Under a Blue Moon

Last week I was on a mission to create the perfect macaron.  I haven't succeeded yet but I'm getting closer.  This is my second attempt.

The first attempt was not pretty.

The issue here was I didn't get my egg whites to the appropriate stiff peak stage.  The "feet" didn't develop properly and half of them cracked.

I followed the macaron recipe on the Tasty website with the addition pumpkin pie spice for flavor and for the second batch I added cream of tartar to help with my egg white whipping.  I think this was a mistake as I can definitely taste the cream of tartar.  But it did make my macarons look perfect.  

I found this video helpful for the technique.

Okay let's get down to the lessons I learned.  

Number 1:  Throw all your dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse them thoroughly.  Then sift them through a sieve to make sure they are really fine.  

Number 2:  Powdered sugar is volatile.

Photo doesn't accurately convey how much powdered sugar ended up all over the rug and floor.  

Number 3:  Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before mixing.

Number 4:  Use more food coloring than you think you will.  The baking process leaches out the color.  My batter for my second attempt was rather garish looking but the end result was the warm, pumpkin-y color I was going for. 

Number 5:  Make yourself a template.  I was rather cocky for my first attempt and tried to free hand it.  I had quite the assortment of sizes.  I just plopped a bunch of 1 1/2" circles into MS Word and printed off two copies.  I put them on my cookie sheet under the parchment and I ended up with almost perfectly consistent macarons.  Just slip the paper out before baking.

Number six:  Really bang the heck out of your pans after you have piped your macarons.  Every recipe and video said to do this to make sure any air bubbles pop.  I did but maybe not enough as some of them had bubble come to the surface during baking that resulted in lumpier looking tops.

Number seven:  Let your macarons rest on the counter for an hour before baking.  I think this also helps with the proper development of feet.  You want the batter to dry out and develop a skin before baking.

Number eight:  Don't over bake your macarons.  Every recipe said to make sure they released easily from the parchment paper before removing from oven otherwise they would be under baked.  I baked for the requisite 20 minutes and then checked and they were really sticking.  So I left them if another three minutes.  Same thing.  Three minutes later they weren't any better.  Finally after the third time I just took them out and after I let them sit for a few minutes they came right off.  I think they would have done that at 20 minutes and I would have had perfect macarons.  

Mine look lovely but the cookie is very crisp and doesn't have that chewy texture it should.  I think it was more an issue with my off brand parchment paper.   

I made pumpkin butter cream for the filling.  My son had made a batch of pumpkin butter and I wanted to incorporate it into the recipe.  

On to the recipe!  

Pumpkin Macarons (adapted from tasty.co)

• 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup almond flour, finely ground
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Orange gel food coloring

Buttercream

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup pumpkin butter (or puree)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the macarons:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
2. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out).
3. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the food coloring and beat until just combined.
4. Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up.
5. Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
6. Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½-inch (3-cm) circles, spacing at least 1-inch (2-cm) apart.
7. Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5 times to release any air bubbles.
8. Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch.
9. Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
10. Bake the macarons for 20 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper.
11. Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

Make the buttercream:

1. In a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla, pumpkin butter, and ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice and beat to combine.
2. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
3. Add a dollop of buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream.
4. Place in an airtight container for 24 hours to “bloom”.

Enjoy! 

I still need a third go at these to see if I can get the cookie part right.  At least they are good enough to photograph and I am hoping after they rest (bloom) for a while the consistency will be good.

 

If you have macaron tips please share!!