Easy Parisian FRENCH Macarons ='.'=

It's Friday- finally! How has everyone been? I missed you!

Let's bake some YUMMMMY French Macarons, but first, you should read what it is by clicking the link Definition of Macaron or check out the pictures after the recipe.

I tried baking chocolate macarons in 2008, they were yummy but not pretty (I don't want to scare you away so you'll have to read this first before you see those photos).

& if it weren't for my pastry guru, Ate Rianne AKA ArtOfDessert

I would be missing out. She bought me my very first box of rainbow delights from  Opera Patisserie San Diego. 

It was love at first bite. Ever since then I've been hooked and have been Internet studying on how to bake it. Imagine!!! I was able to transform Almond flour, egg whites, & sugar into confectionery bliss. WARNING! Learning how to bake these bite sized confectioneries is very BAD, gluttony I'd say, because, instead of enjoying just one, you might just eat them all & not want to share with anyone. So also add greed to one of those sins you have or will commit, not to mention vanity, since they are so very pretty- LOL.
Anyways, this time around I used Martha Stewart's recipe & tinted the basic batter pink (so cute) & added strawberry extract. There are other recipes that call for boiling sugar syrup and or letting them sit for 2 hours. Who has the time??? Now go shopping & start baking.

From Martha Stewart's Recipes:

Ingredients

• For the Macarons

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • Pinch of cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup superfine sugar

Directions

1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and 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. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. 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.
4. Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)
5. 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.

Suggested Fillings for Macarons

• Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache
• Coconut: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup angel-flake coconut.
• Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam, or peanut butter.
• Pistachio: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios.
• Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream

My very first attempt... I'm not a very patient person, and although I wanted them to be perfectly round, I did not know how to use a piping bag very well. Over time, I was able to acquire some decorating skills & can now properly handle piping bags & learned a few tricks along the way.

Baked these Strawberry ones on 09/13/11, the Strawberry preserves was great but too sweet for me & they oozed out of the macarons & made your hands pretty sticky.

Then I couldn't stop baking them... so for 3 days straight... I made some more... so many that I think my teeth hurts just by looking at them.

Flavors from top to bottom & left to right:
Buko-taro, Taro-taro, Bellagio chocolate-chocolate, Mango-mango, & Lychee-mango
I will continue to experiment with flavors and hopefully the little feet will form on those buns. Just like this batch:

& of course I couldn't resist... so I made Hello Kitty ones too <3

ALOHA KITTY (Bellagio Chocolate & Dobrova)

                                   Click & learn: Easy Chocolate Macarons

Photo credit: Rianne (Art Of Dessert)

 

& since my SIL, Annalou's birthday is on Sept. 18th, I decided to spruce up her cakes with them.


I will try to post a video, as soon as I learn how to do that. :D Have a great & safe weekend!  Good MorNight!