Wow what a busy 4 weeks it has been and especially a really busy Memorial Day Weekend. We helped our neighbors and friends to move out of their house on Friday, had an all day Macaron baking session with Lily and Astrid on Saturday which turned out delicious macarons but were not so pretty to look at, a shopping trip with Cara on Sunday and dog run clean out on Monday plus more Macaron baking. I was somewhat upset that my friends had put faith into me to show them how to bake Macarons and then they didn’t really turn out all that well; so I had to give it another try and figure out what really went wrong. I think I figured it out:

1.  It is really important that the room you are baking in is somewhat heated and doesn’t have a lot of moisture – meaning a big room with an open door to the garden makes for a lot of humidity (here in Seattle)  which is the maracrons enemy.
2. Macarons really need to rest at least 30 minutes prior to baking, 1 hour is even better. They need the resting time to dry out which then helps to build the “feet” when baked.
3. When folding the Meringue into the almond flour mixture it is very important not to under- or overmix. Seems like I usually undermix which makes the batter too stiff and you end up with piping tips on top of your macarons. Overmixing though results in cracked Macarons. So at the end of the day its practice practice practice until you figure out the right consistency. It shouldn’t be too runny but also not too stiff.
4. Piping technique is also important; Don’t swirl too much and pipe the mararons rather flat than like a beehive.

Well with those considerations in mind, my macarons came out great this time! I see another Macaron baking session in Astrid and Lilys near future! Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
•  2/3rd cup almond flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3 tablespoons fine sugar
• pink sprinkles

For the Butter cream:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoon raspberry jam
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Pulse confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine egg whites, 3 tabespoons sugar and cream of tartar. Whisk mixture with a mixer on high speed (Kitchen Aid #8) until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny; 40-50 strokes.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Top 1/2 of the macarons with some sprinkles. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature 30-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Take the macarons off the baking sheet and let them cool out on the parchment paper.
5. For the Raspberry buttercream cream together the butter and powdered sugar, then add the jam and lemon juice. Fill the mixture into a piping bag and pipe a small amount on half the macarons.
6. Sandwich 2 same-size macarons. Macrons can be kept in an airtight container up for a week or in plastic and put into a plastic container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

   Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Ganache

Ingredients;

• 1 cup powdered sugar
•  1/2  cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 4 tablespoon sugar
• Optional: Coco nibs for sprinkling

For the Espresso Ganache:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temparatur cut in chunks

Directions: Macarons: same process as above, this time also sieve the coco into the Almond/confectioners sugar mixture. For the ganache, heat the cream and pour over the chocolate, let sit for a minute, stir in the butter and mix. Guten Appetit!