Macarons: 3, Meriem: 2.
And let me just say, I am extremely proud of the number on the left. Three times is a pretty good amount of times to fail at macarons. Though any number above that one would have been completely understable too because MAN, these cookies are tricky!
Of course, I didn't think so. I went into this thinking I could get it right on the first try, like a boss.
Newsflash: I am not a boss, nowhere near it. I am but a simple human being who fails at macarons, just like everybody else.
The good news is, failing makes you delve deeper into the realm of macarons to figure out exactly what it is that you are doing wrong.
I watched ten thousand videos and read twenty thousand articles and viewed as many tutorials as I could find, but the one that helped me out the most was this one. I watched it over and over again, and settled on using the recipe it demonstrates as well. Guess what?
It is truly fool-proof.
My first three tries were using a different recipe, my last two were using this one.
Let me tell you, the moment I looked into my oven and saw "feet", was the greatest moment of my life. It's an indescribable feeling of satisfaction. I did a happy dance around the kitchen and gave my mom a bunch of high-fives.
To which she responded, "Relax, you haven't even gotten them out of the oven yet."
Gotta love mamas, always keeping us grounded.
Well, as you can see, when I took them out of my oven, they stayed awesome. And just to be sure that it was't luck, I made them again. And they came out awesome and tasted even better.
Flavor wise, I had to come up with something original to enter these into the Sucre Even More Macaron Challenge, so I came up with tiramisu! I added instant espresso to the macaron batter and sprinkled with cocoa powder before baking. Then, I filled them with a mascarpone whipped cream filling.
Literally, phenomenal.
(Update: I WON the challenge!!!! Sucre is sending me a year supply of macarons!)
Tiramisu Macarons
Yield: 36 macaronsIngredients:
120 grams almond flour
200 grams powdered sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
100 grams egg whites, room temperature
50 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of saltFor the mascarpone filling:
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extractDirections:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.Add almond flour, powdered sugar, and instant espresso to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine and break apart any big lumps. Sift the mixture into a clean bowl. Then, sift again. Discard any large pieces that do not pass through the sieve.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until foamy. This will take about a minute. Turn the speed up to a medium and add sugar gradually, while the mixer is still running. In about 3-4 minutes, you should have stiff peaks. Do not over beat the egg whites. Once you see that a stiff peak of egg whites remains on the whisk when you remove it, it's ready.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, until the batter is thick and lava-like. The batter should slowly fall off your spatula when you pick it up and any peaks in the batter should settle down within 20 seconds. This is how you know it is ready to start piping.
Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round decorating tip.
Pipe 1.5 inch rounds onto the parchment paper. It is helpful to use a printable macaron guide underneathe the parchment paper, so all your macarons are the same size. Once all the rounds are piped out, slam the baking sheet against a flat stable surface, then rotate, and slam again. This is done to force any large air bubbles to the surface.
If you see any air bubbles on the macarons, poke them with a toothpick to release the air. Using a small sieve, sprinkle cocoa powder over the macarons.
Let the macarons dry out on the countertop for 45 minutes to an hour. They are ready to bake when you touch the top of the macaron and it is completely dry.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Bake macarons in the middle rack of your oven for 18-22 minutes. Every oven temperature varies so keep an eye on them. You will know they are ready when you touch the top of the macarons and it doesn't wobble.
Once fully baked, let them cool down to room temperature on the baking sheets. Then, gently remove from the parchment paper.
To prepare filling, using an electric hand mixer, beat together mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract, until thickened and creamy.
Pair up the macarons that are similar in size and shape. Pipe filling onto the flat side of half of the macarons. Top them with the other half. Refrigerate in an airtight container overnight to let the flavors develop.
**These macarons should be consumed within 72 hours, as the filling has a high liquid content and the shells will absorb it all over time.**
