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Saturday, May 9, 2020

French Macaron Mania

Hello guys.
Things have been crazy in the world. Down here in Chile, we've had a fairly good run so far, but things are getting harder week by week. I hope, as you read this post, that you are doing ok and so are your loved ones. Please stay safe.
I've been home so much, that I've had time to practice something that I find exciting  and delicious: French Macarons!.
My story with French macarons goes back to a couple of years when Stephen brought me 6 incredible little cookies, back from a business trip to France. They were these soft, creamy and silky filling sandwiched between two crunchy and chewy cookies. He got them on a Patisserie that featured mostly japanese flavored ones (Ocha, matcha, sencha, vanilla and caramel). I was so in love with them I decided to make them one day.
First macarons I ever made in 2016
Lemon Curd Macarons
My first attempt was a success. Beginners luck I guess, because my second, third and fourth times, were a disaster and then it was a personal Vendetta to be able to get them right. So after a lot of trial and error I perfected my recipe and finally could experiment with flavors.
orange gel macarons
I gave bombons a try also, these are mint gel and orange gel bombons
I've been making them consistently every weekend since december and I've come to a point where I can confidently say my macarons have nothing to envy to those from fancy tea houses.
Caramelized coconut buttercream macarons
fancy display for a gift
Lychee curd macarons
I don't pretend to turn this site into a cooking blog, but it's always nice to bring a different craft to the table to compliment what you already love, and hey! I have learned a thing or two.
Dark chocolate ganache marbled macarons
Vanilla buttercream-salted caramel macarons


To bring you the paper crafting aspect, there's a free SVG file that you can download at the end of this post for the 2 piece gift box.

Gift box, body and sleeve or outer case




I have several other designs I'm working on, so don't forget to subscribe to be notified when new ones are uploaded. There's no need for heavy cardstock, since macarons are very light, so a 65 lb cardstock is enough. Regarding the clear window material, you can use acetate, Mylar sheets (3-4 mil weight) , inkjet transparencies or even Vellum for a frosted semi transparent look (links below). Just remember to use double sided tape to glue it down, because water based glues, might not hold it down. Just make sure not to handle it too much to avoid scratching the surface and thus loosing the transparency.
You can also use this box to give away mini size candy bars, peanut reeses cups or cookies.
The box assembly process as well as the macaron making is explained in the video. I also talk about the quantities of egg whites, granulated sugar, almond flour and icing sugar for the shells or cookies.Considering an egg white is approximately 30g, the basic recipe should be:
  • 30g egg whites
  • 28g granulated sugar
  • 40g almond flour
  • 40g icing sugar
Since all eggs are not the same size and all dry ingredients are easily measurable, but not the egg whites, I created a chart that you can download (here) to adjust the rest of the ingredients based on the weight of your egg whites . The chart is in grams and I trust that most scales have metric and imperial measurement systems incorporated, so this shouldn't be a problem (switch it to metric) , but I you need me to change it to a different scale, let me know.
Once you master the cookie making you'll be obsessed with fillings. Ganaches and buttercreams are the most common, but you can also experiment with curds, jams and caramel, the possibilities are endless.
The basic recipe for a ganache is:
  • 110g chocolate (white, milk or dark)
  • 40g heavy cream
  • 8g unsalted butter
You can add coffee, matcha, ginger and any flavorings to the ganache, is really up to you.

Finally some cooking tips:

  • You MUST use a scale, you'll need to be precise when measuring your ingredients.
  • You can use almond or coconut extract to flavor the shells instead of vanilla.
  • Try using Gel Food Coloring to avoid adding too much moisture to the dough.
  • Always pipe the shells using a large round tip in a continuous flow. Do a flick motion in the end to cut the flow.
  • I prefer to use silicone mats with predefined shapes and small ridges around, they allow you to get same size cookies every time.
  • Whether you use silicone mats, silpats or parchment paper, make sure they are very clean, a small amount of fat may prevent the macarons from rising. This goes for your mixer bowl and spatulas. I clean them using a small amount white vinegar and then rinsing them thoroughly.
  • Use an oven thermometer to make sure your temperature is exact. Place it on the reck where you'll be baking the macarons. Don't rely on your oven thermostat, as the sometimes measurement is taken at a different spot and not necessarily where the baking happens.
  • Avoid over drying the piped shells, they come out lopsided when the edges are too try dry and stick to the mat, preventing the rising.
  • Don't open the door before the macarons rise or else they'll deflate and turn out wrinkly looking.
  • Wait for the shells to cool completely before removing them from the mat.
  • Use a cookie cooling rack to put rest macaron shells before and after filling them. The small squares are perfect to keep them sitting straight and not rocking side to side It is also a great way to chill the filling and thus, avoiding them touching each other and messing up the edges.
  • I already said this, but chill the finished macarons, so the filling sets correctly and it does not smear or spread everywhere. 
  • Fill your macarons and let them sit for 24 hours before serving them for the center to become chewy.
  • Take them out of tre fridge 1 hour before serving.
  • You can freeze the baked shells for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
A nice cookie should be crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, without any gaps or hollow spaces.
No hollow shells.
Now, if everything fails and you macarons look nothing like you expected, don't throw them away, they are still delicious!

I really hope you enjoy making this box and learning the delicate art of macaron making. I'm no expert but I've had my share of failures and that sure counts for something.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon.

Hugs

Supplies List
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If links don´t seem to open, please right click and select "open link in a new tab", it should take you to a save file dialog. Let me know in the comments if links don´t work, thanks.

8 comments:

  1. this link says it is forbidden so you cannot download the box :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. as usual this is an awesome box. thankyou for all the work u do. Stay safe

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for the delicious cookie recipe and the cute box file. You're the Best!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you! All is well as well can be here in Minnesota, USA. Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OH but now I want to buy some cookies!! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I only made marcarons once, and, like you, I think I had beginner's luck. They were wonderful! But what a lot of work! I don't dare make them again! My luck probably wouldn't hold out, and if it did, I would gorge on them! I've already gained my covid 19 lbs!😒😊

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's a very yummy, I baked it thanks for sharing this recipe .

    ReplyDelete

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