Macarons for birthdays
13th Nov 2017
It’s been a while since we last gave you a delicious recipe, and we apologize for the delay, but we were busy looking for recipes so good that you wont be able to resist, trying your hand at them!
This week we decided to focus to two of the most trending food styles: Unicorn (multi-colored pretty scrumptiousness) and Goth (dark indulgent delectableness).
So here’s presenting our top two dishes for the day:
- Unicor macarons with cotton candy buttercream filling
- Black sesame macarons with vanilla cream cheese filling
They require some serious effort to execute, so we do recommend trying them for a dear one’s birthday, anniversary or a very special occasion!
**Proceed with caution**
Not only are the following recipes a herculean task to prepare, but if made well, they’re so addictive that you’re relatives, kids, friends and neighbors will be haunting you for more, for days to come!
Without further a due; here are your recipes:
- UNICORN MACARONS WITH COTTON CANDY BUTTERCREAM FILLING
At an average, twenty-four of these gorgeous colorful beauties will take you about 60 minutes to prepare and cook (and oh! only a minute to consume)
Ingredients required:
For the macaron shells
- 90 grams of egg whites at room temperature
- 55 grams or 1 and ¼ cup of super fine quality sugar (granulated sugar, powdered in a churner)
- 200 grams or 1 and 2/3 cup of confectioner’s sugar
- 110 grams or 1 cup of almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- a pinch of salt
- food coloring (pink, yellow and blue)
- Sprinkles (a whole load of them- colorful and in different shapes)
- For the cotton candy buttercream filling:
- 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter (soft but not melted)
- 16 to 24 ounces of confectioner’s sugar (sifted through a sieve)
- cotton candy flavoring (a few drops)
- a pinch of salt
- edible glitter (optional)
Method:
- Line a baking tray with a baking parchment and keep aside for later.
- Take the egg whites in a mixer’s bowl and whisk them at a medium speed for about a minute, till it reaches a foamy consistency.
- One at a time, add the super fine granulated sugar and the cream of tartar. Continue to mix at medium speed, till the resultant batter is very stiff and forms peaks. (Quick tip: it is advisable to perform the “reverse” test on the batter at tis point. That is; you reverse the bowl but the batter is stiff enough, not to pour out)
- Divide the mixture into two equal portions. Add the chosen colors (add a few drops more than intended, as baking lightens the color)
- In a separate bowl, sift the almond flour and confectioner’s sugar, together. You might want to repeat the sifting process two to three times more to make sure there aren’t any lumps remaining.
- Divide the almond flour into two equal portions. Add the almond flour mixture to the egg whites batter and fold the two together, till you get a mixture with a ribbon consistency. (Note: do not beat the mixture; only fold it in. In about 50 strokes)
- In a piping bag scoop in an alternate spoonful of the two colors of the batter and using a skewer; mix the two to create swirls)
- Pipe one inch circles onto the prepared baking tray. Gently tap the tray on the counter top twice, to flatten the batter.
- Sprinkle the sparkles over the shells and allow them to cool of (and form a lightly hard membrane on top).
- Bake the shells for 16 minutes at 290degrees Fahrenheit in a preheated over.
- Once they are cooked, let them cool completely before you remove or start assembling them.
Method to prepare the filling: - Whisk the softened butter in a mixer till smooth.
- Add all the above mentioned ingredients for the filling, to the butter and whip it together till the batter is smooth and tight. (add more sugar if need be, for texture)
Assemble:
Pipe tiny circles on the flattened side of a shell and cover it with another.
That’s it!
Feast on the gooey goodness
- BLACK SESAME MACARONS WITH VANILLA CHEESE CREAM FILLING
Did you know that black sesame seeds are a fabulous source of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and phosphorous? It practically makes this recipe, a salad! Well, okay, not really…. But it does make for a sweet yet very healthy macaron!
Here’s what you need to make eight of these midnight beauties in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients:
For the black sesame shell:
- 2 large Egg whites at room temperature
- 60 grams of granulated sugar
- 85 grams or 1 cup of almond flour
- 65grams or ½ a cup of confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons or 25grams of black sesame seed powder (if the powder is difficult to find, grind the seeds in a dry mixer)
For the vanilla cream cheese filling:
- 227 grams of ccream cheese
- 2/3 cups of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 122 grams or 2/3 cups of heavy cream
Method to prepare the shells:
- Incase you do not have the powdered black sesame seeds; toast the original seeds in a non stick pan and cover the pan, to keep the flavor intact.
- Once they turn aromatic, you’ll know that they’re ready to grind in the mixer.
- In a bowl of the mixer, whisk the egg whites till they form soft peaks. Once done, add the granulated sugar and beat the mixture, till it forms stiff peaks. (perform the “reverse test” on this as well!)
- In a separate bowl, mix the sifted almond flour, black sesame powder and sugar; well.
- Fold in the two mixtures together, till it forms a homogeneous batter.
(To get a deeper and more intense black color, you may want to add black food coloring; though it is optional) - Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe even one inch circles onto a prepared baking tray.
- Tap the tray gently on the counter, twice to allow the batter to settle down. Let the shells cool off and form a hard coating, before you set them to bake.
- Bake them for15 minutes at 280 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow them to cool down completely before you pry them off the tray.
To prepare the filling:
- Whip the heavy cream till it forms stiff peaks.
- In another bowl, whip the cream cheese, sugar and the vanilla extract
- Gently mix and fold the two mixtures and scoop it into a piping bag.
To assemble, on the flattened edge of a cookie, pipe the cream cheese filling and cover with another!
Its that simple
If however, a special occasion is coming up, and you’d rather not slave in the kitchen; log on to www.amazeology.com.au for some uber delicious and gorgeous customized macarons with a print of your favorite image or photograph on them!