– Georgia’s Marvellous Macaroon Recipe –
“Macaroons are tricky to make as every aspect of the recipe can be different every time you make it. For example, the temperature of the egg white, the type of oven, the temperature of the kitchen etc. You have to use a bit of instinct (and practise!) to nail it but this is a fool proof recipe once you get it right!
Here’s a tip – make sure you have left over egg white incase you need to alter the texture of the macaroon mix.”
Method:
- Preheat oven to 130 ºC – if you have the option, put on a conventional heat so the air is even.
- In a bowl, sift together the icing sugar and almonds
- With a spatular, mix in the first 37g egg white until you form a paste
- In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until 118 ºC or until the bubbles start to slow down after coming to a boil
- Whilst this is heating up, put the second 37g of egg white into a stand mixer and begin to whisk on a high speed (careful not to over whisk)
- When the egg whites have reached a soft peak and the sugar has reached the temperature, turn the speed of the mixture down to medium-low and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl
- Turn the speed back to high and whisk until you can feel that the bowl has cooled down
- Tip the almond mixture into the whisked egg whites and fold in until well combined
- Now is the time to also add the food colouring of your choice or the cocoa powder and mix in
- This is where you have to use your ‘bakery instinct’ and see if the macaroon mixture is the right consistency. You’re looking for a slow moving but smooth mixture when you stir. A way of testing this is to drop some mixture onto of the rest and see if it drops in slowly and evenly. If its too thick, (which may happen after adding cocoa powder) add a little more egg white into the mixture but be careful not to add too much!
- Slide your template underneath your greaseproof paper and pipe your mixture to fill each circle – you need to keep your bag at a right angle to get an even shape.
- Bang the tray hard onto your work surface to release any air bubbles and the circles should also become smooth. If there are any with a slight bump, dip your finger in a little egg white and softy pat it down to make it smooth on top.
- For the chocolate macaroons, dust the discs with a small amount of cocoa powder
- You will need to rest the tray for about 10 minutes for the shells to form a skin (a great time to wash up! To clean the sugar syrup, boil the kettle and pour over any left over syrup – it should dissolve right off the pan.
- Bake the macaroons for 12 mins. If you have a fan oven, after 10 mins you may need to turn them around.
- Every oven is different, but you’re looking for the macaroons to have a crown around the bottom and not to wobble when you touch them. You want to take them out as soon as they have become firm.
- As soon as you take them out the oven, take slide baking paper off the baking tray but don’t touch the macaroons until they are completely cool, otherwise they will stick to the paper.
- While the macaroons are cooling, you can make the filling.
Chocolate Macaroons:
- Heat up the cream in a saucepan or microwave until its steaming (about 75 ºC)
- Add the chocolate and mix until completely combined and smooth
- Leave to cool and thicken, stirring every 15 mins. You can speed up the process by putting the bowl of mixture over a bowl of ice and mixing until it thickens.
- You want it to be a thick consistency but soft enough to move around and pipe
- Fill a piping bag and cut a small hole in the end
To Assemble:
- Pair up the macaroon shells, matching up the most similar sizes
- Pipe about a teaspoon of ganache onto one side of the shell and place the other shell on top
- Softly squeeze together until the filling has reached the edge of the shell
Pistachio and Raspberry:
- In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until 118 ºC or until the bubbles start to slow down once come to a boil
- Whilst this is heating, whisk up the egg yolks in the stand mixture on high until fluffy and volumised (don’t worry about over mixing as they can’t split like egg whites do)
- Like the macaroon mix, slow the speed down and slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup, turn the speed back up to high and continue whisking until its cool
- Turn the speed down to medium and start adding the softened butter, about 20g at a time to ensure it mixes in properly
- It will become a thick buttercream where you can now flavour with the pistachio paste – start with half the amount, taste it and see if it needs more (some people prefer stronger flavours)
- Fill a piping bag and cut a small hole in the end
To Assemble:
- Pair up the macaroon shells, matching up the most similar sizes
- Pipe a ring onto one side of the shell, place a raspberry in the middle (you may need to cut it in half its its a large raspberry) and place the other shell on top
- Softly squeeze together until the filling has reached the edge of the shell
Macaroons can be kept up to a week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer – I recommend storing them in an airtight container to avoid any other food scents contaminating them!
Happy baking and don’t forget to share your pictures with us on Instagram 💗
Thank you to The Teashed, our tea partners for this month – enjoy a cup of their Emergency Tea with your macaroon – go on, you deserve it!
Stay tuned for clues on next month’s box… x
