Mocha French Macarons with Marshmallow Filling

what's that? you think i'm obsessed with making macarons???

...well you're correct. i am. and the fact that i all but failed on my latest attemp makes me even more determined to perfect my macaron making.

i'm not sure what i did- but i think i whipped my egg whites too much & then proceded to deflate the batter by overmixing.
boooo.

they looked pretty good on the Silpat (wonderful investment):

but hardly any came out with "feet" and they pretty much all cracked on top.
however they still tasted amazing & had that wonderful crispy/chewy texture.


so my fingers are crossed for next time.

Mocha French Macarons with Marshmallow Frosting
You Need (my base recipe)
110 g slivered almonds (this is how much they weigh AFTER you grind them)
200 g powdered sugar (minus 2 tblsp & 1 tsp)
2 tblsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee
50 g of sugar
100 g egg whites (about 3 egg whites, aged for at least 12-24 hours, @ room temp)

Pulse the almonds in the food processor until finely ground. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa & coffee & pulse until well blended.
Sift (sifting was a PITA for me. the almonds = a bit moist after griding, so make sure you have a good sifter or big enough metal sieve)
Whip the egg whites until foamly & gradually add the granulated sugar until you get a shiny meringue (don't whip them too much- like i did- or they get too stiff & dry)
Add the almond mixture to the egg whites & incorporate quickly but gently. (again, quickly but not too much- like i did- just until no streaks remain & you have a batter that "ribbons" off your spatula)
Pipe your batter out on Silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheets & let the shells sit @ room temp for 30- 60 min (until they develop a hard shell)
Pre heat oven to 300 & bake for 8-10 min (depending on size- i had to bake this batch for 15 min! again, i effed it up. my batter was too wet)
Allow them to cool & remove from baking sheet (pairing them up to size)

Fill a pastry bag with the marshmalow filling (recipe below) and pipe onto the rounds.
Pop them in an airtight container & into the fridge. Allow them to come to room temp before serving.
I think (with this marshmallow filling) that putting them in the fridge overnight = success.
The filling can get oozy in the heat- so getting them cold & then to room temp = a nice melding of flavors & firmed up filling. these were SO good the next day!

Marshmallow Filling (or frosting)
4 large egg whites (room temp)
1 cup granulated white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all of the ingrediants (sans the vanilla) into a bowl that you can place over simmering water (or use a double boiler)

Whisk the egg white mixture (over simmering water) constantly until the sugar has dissolved & it's hot to the touch (takes about 4-5 min)

Pour into a larger bowl (stand mixer bowl), add the vanilla & and whip for 3+ minutes (until fluffy. mine took about 5 minutes)

Done! (i used a pastry bag with a round tip to fill my macarons)

Dude- this frosting taste just like marshmallows. Or fluff- but not as sweet. the husband licked it off the beaters (it's that good)

I have a little leftover- i intend to send it to work with the hubs to make fluffernutter sammies for lunch.

Vanilla Bean French Macarons with Nutella Filling

french macarons are the new cupcakes it seems. there are so many variations & flavor combos to choose from that it seems you could eat them daily & never tire of them.

well, up until this past Sunday i had never eaten a macaron. GASP. i know. what???
i've never seen them in my neck of the woods & my last trip to Paris was when i was 14 and french macarons were not on the list of things to consume.


so thanks to a few cracked eggs, i had some aged egg whites just waiting to be used. i've been toying with the idea of whipping up a batch of macarons but frankly i was a bit intimidated. everything i've read states that they're testy, finnecky, a pain in the ass, doomed to fail- etc etc etc.

finally i decided to bite the bullet & try my hand at these. and so i did. i'll give a little recap at the end.

(the measurments are in grams because that is the way it's done. when in Rome.)

Vanilla Bean French Macarons with Nutella Filling
110g of slivered almonds
200g powdered sugar
50g of sugar
100g of egg whites (about 3 eggs whites, aged for at least 12-24 hours @ room temp)
1 tblsp vanilla bean paste (or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean)
Nutella

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add the powdered sugar & pulse until well blended.
Whip the egg whites until foamy & gradually add the granulated sugar while whipping until a shiny meringue forms (you want firm peaks but not dry peaks. feel free to turn off the mixer & check your peaks. basically- when you lift your whisker out of the bowl the egg whites should stand in a firm peak- not fall over to the side)
Sift the almond mixture into the egg whites & incorporate quickly but gently (don't over mix- fold them in until no streaks remain) You want a thick batter that "ribbons" or flows from the spatula for a good 5 seconds.
Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip & pipe small rounds onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet (use a good quality/heavy baking sheet that won't warp in the oven) The rounds should be 1 1/2 in diameter & at least 1 inch apart (the batter will spread a tad after piping so keep that in mind. trial & error)
Let the shells sit at room temp for 30-45 min until the develop a hard shell

Preheat oven to 300 & bake for 8-10 min (depending on the size) Allow the cookies to cool & the remove the from the baking sheets.


Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a small round tip, with Nutella.
Pair the macarons up (by size) and pipe a circle of Nutella around the edge. Then fill the circle with more Nutella (not a ton, but a good amount)
Store in an airtight container at room temp
makes about 24-30 (depending on size)

RECAP: Ok, so these were not nearly as difficult as i feared they would be. yes you have to use a scale & yes you have to be patient- but they are so worth it.
A few tips:
- SIFT your almond/sugar mix into the egg whites. i didn't sift & i ended up with lumps that i had to break up with a toothpick (PITA). so sift, sift, SIFT!
- please let your egg whites age for at least 24 hours. i swear it makes a difference in the way they whip up. i let mine age for 48+ hours & they came right up with no issues.
- Silpat vs. Parchment: well i don't have Silpat- but i'm going to invest in some. the parch. paper worked- but it's kind of a pain because it's off the roll & it doesn't lay flat- so i had to finagle with tape. so i guess we'll see on this one.
- let your macarons sit for at least 30 min! they need that hard shell!
- watch them. trial & error. if at first you don't succeed, try again!

i admit, i was worried that i'd screwed them up- but when i took them out of the oven & saw the little "feet" on them:

i was estatic! go me! even with 2 whining children & a sulky husband (because i wanted him to handle the said whining children) i still managed to get these babies to turn out right. of course my rounds left something to be desired (not exactely even or the right shape) but come on- i was doing this with a baby on one hip.

and when i tasted the first one- OH MY GOD! so good. light & crispy, but a little chewy & so sweet & yummy.
i sent some off with the husband (to work) & brought some with me to a get together with a few close lady friends & everyone loved them.

and now i'm a bit addicted. i cannot wait to make some more this weekend!

so there you have it. my first attempt at french macarons. win.