Yes, this is a running blog that I've been sadly neglecting. Yes, I'm still running (more about that in another post). Yes, this is a wildly off topic post. BUT, it's also full on awesomesauce because, loyal readers, I'm going to share with you the secrets of macarons. Not coconut macaroons, but French macarons, the stuff of daydreams and indulgence. These babies usually sell for about $2 a cookie, so it pays to be able to make your own. And people are ridiculously impressed with them. Take a plate to your next pot luck and people will seriously worship you for the pastry goddess/god you know you'd love to be. So, enjoy the fabulousness of macarons. And then go run a few miles because they aren't low fat or paleo or anything other than purely and indulgently fabulous (they are, however, gluten free, so, you're welcome!).
Macarons
(Makes 18-24 assembled cookies, depending on size)
For the cookies:
1 ½ C (6oz/185g) confectioner’s
sugar
1 ¼ C (5oz/140g) blanched
almonds or almond flour
3 large egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ C (2oz/60g) granulated sugar
½ tsp flavored extract of your choice
Gel paste for coloring (optional – Wilton’s cake dye works well)
Sanding sugar (optional)
For the filling:
1 C (8oz/250g) unsalted butter, at room temp
¾ C (3oz/93g) confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ tsp extract of your choice
Tools needed:
·
Pastry bag with ½-inch round tip (or, you can
cut the end off of a disposable pastry bag, which works just as well, or just
don’t use a tip with a reusable bag, since the opening is about the right
size. In a pinch you can cut the corner
off a zip lock freezer bag, but you won’t have quite as much control over the
size of the cookies and they might not be perfectly round)
·
Baking parchment (this is key, it’s a big pain
in the butt to make these without parchment)
·
Electric mixer (you can whip the meringue with a
manual egg beater, but you may die in the process)
·
Food processor (you need this if you don’t buy
ground almond meal (and if you do get the ground stuff, splurge on Bob’s Red
Mill from Whole Foods, the Trader Joe’s almond meal is too coarse and doesn’t
give as good of results)
·
Sifter or sieve (absolutely key – I use a sieve and it works
fine)
A note about macarons
Macarons have a
reputation for being kind of fiddly and difficult to make. There’s a lot of myth around them, and a lot
of mysticism, none of which I knew when I decided to make them. With a few exceptions (when I got a little
too creative with the recipe), they’ve always turned out well for me. If you want to read more about macarons,
www.bravetart.com has a wonderful bunch of
entries about macaron commandments and myths.
I haven’t actually had as much success with her recipe as I have with
the one here, but her technique suggestions have been invaluable. I’ve included weights as well as volume
measurements since weighing is the best way to get really consistent
results. The biggest thing about
macarons is that even if they come out cracked or undercooked, they still taste
pretty fabulous, so don’t let fear of messing them up stop you from making
them!
For the cookies (oven at
325F)
1.
If
you’re grinding your own almonds, put the almonds and confectioner’s sugar in a
food processer and process for 1 minute.
If you’re using ground almonds, just wisk them together with the
confectioner’s sugar. Sift into a bowl,
and if you have any large pieces that won’t go through the sieve, put them back
in the food processor for another 30 seconds, then sift again. You should have no more than 2 Tbsp of
chunkier bits, and you can just throw them in (too many chunky bits, and your
macarons will crack, since they’ll be like little pieces of shrapnel).
2.
In
a clean large bowl on medium high speed, beat the egg whites until they form a
dense foam (myth has it that you should use room temperature egg whites that
have been left out for a few days – totally unnecessary, though room temp eggs
do separate more easily. And remember,
if you get yolk or other grease in the egg whites, they won’t make meringue, so
separate them carefully). Add the salt
and granulated sugar. Beat until stiff,
glossy peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Add the
extract flavoring of your choice and the food coloring and beat until combined.
3.
Using
a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the meringue in three batches. You want to deflate the meringue a bit, so
you fold and kind of press against the side of the bowl. Undermixed macaronage will be too stiff and won’t spread properly, and will
probably crack, overmixed will spread too much.
The consistency should be like magma – fluid, but no runny. If you take a spoonful out and plop it back
on top of the batter, it should reincorporate back in in maybe 30 seconds. If it just sits on top, mix a few more
strokes and try again (the bravetart blog has some good advice on this).
4.
Cut
3-4 pieces of baking parchment the size of your cookie sheets. Using a pastry bag, pipe the macaronage into 1 ½ inch circles about
an inch apart (if you’re afraid they’ll all be different sizes, you can use a
stencil to draw circles on the parchment, then flip it over so you don’t get
ink or pencil on your cookies and fill them in, stopping right before the
margins of the circle, since the cookies will spread a little). If your little circles don’t flatten out and
have a little peak, like a Hershey’s kiss, your macaronage isn’t mixed enough.
If you want, you can sprinkle sanding sugar on top at this point. Strictly speaking, this isn’t traditional,
but it can hide cracks if you’re worried about that, and give a little extra
crunch (my mom is a fan of this –s he was pretty bummed I didn’t put sugar on
top of these ones).
5.
At
this point, slide your cookie sheets under the parchment and smack the cookies
sheet, cookies and all, hard on the counter a couple of times. Turn the cookie sheet 90 degrees and smack it
a couple more times on the counter. This
moves the air bubbles out of the cookies and helps keep them from
cracking. Traditionally, you’re supposed
to let the cookies sit for an hour to form a skin on top, to further protect
against cracking, but I’ve found this to be pretty unnecessary, so go ahead and
pop that first sheet in if you’re so inclined (you won’t hurt them by waiting,
but you don’t have to).
6.
Bake
for 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven.
Overcooked is better than undercooked if you have to make a choice. They should peel fairly easily off the
parchment when cooled, so if they stick and the bottoms come off, make a note
and try cooking a minute longer next time (I cook mine for 15 minutes, and the
smaller ones pull off leaving nothing behind at that cooking time). If you can, cool completely before taking them
off the parchment, and you can use a small metal spatula if you want (though
it’s not usually necessary). I get the
best results cooking one sheet at a time on the middle rack. If your cookies are sticking to the parchment
paper, I found it helpful to pick up the cookie and then “flick” the parchment
with your index finger, which helps remove it quickly without leaving a lot of
cookie behind.
For the filling and
assembly:
1.
Beat
confectioner’s sugar and butter in a large bowl on medium speed until just
combined, then increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the extract of your choice and food
coloring (if desired) and beat until combined.
2.
Using
a small rubber spatula or spoon, spread the filling on upturned cookie. Find another that’s about the same size and
sandwich them together. My husband
thinks I should match them all up in advance, since invariably I end up with
one very small half and one very large one at the end (which I think is fine,
since I just eat that one). This recipe
makes a bit more buttercream that you need (usually) so don’t feel like you
have to be stingy with it.
3.
The
finished macarons should be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for
about 24 hours before you serve them.
Get them out an hour or two before you want to serve them to let the
buttercream warm up a bit. These are
noticeably better the second day, so it pays to plan ahead. You can store these in an air tight container
in the freezer for a couple of months, just be sure to thaw in the container,
since they’ll get soggy otherwise.
