Macarons can be quite tricky! I think it’s all in the whisking of the egg whites and folding of the almond flour. That’s why we make them completely by hand. It’s much easier to control what you’re doing when you can feel what’s happening.
These macarons turned out beautifully. A total success!! They have nice feet, are crispy at the edges and chewy in the centre. The macrons are light and airy. They have a lovely vanilla flavor which works well with the frosting and jam or jelly. They’re so good!
Let’s get started!
Sift together powdered/icing sugar and almond flour into a bowl to remove any lumps. My daughter ‘H’ sifted twice.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until frothy. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. We whipped the egg whites by hand.
Gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients into the egg whites. We did it in two batches, being careful not to deflate the meringue.
To fold, scrape the edge and bottom and flip it over. Go from the centre, around and fold over. Repeat. Do this just until the almond flour mixture is incorporated. Over mixing will deflate the whites.
Divide the macaron batter into bowls if you’d like to color it, otherwise scoop half the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or cut the end of the plastic piping bag. Pipe 1-1/2” rounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving space between each one. Refill piping bag and continue. You can also divide between two bags if it’s easier.
My daughter ‘L’ is allergic to food dyes, so we left the batter natural.
Once you are done piping, put a bit of water on your finger and tap the top to flatten.
Tap the baking sheets on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes to form a skin on top.
Here’s what they look like now. They’re glossy and sticky.
Here’s after 30 minutes. They’re dry and I can feel they have a crust on them. They’re ready to bake!
Bake at 300F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they have risen and developed feet. I cooked them 12 minutes.
They have beautiful feet!! They’re light, flaky and airy yet chewy — so good!
While the macarons cool, prepare the buttercream filling by beating butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and fluffy.
Once the macarons have cooled completely, pipe buttercream onto the flat side of one macaron shell at the edge and spoon a bit of jam or jelly in the centre, and sandwich it together with another macaron.
We are using 4 different jams and jellies we made. We are using strawberry jam, pear, crabapple and raspberry jelly.
You can decorate it however you like
I dusted the strawberry macarons with icing sugar (powdered sugar).
The raspberry macarons have a strand of “lights.”
The crabapple macarons are polar bears.
The pear macarons are snowmen. So cute!!
They’re so yummy and cute too!
Festive Christmas Macarons
For the Macaron Shells:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red and green food coloring if you like or leave them white and decorate with icing after they’re cooled
For the Buttercream Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk
Sift together powdered sugar and almond flour into a bowl to remove any lumps.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until frothy. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients into the egg whites in batches, being careful not to deflate the meringue.
Divide the macaron batter into bowls if you’d like to color it, otherwise divide the dough into 2 piping bags fitted with a large round tip, or cut the end of the plastic piping bag. Pipe 1-1/2” rounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving space between each one.
Tap the baking sheets on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes to form a skin on top. Bake at 300F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they have risen and developed feet.
While the macarons cool, prepare the buttercream filling by beating butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and fluffy. Once the macarons have cooled completely, pipe buttercream onto the flat side of one macaron shell and fill with jam if you like and sandwich with another. Decorate as you like.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours