break. Once they are cool enough, fill with buttercream. They can be eaten right away, but they taste better after being in the refrigerator overnight. If refrigerated, make sure to let them come close to room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Macarons are one of the most difficult things we've tried making and so many factors contribute to the end result such as oven temperature, room temperature and the texture achieved during the folding (macronage) stage. Let us know if you run into any problems and we'll try to help as much as we can. Thanks and good luck with your macarons!
