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Pink Macarons with Chocolate Ganache filling | Macaron Recipe for Begineers

Every bakers' dream is to bake these cute little meringue like cookies called macaron. I first had seen then at a bakers' in London and they are pretty attractive with lovely vibrant colors to pastel shades with a filling in them. I was intrigued by it and had bought one, I loved it instantly. Although the price and sweetness were not something that fancied I still found them so different a chewy outer shell and a wet sweet filling. Later I found more of them in malls and patisseries who charge a bomb shell for these little coins. 

Although I can say I have not mastered it I did learn quite a lot. So much of insight, tips, tricks, trials, combinations and of course patience. Don't be fooled by their cuteness they are very addictive and also sugary to keep you hyperactive. Not to forget you might sit in watch of them in front on your oven too.
The above pic was my first attempt and it turned to be a disaster(used the same recipe for pink macs too). I was at first excited to see feet in them but later they had wrinkled tops. Mind you if you are using color make sure you put lots of it. The color somehow fades away when baked. Thankfully we had fellow bakers helping us on what could be wrong and encourage us to try them again. So the pictures you see of the pink macrons are ones I attempted the second time. I have tried to do an explanatory post and hope it is helpful but please read carefully and take time before you do them. Never be in a hurry. 



Recipe Source ~ adapted from HERE 

Tools / Equipment needed


- Electric mixer (handheld is also good)

- 3 bowls - 1 large (beating egg whites) 2 small (sift)
- Spatula
- Piping bag/ zip lock
- Round 1/2 inch tip (optional)
- Sifter
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray

Ingredients


3/4 cup icing sugar/confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup almond flour/ almond meal (I used store bought)
2 large egg whites egg whites aged for 3 days *refer notes
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Pink food color - 1 tsp (I used liquid color)
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Sugar hearts - few to top the macs (optional)

Method


The very first thing to age the egg whites in a refrigerator covered with cling film for 2 days and 1 day at room temperature before going ahead with things


STEP 1


Prep -> Baking tray, parchment & pastry bag

Keep the baking tray ready and draw circles with a small cookie cutter/ bottle cap on the parchment paper (you can also get a template online and place it below the parchment paper). This acts as a guide to tip the batter. Make sure that the marked side is facing downwards, else the ink can stick to the mac shells. Place your pastry bag inserting the nozzle and setting it inside a tall glass to hold and opening the top cover, ready to be filled in later.

STEP 2


Pulse -> Almond flour & icing sugar

Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined or simply mix both together and also sift mixture 2-3 times until well combined and discard the grainy bits of almond in the sifter

STEP 3


Whisk -> Egg whites, cream of tartar & superfine sugar

Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, and then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 4-5  minutes. To check if its stiff lift the whisk and the peak should not slant but stand straight and to be very sure tilt the bowl upside down and nothing should fall.

STEP 4


Color & flavor ->Food coloring & vanilla extract

Add food color and vanilla extract and fold gently until the color combines well taking care not to deflate the egg whites. If you want light macs add 1 tsp color and more deep color add atleast 1 tbsp. When baked they tend to lighten the color.

Step 5


Combining ->Almond sugar flour to egg white

Sift flour mixture over whites in 3 batches, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. It would take 50 founds to reach this level. The batter should not be too runny not too thick, but little heavy to hold. Another way to check this is to lift the batter with spatula and as the mixture is dropped it should form ribbons and not lumps

Step 6


Tipping -> Fill pastry bag with batter & pipe

Transfer batter to a pastry bag with your spatula fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Push all the batter to the tip side and hold firm with your hand at the other end. Now pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. 

Step 7


Tap & rest -> Release air bubbles and resting it on counter top

Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for an hour. They will form a skin on top, you can test by gently touching the top be careful not to do this to all the macs it will crack when baked. (I've done that :( 

Step 8


Prep oven & bake -> pre-heating oven & baking time

Pre-heat oven to 375 F for 10 minutes and later reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees. You will find feet forming at 2-3 minutes and don't be ambitious and take them at 4-5 minutes it will result in uncooked macs/ chewy center. Its always best to bake in several batches and take notes with a timer along so that you know at what temp, time and second the batter gets cooked. Oven temperatures can vary so make sure you make notes while it bakes.

Step 9


Cooking -> cooling macs

Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.) Now lift the macs carefully and tilt the other way round for it to cool a bit and ready to be filled. Ideally its best to do the filling ahead/ while the mac cooks. But I suggest that you do it ahead or later, since you need to first bake the mac shells.

Step 10


Filling -> chocolate ganache

Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.



CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

Ingredients

Semi sweet/ bitter sweet chocolate - 1 cup
Heavy cream - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp

Method

In a sauce pan on medium heat bring it to a boil and pour it over the chocolate, after 2 mins mix well until the chocolate is fully melted and combined. Let it cool down completely. Spoon / pipe a tsp size dollop and sandwich between macs. Let it chill in the refrigerator in an air-tight container until set.

38 comments:

  1. Nice macaroons! Cute!

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  2. This is awesome Priya, I haven't plan to bake one yet....its takes plenty of patience and effort....maybe in my new house....

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  3. You done very well Priya. cute little heart is really beautiful.

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  4. Looks very good Priya! Perfect decors for the month :)

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  5. looks cute. I am sure you are addicted.

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  6. CUTE PINK MACROONS WITH LITTLE HEART WAS GORGEOUS............................

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  7. pink page red macarons and falling hearts......great job !!

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  8. Beautifully done Priya..Great job..

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  9. Its my dream to try these too... Perfect little cuties

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  10. Wow. Just the macaron for this season.

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  11. you have done very well priya....i like ur clear explanation dear....i love ur last pic its so tempting....

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  12. wow well explained and beautiful macrons...

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  13. you changed d header.luks good priya....i like ur clear pics dear...

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  14. Cute tempting macroons

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  15. Perfectly done ,well explained for anybody to do it.

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  16. Perfectly done ,very well explained for even a begineer to attempt.

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  17. Perfectly done with clear explanation dear, loved the pics as always :-)

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  18. Beautiful presentation and love the cute heart,the last click is superb,loved reading your post.

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  19. Love the recipe sooo yummy.

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  20. These look so cute Priya! Nice presentation

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  21. very cute..dont wanna eat them priya..they r adorable

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  22. Loved the colour and little heart...good job dear...all gone now ??

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  23. Love your well explained post Sis, cute and beautiful macs, love especially that cute tiny hearts..Marvellous!!!

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  24. This looks soo cute and filled with lots of love..good job dear..

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  25. Macrons look awesome, Priya.. You have explained it very well.. Love the clicks!! :)

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  26. cute and perfectly made macaroons...great job Priya! Fabulous presentation...btw liked ur new header n the tiny hearts shower :)

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  27. cute and perfect macroons from a talented baker and i also love that sweet little hearts.

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  28. Becoming envious of you girls preparing these perfect macarons. I want to try them too...

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  29. Beautiful macs, Priya! Love the sugar heart topping! :)

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  30. Beautiful and very amazing dear :)

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  31. Looks cute and yummy macarons.

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  32. Love is in the air priya..Mac has come out perfectly with their cute lil feet and presentation is osm

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  33. Amazing presentation priya...:-)

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  34. Priya, the macarons look good. I was also putting that to the end of my to do list, b'coz of the disaster stories I came across, but they are so tempting to be tried. Might have to reshuffle the to do list I guess :)

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  35. These look so cute :)Gonna try these in future :)

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Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed my recipes :-) In case you have tried any of the recipes featured here, do let me know in the comment section. For any other queries email me - cooklikepriya(at)gmail.com

Love,
Priya Ranjit

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