If you've ever tried to make
macarons at home, and failed then this 'how-to' guide is designed to make you succeed. You can enjoy this fabulous recipe for caramel macarons, but the recipe can be tweaked to achieve any flavour, just use a different filling and colour.
Preparation:The best way to make sure your maracrons work is to make sure you're prepared. Read through your recipe a few times to make sure you have everything you need and know what you'll be doing. Also make sure you have what I like to think of as the macaron essentials.
Macaron Essentials: Candy Thermometer, 2 inch Cookie Cutter, Piping tip and Coupler, and Stand Mixer
Prepare egg whites at least 24 hours before. Leave in an airtight container in the fridge, but return to room temperature before using.
Ingredients:
Macarons 200g Almond Meal
200g Icing Sugar
75ml Water
200g Caster Sugar
160g Egg Whites
Brown and Yellow Powder Food Colouring
Caramel250g Caster Sugar
75ml Water
120ml Pure Cream
200g Salted Butter, chopped into small pieces
Recipe:
1. Get yourself a baking tray, a sheet of paper, and your cookie cutter. Trace evenly spaced circles (You may need more than one tray as the recipe makes about 40 macarons). Once you've finished tracing flip the paper over, you don't want to pipe on the same side you've drawn on.
Trace Guide onto Baking Paper
Mix together your icing sugar and almond meal to create your
tant pour tant. Sift this into a bowl and set aside.
3. Pour your caster sugar into a small saucepan and cover with the water. Stir this very gently so that the sugar is all covered in water. Bring the mixture to boil over low heat and do not stir. If you stir it the mixture may crystalise, big no no. Place the candy thermometer into the mixture and make sure it does not exceed 115º.
4. While the sugar boils, gently beat 80g of egg-whites until they form soft peaks. Keep an eye on your sugar and when the temperature reaches 105º increase the speed of your beater. I recommend using a stand mixer, this allows you to beat your eggs while you keep your eyes on the boiling sugar. When the sugar reaches 115º take it off the heat and pour it into your egg whites. Continue to beat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining 80g of egg whites to your
tant pour tant. This should make an almond paste. Add your colourings until a pale brown is achieved. The colour will enhance once cooked.
6. Using a silicone spatula combine your
tans pour tant mixture with the beaten egg whites and sugar. Start with a third of the meringue, then incorporate the rest.
7. Insert your piping tip into your piping bag using the coupler. I use a
size 12 Wilton tip for piping the macarons and the filling. Using a coupler makes it easier to remove the tip and use it for the filling.
8. Fill your piping bag with the mixture. First attach your baking paper to the tray using four dots of mixture on the outer corners. Begin to pipe your macarons. Hold the piping bag upright in the centre of the circle and pipe the mixture. It should reach the edge of your traced circle by itself. Once piped lightly tap the bottom of the tray.
Let Macarons Sit for 30 Minutes Before Baking
Now that you have your macarons piped let them sit for 30 minutes. This will allow them to form a crust, and will help form those
feet that are so talked about.
10. Preheat your oven to 150ºC. Once the oven has preheated bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from baking paper.
Macarons are Crunchy on the Outside and Soft and Chewy on the Inside
To make the caramel heat the sugar and water over low heat in a saucepan. Do not stir the mixture.
2. Once the mixture has reached a light-brown add the cream a bit at a time, stirring gently.
3. Use your candy thermometer and when the mixture reached 108º remove from the heat.
4. Incorporate the butter until caramel is even.
5. Place in an airtight container and put in the fridge to cool and thicken.
Once the caramel has reached the right consistency fill a piping bag with the caramel and use the number 12 Wilton tip again. Fill half of the macaron shells and twist on remaining shells so that a little bit of filling is visible. Now put your maracrons in the fridge for at least an hour (I like to leave mine for 24 hours, if you can resist)
Share With Friends or Keep Them All to Yourself
If you have any other questions regarding macarons or their technique then leave a comment below.
