French Macarons Galore!

Fellow food bloggers/ bakers, I have a question for you! So I have this problem... sometimes, when I bake the various things that I bake, I really want to be truthful in my description of how the things taste, how they turned out, or how difficult they were to make. The most difficult thing for me though is how things taste.

I know, I know! It really shouldn't be that hard to tell you guys if something is delicious or not but sometimes I really over-think things and examine things to the fine details rather than focusing on the overall deliciousness of the thing! Weird, but I can't help it. Anyway, that's why I always have taste testers - they sure do help a lot with my weird taste bud issues!

So, after all that, on to these macarons! Along with the lavender & vanilla bean macarons I posted a while ago, I made ALL of these too! It was my best friend's birthday and I knew that these would make thee perfect gift, and would let me practice my macaron-making skills, well so I'd hoped.

Weirdly enough, some came out perfect. As for the others, I could not say the same. This was probably due to the fact that I was rushing my macaron making. At first, when tasting them, I was blinded by their slight imperfections. I overcooked the green tea macarons a bit, so they were a bit brown. They were also oddly shaped and didn't have the perfect little feet that I so dreamed of! The lemon though, looked flawless. But besides all of this, my friend told me that they were everything she could have asked for. Yay!

Her favorite were the green tea flavored ones, both the adzuki bean and the passionfruit. I liked the passionfruit a lot because of the tangy and sweet passionfruit buttercream. I also really liked the earthiness that the green tea added to the shells. The lemon mascarpone were also really delicious, super tangy but sweet and I think one of the most beautiful, with perfect smooth shells and some feet!

Green Tea & Adzuki Bean French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 4 tsp.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 2 tsp.

2 tsp. matcha powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

green food coloring

For the adzuki bean SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup prepared and sweetened Adzuki beans, or more if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the adzui SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Lemon Mascarpone French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here. Filling recipe here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsn.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 1 tbsn.

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

yellow food coloring

For the lemon cream filling:

4 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature

2 - 3 tbsn. lemon curd

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bad with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar and almond powder/ meal to make sure there are no lumps. Add the yellow food coloring into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the filling, beat all the ingredients together until thick and creamy. Chill for 2 - 3 hours before using. To assemble the macarons, first pair off the shells into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe the lemon mixture on top (about 1 tbsn. each), then top with the other macaron shell. Enjoy!

Green Tea & Passionfruit French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 4 tsp.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 2 tsp.

2 tsp. matcha powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

green food coloring, if stronger green color is desired

For the passionfruit SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

passionfruit syrup, if desired (found at Asian supermarkets)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. Add passionfruit syrup to taste, but be careful not to add too much or else the buttercream will start to separate. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the passionfruit SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Lavender & Vanilla Bean French Macarons

After I 'mastered' the macaron, I was flying on air! I couldn't wait to dirty up my hands and have a go at them again. I had this perfect little package of almond flour waiting for me to use it up (more about this perfect almond flour below) - but I was waiting for the special opportunity to use it. My friend's birthday was just around the corner and I knew there was one thing that would make her heart explode - a plethora of French macarons!

These lavender macarons are especially pretty! I love the color of the light violet and the speckled buttercream in the center. These came out perfectly - lucky me! The lavender flavor is very prominent, even though I just sprinkled the tops with the dried lavender. It's very floral, so if you aren't used to it, you might be surprised by the flavor. My favorite part though is the vanilla bean buttercream! It's so fabulous, I cannot even express! It literally tastes like a delicious vanilla bean ice cream.

About this perfect almond flour, Sam, from Oh Nuts!, was kind enough to send me some fabulous and very generous samples of anything I fancied from their website. Trust me, I was having a hard time picking the things that I wanted, because there's every kind of dried fruit and nut a girl could ever want! I finally decided on the almond flour, dried peaches, Antwerp pistachios and hazelnuts. Everything was delicious, and I swear I'm not just saying that!

I've never tried dried peaches before but these were wonderful and I can't wait to stuff them into a cookie! The Antwerp pistachios were an extreme treat because they are unlike the regular pistachios you get from the supermarket, they are smaller and have this great flavor. Of course, I had to get the almond flour for macaron making! This flour was perfect and especially great because the skins had been removed, which makes for a prettier macaron!

