Time goes by way too quickly. Not too long ago we were thrilled with the idea we would be grandparents, and all of a sudden, that sweet little baby turned four years old! To celebrate the occasion, we wanted to send her a box of pink macarons, as pink is her favorite color. I settled on blackberry filling, and decided to try a bunch of different decorations, so she could choose her favorite.
BLACKBERRY MACARONS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
for the shells:
198 g powdered sugar (I used Cherry Bakewell flavored)
113 g almond meal
113 g egg whites at room temperature
a pinch of cream of tartar
100 g granulated sugar
pink gel color from AmeriColor
2 drops vanilla extract
for the filling:
8 ounces white chocolate
1/2 cup blackberry jam
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
to decorate:
Royal icing
sprinkles of your choice
edible marker drawings
melted white chocolate
Line 2 or 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Layer the powdered sugar and almond meal in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 15 seconds. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.
Place the egg whites and pinch of cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.
Slowly rain in the granulated sugar, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to medium-high. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme. Add the gel color and the vanilla. Staying at medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue. Check the peak. It should be firm. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl.
Fold in the almond meal mixture in three increments. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl. Repeat two or three times, then check to see if the mixture slides slowly down the side of the bowl. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with one of the tips listed above. Pipe on the prepared baking sheets.
Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter. Then fist bump each end of the sheet’s underside twice. If using sprinkles, add them now, before the shells dry. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull but not overly dry. Drying time depends on humidity. In a dry climate, the macarons can dry in 15 to 20 minutes; in a humid climate, it can take 35 to 40 minutes.
While the macarons are drying, heat the oven to 300 F. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide, then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. The macarons should release without sticking. Check one or two. If they stick, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Make the filling: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water on low heat. Stir chocolate until melted. Remove from heat, and whisk in jam and heavy cream. Cover and chill 2 hours, or until cold. Whip it with a hand-held electric mixer until it reaches a good consistency for piping. Transfer ganache to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip.
Assemble the macarons: find two macarons similar in size and pipe a good amount of filling to the bottom of one of them. Place the other on top and squeeze gently to take the filling all the way to the edge. Decorate any way you want. Store in the fridge for 24 hours for perfect texture.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: The logistics of gifting macarons to someone living a thousand miles away is a bit complicated, but of course doable. Where there is a will, there’s a way, right? Keeping in mind that macarons need to sit overnight in the fridge to “mature”, you must start the process a couple of days early. The maturation process is essentially absorption of moisture from the filling into the shells. Macaron shells start pretty dry and crumbly, as you’ll notice if you bite into them right after they cool down. Once you add buttercream or ganache, the moisture slowly permeates into the shells and turns the cookie into perfect little morsels of sweetness, with the exact amount of chewiness. But anyway, back to the issue of gifting macs.
Her birthday fell on a Thursday, so we had to ship it overnight on Wednesday. You can conceivably do a 2-day shipping to save considerable cash, but this was a special occasion, so we splurged. With that in mind, baking day was set for Tuesday after work. I had my fingers firmly crossed for the Macaron Gods to smile on me, because that was it, I needed them to be perfect, no time to try again. Stars were properly aligned: success! By 22:45hs they were going into the fridge, and the baker into a warm bed… 😉
I used royal icing decoration in some of them, sprinkles in others, went Jackson Pollock in some, and even tried my hands at free drawing with edible markers (first time I dared doing it). The markers are from Chefmaster and have a very soft tip, you have to still use a light hand on the very delicate macaron shell, but trust me, if I could pull this, anyone can.
and her favorite…. DRUM ROLL!!!!!!!!!!
ONE YEAR AGO: Gilding the Sourdough Loaf
TWO YEARS AGO: Lolita Joins the Bewitching Kitchen
THREE YEARS AGO: Cashew Cream Sauce
FOUR YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Margaritas
FIVE YEARS AGO: Smoked Salmon Appetizer
SIX YEARS AGO: Clementine Cake
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Springtime Spinach Risotto
EIGHT YEARS AGO: The end of green bean cruelty
NINE YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle
Oh Sally – what an absolutely wonderful story and what a lucky little four-year-old Princess ! They are just beautiful and I trust not one got mangled in the send . . . any chance for a photo of the young lady with her very, very special present 🙂 ?
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Sorry, no photo… I think they got there ok. I used a special plastic container for macs, they go spnside a very sturdy sleeve
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Just edited to include a photo, after approval of her Mom… 😉
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Wonderful! The happy smile would be the biggest ‘thank you’ 🙂 !
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What a lucky Birthday girl 👧. They are beautiful and delicious, I bet.
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We test tasted one, I think they turned out very nice this time….
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I swear to god, if those macarons could do laundry my wife would be on the first train back to Dumpsville. How absolutely perfect they look! Makes me wish I was a 4 year old princess again just so you could send *me* some (I miss my tiara, too). Another fantastic job, Sally!
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Plus, they are oink, your favorite color…. and I bet they match the favorite tiara of your past…. 🤪
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These are just gorgeous! You’re really so talented.
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Thank you, but I guarantee you it’s more being stubborn than talented! 😉
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Maybe that’s what it takes! Perseverance is maybe a better word??!!! I’m not very patient -especially as I get older!
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I am THE most impatient person in the universe – ask Phil! But patisserie teaches me some sense of patience and it’s one of the reasons why I’m so much into it now. In many ways, I think it in almost an anti-aging mechanism of sorts… or so I say to myself 😉
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Very interesting!
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Lucky little girl to taste your macs!!! Little girls are the best things in the world!!! I have two!!! Just not so little anymore . I must try your filling!!! Thank you for sharing 😘
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girls are soooo cute and adorable (well, until they turn into teenagers, or so I hear)
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Yes!!! They turn into teenagers. Uggg lol. Thankfully they grow up. Lol
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What a very lucky little girl, they are beautiful, such works of art 💖💖💖 such a lovely thing to do x x x
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it was fun, and I am so glad they worked, I had two bad batches in a row, truly catastrophic bakes, so I was a bit worried
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You are the macaron mistress!! I always know you will create amazingness in your kitchen xx
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These look so good!
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thank you!!!! glad you liked them, it was definitely a ton of fun to make them
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I don’t know what’s more darling – your macarons or her little baby feet! ❤
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Baby feet! Baby feet! Baby feet!
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What a darling post!! And what a lucky girl! She is adorable.
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She is sweet as a macaron! 😉
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what a gorgeous story and fabulous macarons. A great post
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Thanks, Philip! thrilled to have you here!
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