Makes 25-30 assembled 1.5 inch macarons.
This is a simple modification to my French Macaron Recipe
This is a delightful Valentine's Day treat. These strawberry flavored macaron shells are filled with a chocolate and strawberry buttercream. The center of the filling has homemade strawberry jam, my easy recipe for this jam is linked. You may also use store bought jam. Biting into the fresh fruit is delightful, and just perfect to celebrate a sweet valentine. Please see pictures below.
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 red gel food coloring (may need more)
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
For the strawberry buttercream filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 - 1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon milk
6drops of red gel food coloring (may need more)
2 teaspoon strawberry extract
Chocolate buttercream filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 - 1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Additional:
1/2 cup strawberry jam, more if desired
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.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the red 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 strawberry 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.
7. Ensure you have the desired pink 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 buttercream fillings. Cream the butter with a whisk until light. Add the icing sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated into the butter, add the rest pf the strawberry buttercream ingredients. You may need to add extra red coloring to get the exact color in the pictures. Repeat this step for the chocolate buttercream.
15. Assemble macarons after they have cooled to room temperature. Pipe a circle on the undersurface of a macaron, leaving the middle empty. I used a small ruffle tip. Feel free to use whatever design you like or just use a round tip.
16. Add strawberry jam to the middle then sandwich 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.
*** I describe the perfect macaron characteristics here in a section of my mint chocolate macaron recipe.