If you need some fine quality fruit & nut products, go to the Oh Nuts! website immediately!

Lavendar & Vanilla Bean French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsn.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 1 tbsn.

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

purple food coloring

culinary lavendar buds, about 2 tbsn.

For the vanilla bean SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 vanilla bean, split & seeded

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bad with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar and almond powder/ meal to make sure there are no lumps. Add the purple food coloring into the granulated sugar to your desired shade and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Sprinkle some violet buds on top of each macaron. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. Fold in the vanilla beans and extract. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the vanilla bean SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Oops! I guess I didn't properly mix in the purple food coloring :/

Raspberry Cream Pie Macarons

I have had MANY trials and tribulations with the famed and glorious French macaron. I've even had success, but that was probably some anomaly blessed upon me by the French macaron gods. Ever since that success, I've failed more times than I can count. I ultimately gave up for a while, not because I didn't think I could eventually master the thing, but because I was sick of throwing food out; it made me so sad!

Well, it's been quite a while now and I felt that I had taken a break for long enough. I absolutely love French macarons. I try to eat them whenever I can since they are kind of hard to come by. It just makes sense that I would make them on my own. And that I did! I found a recipe that worked for me even though... well, it really shouldn't have worked at all. I did ALL the wrong things: didn't age the egg whites, didn't use parchment paper and used greased foil instead (I'm sure the purists are planning to tar and feather me in the near future)!

Ah, but who the heck cares when you've got these beautiful, utterly-freaking-delicious-magical-supreme beauties to chomp on?!?!?! Seriously I am SOOOO proud of myself. They didn't come out perfect, mind you, but the taste was phenomenal. The macarons themselves were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Would you believe the greased foil actually worked too? My macarons had perfect shiny, untouched bottoms and... wait for it... wait a little more... okay fine... FEET. They had feet, the macaron gold standard.

The choice of fillings was of course, my favorite custard everrrrrrr. Please see my archives for the MANY uses of this famed custard, as the list is so long now. Perfectly creamy custard paired with perfectly tart raspberries. Really, I think I have died and gone to heaven...

Look ma - I got feet! Whoooopie!

Raspberry Cream Pie Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from this recipe.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsn.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 1 tbsn.

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

red food coloring, about 5 drops

For the custard:

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 clam shell of raspberries, washed, dried, and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bad with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar and almond powder/ meal to make sure there are no lumps. Add the red food coloring into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (the batter should resemble thick magma/ lava). Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons. Let them sit in the open air for about 30 minutes then bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the custard, whip everything together until it is well combined and begins to thicken, about 3 - 5 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to cool and thicken some more until ready for use. To assemble, organize the macarons into similar sized pairs. Use a piping bag or a spoon to put some custard on one side of the macaron pair. Top it with some halved raspberries and smoosh (if that's a technical term) lightly with the other pair.

Chocolate French Macarons

After a complete failure with my first attempt at French Macarons, I was determined that I would get my turn at making those precious beauties that I've been drooling over all around the internet. I've been craving and dreaming of them ever since I laid my hands on a box from Paulette. Since LA isn't a hop and a skip away from where I am, I thought the better alternative would be making them at home myself.

After learning many lessons from my first attempt, I realized that room temperature egg whites were the essential core to the French Macaron. This cookie is ALL about technique, which I should have payed attention to the first time but alas, I was much too lazy for my own benefit. The reason why my first batch was so flat and spread so much was because the whites started as cold and as they became room temperature, they expanded and loosened up. Thanks to some great pointers, these cookies turned out wonderful! Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside (my favorite part), and filled with Nutella-y goodness.

Tips to making a successful French macaron:
1. Use room temperature egg whites, aged egg whites (for up to 48 hours) are supposed to give a better end product.
2. Sift the dry mixture at least once to ensure your macarons will be smooth as a baby's bottom. 
3. Completely fold the dry mixture into the egg whites, this is what differentiates a macaron from other cookies; the batter should be thick, almost like a paste or as Veronica calls it "Magma."
4. Some recipes tell you to flatten the macaron using your fingertips and water, DO NOT DO THIS! I did this for my second batch which produced ugly, bubbled tops, example below:

5. Pre-draw 1 1/2 inch diameter circles on the back of your parchment paper to ensure equal sized macarons, then you can make perfect sandwiches!
6. Some say that the cookies will taste better after a full days of rest, but of course I was much too impatient for this step in the recipe.

