Macarons From Above
If you’re new here let me start by saying I am absolutely psycho for macarons. I have probably spent thousands of dollars on dozens of macarons with no regrets. Macarons are often mistaken for macaroons and why wouldn’t they be, the names and spellings are almost identical. Also, both words are derived from ammaccare, which is Italian for “to crush.” That’s where the similarities end.
Macaroons: a delicious gluten-free coconut meringue and absolutely not what this recipe is today.
Macarons (featured in the cover photo) are delicate sandwiched cookies with endless possibility choices when it comes to flavors + colors. They are incredibly tedious to make, and they require a ton of patience. There are two different methods for making macarons, the Italian and the French method. We’ll be focusing on the French way. The following is a recipe is for one dozen blueberry vanilla macarons. Before you begin, make sure your house temperature is not too warm, and if you have a dehumidifier in your home, I would suggest moving it to the kitchen — no joke.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2hours + 10 minutes
*Cue Patience*
Ingredients for the cookie:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 cup of almond flour
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drops of blue gel food coloring
Ingredients for the filling:
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp.)
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 3 tbs of heavy cream
- 2 tbs of blueberry puree
You’ll also need:
- Parchment paper
- Piping bags with rounded tips
Directions for cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- The egg whites should be at room temp for at least 30 minutes. Having the egg whites rest will result in a fluffier meringue.
- Sift your dry ingredients into a mixing bowl
- In a separate mixing bowl, add 3 egg whites + a pinch of salt
Begin beating the eggs and gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat mixture until stiff peaks form then, add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and two drops of blue gel food coloring.
- Combine the wet + dry cookie ingredients one-third at a time
- Staring from the sides of the mixing bowl, fold the ingredients inward towards the center. This method is called macronage and this process has to be done until the texture resembles wet sand ribbons. You should be able to lift your spoon and create a full figure 8 with no breakage.
- Fill a piping bag with the wet cookie ingredients + line the baking sheet with parchment paper
- Pipe the liquid macarons on the baking sheet until they are about 1.5 inches in diameter
Hopefully, yours look better than this, but this is basically what your mac babies should look like at this point.
Some worked, some flopped, but all were delicious.
- DROP THE BAKING SHEET!
Let me be clear, this step is crucial! It helps the macarons get those beautiful airy pieds, or feet at the bottom of the cookie. If you do not do this step, you’ll be baking your macarons with tons of air bubbles trapped inside, and they will not have a smooth look. Lift the tray a few inches above your countertop, and drop it, do this a few times, double check for trapped air, and do it again if needed. You want these to be as smooth as possible for the next step.
- Let the macarons rest at room temp for 30-60 minuets, I’m extra so I did the whole hour, just to be on the safe side. You know your macs are ready to go into the oven once the liquid has turned into more of a shell and you can gently run your fingers across the top of the macaron + it seems dry.
- Place baking sheet in the middle of your oven and bake for 10 minutes
- After baking, leave them on the baking sheet and let them cool for 15-30 minutes (you know I did 30). When time is up, they should easily lift off the parchment paper.
Directions for filling:
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and gradually sift the powdered sugar into the mixture.
- Add the
2 tsp of vanilla extract
3 tbs of heavy cream
2 tbs of blueberry puree
- Mix until the texture is smooth
- Add mixture into a piping bag
- Pipe a small amount of filling on the cookie. Find another macaron shell that is about the same size as the one with filling on top, play matchmaker, and gently press the cookies together forming a sandwich.
- Take amazing photos for Instagram and admire your craftsmanship! Sit back + realize that you’re now 12% French. This process may seem like a lot, but let me tell you, it is absolutely worth it if you want to make macs at home, and the process only gets easier as you continually make them. As I mentioned earlier, the possibilities are endless when it comes to flavors + colors so have fun with this and I would love to hear how they turn out for you!
