In Between The Bites: Macarons

Happy hump day!!  We have almost made it to the weekend!  So earlier this week i blabbed about my obsession for macarons.  Well I just couldn't resist attempting to make them!  I've heard from various sources that they are difficult to prep and make but I figured I would just go for it! YOLO!  As mentioned in my previous post, a Macaron consists of a meringue shell, a flavored filling, then a meringue shell.  It looks like a cute and colorful sandwich!

This post does not tell you exactly how to make the Macaron, but how the recipe I have listed below worked for me.  I have documented my progress and how it easy it was to make.  

First of all, I got the recipe that I used for the meringue shells from the Food Network.  You can find the specific recipe I used HERE.  Ingredients you will need are:

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cups almond flour or almond meal
3 egg whites (At room temperature!)
1/4 cup sugar

Lastly, a filling of your choice.  I did a homemade raspberry buttercream in which I found HERE.

The almond flour/ almond meal is very important!  This cannot be replaced with any other flour.  I used almond meal that I found at Trader Joe's.  You can find  almond flour at any natural foods store like PCC or Whole Foods, and limited Costcos carry 3lb bags.

As instructed in the recipe, you need to sift the powdered sugar and the almond meal together.  This helps blend the mixture and get rid of larger pieces of almond and unclump the powdered sugar.

 If you follow the instructions in the recipe with the egg whites and sugar, you will get a lovely meringue.  It will look very similar to what I have pictured below.  It will be glossy and create high peaks when you lift out your hand blender.  Note:  It takes a good 5 to 10 minutes of using your hand blender on high to get such results so be patient!

After you have created your meringue, you then add HALF of the almond/powdered sugar mixture into the meringue.  You do not stir but more fold the mixture until is spread through evenly.  You then add the rest of the almond flour/ sugar and keep folding the mixture another 15 to 20 times until the powder is mixed thoroughly through the meringue. 

This is when you add the food coloring!  Do not add the food coloring when you are initially creating the meringue!  This could mess up the consistency of the egg whites and never let your meringue settle.  If possible, use a food coloring paste. You want to keep as much moisture out of the macaron as possible or else it will crack when cooking.

After you have mixed together your meringue and almond/sugar, I poured the mixture into a large ziplock bag and cut a very small hole in the corner of the ziplock. (I do not have pastry bags so this is a makeshift way to pipe the macarons).  After you have lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, you ca start piping your macarons! As you can see, I added a purple food coloring paste to make my macarons purple.  Some people draw 1-inch circle guides when piping their macarons, but I did it freehand.  I had issues keeping the sizes consistent but I didn't mind too much.

NOTE: I wish I had cut the hole in my ziplock bag even smaller so I could better control the piping of the meringue.

NOTE: The recipe calls for the oven to be at 350 degrees. For better results, I would lower the heat to 325 or 300 to see how it would turn out. 

After letting meringue settling on the pan for 15 minutes, you start to bake them!  As instructed from the recipe, halfway through the baking time, Your switch the rack that your two pans are on to make sure they bake through evenly.  Below is what my shells looked like after baking!  They are a lovely purple and rose perfectly.

Here is a picture of some finished raspberry macarons!  I was very satisfied with the results, though I would make a few minor changes with baking to try to get even better results.  If you missed it, there is a link to the raspberry buttercream filling under the ingredients list above.

I hope you enjoy and try to make some yourself!  I am now off to go eat my delicious treats!  Stay posted!

With Love,

             Traci Lee