Makes 25-30 assembled 1.5 inch macarons.
This is a simple modification to my French Macaron Recipe. It is great color and flavor for St. Patrick's day but still delicious anytime.
Ingredients:
For the Shells:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup almond flour
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
6 drops of green gel food coloring (may need more)
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
For the chocolate filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoon milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon mint extract
Method:
1. Lay parchment paper on baking sheets. You will need 2 baking sheets. Have a macaroon template under the parchment paper (You can slide it around as needed when you start piping later).
2. Prepare the egg whites by aging them – put them in a clean bowl and on the counter top for 24 hours. Do not put the lid on tightly. Just place the lid on but still allow some air to get to the eggs. A cheat (to save time) is to microwave the room temperature eggs on medium for 10 seconds.
3. In a food processor, grind confectioners’ sugar and almond flour to mix it up and make it a fine texture. Next sieve through a fine sieve (make sure you use a fine sieve). You may have 2-3 tablespoons of coarse almond flour that doesn’t pass through the sieve. It is okay to toss this.
4. Have the granulated sugar close to your working area. Put the egg whites in a stainless steel bowl. Start beating them at low/medium speed with your hand mixer or stand mixer. Once it gets a bit frothy, add the cream of tartar then start beating on high. Once it starts to get bubbly start adding the granulated sugar slowly. Continue beating and add the remaining sugar over the next minute or two and beat till you have meringue with stiff peaks. Stop beating one stiff peaks form.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the green food coloring. Do not whisk anything from this stage on. Handle the meringue with care.
6. Next fold in the almond flour and confectioners sugar mixture. Fold it in 4 to 5 additions. Then add the mint extract, also folding it in. Be careful not to over handle this mixture. Carefully continue combing by folding, always sliding the spatula to the bottom of the bowl and back up to make sure no pockets of dry ingredients remain. Fold till you have the correct consistency.
7. Ensure you have the desired green color. Depending on the strength of your gel coloring, you may need a couple more drops.
8. Prepare the pastry bag with the 1/2 inch round piping tip or 1/4 inch round piping tip. Carefully transfer mixture to the pastry bag.
9. Pipe the macaroon mixture on the baking sheets. Hit tray on the counter for a few times to let out bubbles. Then let them rest for at least 20-40 mins, could be longer if humidity is high.
10. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. Test if the macarons are ready to bake – lightly touching the macaroon mixture, a light coating should have developed and it should not stick to your finger.
12. Bake for about 14 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake only one tray of macaroon at a time. The macaroons are ready when they lift off the parchment paper easily.
13. Let them cool on the sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer the parchment paper and macaroons to a cooling rack.
14. Make your chocolate filling by combining all the filling ingredients (listed above) in a bowl with a spatula. Feel free to add more cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor.
15. Add your filling and assemble macarons after they have cooled to room temperature. It is best to pipe your filling with 1/4 inch piping tips, making whirls to fill the under-surface of a macaron and sandwiching with another one of comparable size.
Notes: On step #4 - you don't want to under beat but you also don't want to over beat them! On step #6 - I know I am done folding if when I raise my spatula the ribbons, that form from the trickles, flatten in about 8 -10 seconds.
The perfect macaron has a smooth shiny finish, like an eggshell. It cracks when you take a bite. It has beautiful airy feet and is chewy on the inside. It is like a piece of heaven in your mouth.
Craving a different flavor? Try my strawberry macaron recipe.
Visit my homepage for more recipes and blog posts.