Chocolate Macarons
Yields: 15 - 20 Sandwiched Cookies
from Art of Dessert (I cut the recipe in half just in case it didn't work out)

Printable Recipe

1 + 1/8 cups of finely ground almonds (You can find this at natural food supermarkets such as Whole Foods, Mother's Market, or just ground your own using a food processor!)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 cup egg whites, room temperature
1/4 + 1/8 cup granulated sugar
3 drops of red food coloring

Whisk the egg whites in a stand-up mixer until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. In a medium-sized bowl combine the ground almonds, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder and sift together. Mix well and then fold the mixture gently into the egg whites. Add the food coloring until well combined. 

Place parchment paper on some baking sheets. Using a normal round tip, pipe the batter into 1 1/2 inch in diameter rounds and about 1 inch apart from each other. Leave the baking sheets out for 1 - 2 hours to let shells harden around the oustide (I did not do this step for lack of time, I didn't think it was that important since I did not see it mentioned in any other macaron directions). Preheat the oven to 300 F. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until tops are just set. Let them cool completely before adding filling. I used Nutella spread and the strawberry buttercream I had leftover from my strawberry cupcakes. Enjoy!

(An attempt at) French Macarons

Over this President's Day weekend, I decided that it was time for me to attempt making the ominous French Macaron. I've been scourging food blogs left and right for a recipe that was in cups/ tablespoons/ etc. rather than grams, since I don't have a scale. Finally, after much detective work, I found myself comparing three recipes: one from Martha Stewart, one from David Lebovits, and one from Gale Gand (of the Food Network). I finally decided on Martha's since hers did not involve chocolate (like David's) and also due to the fact that I love her so dearly!

So after getting a result like this from the recipe, you wouldn't think I would have been happy with my results at all:

Though I was quite disappointed with my complete utter failure at French Macarons, I continued to heave ho and popped the flat, ugly, misshapen thing in my mouth. To my surprise, it was very delicious! They were slightly sweet, crispy on the edges, and chewy in the center. When I look back, I probably shouldn't have been so surprised at what my results were since I overlooked a couple of steps and maybe even skipped some crucial ones too but I really love these! I am nixing the title of "French Macarons" and hereby naming them "Crispy Almond Wafers." More fitting indeed. 

In case you are wondering, this is what French Macarons really look like:

Via samanthahahn:

Via chotda: 

Via tell me what you saw:

Here is the recipe if you would like to attempt them yourself:

P.S. I added my notes in red if you would like to try my "Crispy Almond Thins"

French Almond Macarons

Original recipe can be found here. 

3/4 + 1/8 cup of confectioners sugar

1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup of slivered almonds, ground finely (I think I ground them for too long, turning it into a paste)

2 small eggs (I used two large and they also weren't at room temperature, which is vital)

pinch of salt

1/8 cup granulated sugar

food coloring, if desired

Preheat oven to 300 F. Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl. Whisk in ground almonds, and sift again, set aside. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (I just used foil). Using a mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and then slowly add the granulated sugar one spoonful at a time. Continue beating until medium peaks form (I might have overbeaten them, since I wasn't sure what "medium peaks" meant). Add the half of the almond mixture into the egg whites, fold gently. Add the vanilla and the rest of the almond mixture, incorporating well (I got impatient folding the mixture, and just mixed).

My "medium" peaks:

Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip. Pipe the mixture onto the baking sheets, making them 1 1/2 inches in width. Bake until they are slightly firm to the touch, about 18 - 25* minutes, making sure to rotate the pan halfway. Let them cool completely before spreading the insides with filling.

I noticed when I piped the mixture onto the sheet that it was very liquidy and that it started to spread out as soon as I put it on the sheet. 

* I only cooked mine for 10 minutes since they were so thin.

Going into the oven: