Fruity Pebble Macarons
I just love these little, airy confections! French macarons always look so happy. It has been one of my proudest baking accomplishments to achieve the perfect macaron, though I am still experimenting with designs and flavors - there are literally infinite possibilities!
Macarons can be intimidating, but in truth not particularly difficult once you know the tricks for success. I spent a lot of time researching recipes, calculating ratios, and sifting through the commentary and ideology of other bakers and blogs. I learned a lot. But honestly the most common theme was that most everyone has strong opinions on how to master macarons. After experimenting on my own and trying numerous variations, some of this gospel proved true for me while others were a bit irrelevant.
I find making macarons to be personal. They are delicate. They can be very temperamental. You need to be confident in your technique, your oven, and even your weather, to achieve consistent results. After countless batches, below is the recipe and method I have adopted, but I encourage you to also read from numerous sources, experiment for yourself and find what works for you!
Emoji Macarons
Ingredients:
80g Almond Flour
100g Icing Sugar
~~~~~
80g Egg Whites (from 2-3 eggs)
70g Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
Process:
Sift dry ingredients together twice and set aside.
Prepare baking sheets and pre-heat oven to 325 degrees at least 20 minutes before baking.
Whip egg whites in mixer until bubbles form, then add cream of tartar. After another 2 mins, slowly add in caster sugar until mixed and let mixer whip until meringue forms. (This can take a good 5-7 minutes).
Gently fold dry ingredients into meringue. I fold in half at a time, careful not to over mix or it will deflate the air from the meringue. I use the ‘figure eight’ test to determine when the perfect consistency is achieved.
IMPORTANT re COLOR: If adding the same color to the entire batch, add your color to the meringue during Step 3. Otherwise separate mixed batter after step 4, careful not to over-mix. If you wait until figure eight is achieved and then add color, it will be over-mixed. You will want to add color just before reaching figure eight and then achieve the right consistency when mixing in color.
Add your macaron shell batter to a piping bag with a wide circular tip. I use a coupler so I can change the tips if needed.
Pipe batter onto prepared sheet pans.
Tap trays and pop air bubbles to remove excess air.
Let trays rest for approx. 20-30 minutes until a skin has formed on the shells.
Bake at 325, one tray at a time. 4 minutes. Rotate tray. Another 4 minutes. Rotate tray. Another 2 minutes. Then remove tray.
Let the shells cool completely on the trays. Any attempt to remove before they are cool will leave some of the shell stuck to the silicon mat.
Assemble shells with desired fillings and decoration.
Tips & Tricks:
Invest in a quality food scale and weigh all of your ingredients. This is the only way to ensure precision in the quantity and ratios you are using. Macarons are very delicate - you must be precise!
Sift your dry ingredients together at least twice. Almond flour is particularly course and if you want smooth macarons that don’t look grainy, don’t skip this step. If I’m infusing other dry ingredients, I zap them in the food processor before weighing and then sift them together with the almond flour and icing sugar so everything is well combined. Some folks throw everything in the food processor instead of old-fashion sifting, but my sifter hasn’t failed me yet (and honestly it’s easier to clean up).
I use only metal bowls and tools as I discovered plastic equipment that might have even the slightest residue of oil will kill my hopes for a gorgeous, fluffy meringue. Can you make a meringue in a melamine bowl? Well, you can try. But I’ve had very limited success. I now use only metal, sometimes glass, and even use a stainless steel spatula when I swirl the dry ingredients in with the meringue. Sounds crazy, I know, but this has made a huge difference in the integrity of my meringue and end results.
Not only do I age fresh egg whites and leave them out a few hours before whipping, but I also set my glass jar of whites in a bowl of warm water to bring them up to at least 70 or 75 degrees. I whip them in my stainless KitchenAid bowl until it gets foamy and then add a pinch of cream of tartar to help it stabilize. Some recipes call for other types of sugar, but I’ve found that slowly adding superfine sugar (aka caster sugar) yields the most angelic meringue. (swoon)
Make sure to slap your trays down on the counter to encourage any air pockets to escape and reduce the possibility that air will try to escape and crack the shells. If you do this and still have air pockets, then it’s likely the batter was under mixed when folding in the dry ingredients. I also spend a couple extra minutes hovering over my trays with a toothpick, to pop any remaining bubbles before the shells start to set.
I leave my shells to settle for 30 minutes before baking. This lets the shells dry out and allows the outer surface to thicken, which encourages the air in the batter to escape through the bottom edge (creating those glorious little feet!) instead of escaping through the top of the macaron (which causes the tops to crack).
There can be only one tray in the oven at a time. Seriously. Do not rush or try to bake more than one tray at a time, it throws everything off. The heat cannot penetrate evenly and your macarons will have numerous issues. Not only that, I also flip my sheet trays over so the lip of the tray is face down. My shells around the edges of my trays had several issues when baking until I merely flipped the trays over!
Let your shells cool completely on the tray before you attempt to remove them. If you find you have sticky bottoms, it could be that they aren’t fully cool. Either that or they aren’t fully baked and it’s okay to pop them back in the oven for a few more mins to dry out. But even if you pop them back in for a spell, still make sure they cool completely before moving.
Lemon Lime Macarons
So… while these methods work for me, I have no doubt you will find alternative methods that work for you. These little treats can be so fussy! But the important thing is that you are bringing more of these delightful little morsels into the world. : ) If you’re like me and looking to dive into macaron lore, I’m happy to share some of my favorite sources:
Sally's Baking Addiction - Step-by-Step Guide to French Macarons
Piper Cakes - Macaron Pinterest Board (my personal collection of inspiration!)
Circus Animal Cookie Macarons
Flavor wins:
Classic Vanilla
Fruity Pebbles
Lemon-Lime
Hot Cinnamon
Circus Animal Cookie
Honey
Peppermint
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Lucky Charms
Flavors I’m developing:
Blueberry
Pineapple
Sparkling Pear
Bubble Gum
Toasted Coconut
S’mores
