Double Chocolate Macarons

A few days ago, my macs barely had any feet. They were so so tiny, you'd miss them if you didn't look hard enough. 


But this time, the feet were huge! 


Same recipe. 


That's macs for you. These fickle little addictive... things.  

CHOCOLATE MACARONS 
Makes about 12 macarons (24 shells). 

30g almond powder
5g cocoa powder
55g icing sugar 
30g egg whites
15g caster sugar


Sift almond powder, cocoa powder and icing sugar to remove any clumps. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg whites till peaks are soft. 
Gradually add caster sugar and continue whisking till peaks are just stiff. 
Fold in dry ingredients in 2-3 batches till mixture is glossy and well combined. 

The mixture should be thick and sticky and flows slowly. When you run a knife through the mixture, the line should disappear in 10 seconds. If this happens, you have the right consistency. 

If the line doesn't disappear in 10 seconds, fold the mixture a few more times and test again.

If the line disappears too soon, it means the mixture is too thin or has been overmixed. Folding in more almond powder / icing sugar may help firm up the mixture.  

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a #11 tip.
Pipe 3cm circles onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. 
The peaks should fall into place and disappear in 10 seconds. 
If a little peak still shows, tap the bottom of the pan a few times. 
Now leave the piped shells to dry for about 30-60 min till a dull crust forms and is no longer tacky. (Touch the shells lightly with your finger. It should not stick to your finger. )


Bake at 140*C for 14-16 min. 
Remove from oven and cool completely on baking sheet before removing. 
If the bottom of the shell still seems wet and a lot of it sticks to the sheet, pop it back in the oven for another minute or so. 

When the shells have completely cooled, fill with melted dark chocolate or nutella. 
It will be hard to resist a bite, but if left to 'mature' in the fridge overnight, it will taste even better the next day. 

Good luck to those who are on the quest for the perfect mac!


There are many many different recipes out there. So which one is THE best?


My conclusion is that there isn't a fool-proof formula. 
Every baker is different and every oven is different. Even egg whites are different!


Your perfect recipe will be different from someone else's. 
This recipe may work for me today, and it may not on another day. 
It may work for me, but may not work for you. 
So if you are a mac fan, keep trying and don't give up. 
Practice makes perfect :)  
And don't forget... even the best bakers have off days. 

Vanilla Bean & Chocolate Macarons

I promised there'd be more macs...

This time, I decided to go back to basics.
No green tea, no chocolate, no oreos.
Plain macaron shells.  (OK, I couldn't resist adding some vanilla beans.)

My oven is a modest space-saving multi-function piece of kitchen equipment - a microwave cum convection oven cum grill.
The largest pan it will fit is a 12"x12" pan. And that's leaving the bare minimum 1" allowance from the oven walls.
I need a bigger oven...
And a dishwasher...
And a larger freezer and fridge...
A larger home with a larger kitchen :)

Why did I start talking about my oven?
Oh, right... I wanted to say... I think it's my oven that's causing these less than ideal mac results.

You see, my oven's heat source (and fan) is from the top. So my macs tend to brown pretty fast, while the bottoms are not quite done yet. See the brown edges on my macs?
Alan from travellingfoodies once commented that it's a miracle that my chiffons rise in my oven. LOL.

I'm still not happy with the macs I've got, despite some very encouraging "they look perfectly fine" words.
OK, so it's great that I finally got feet. But they seem kinda small. Like it should be a size 8 rather than the size 5 it is now.

Anyway, the one thing that I am rather pleased about is the smooth smooth texture of the shells. No rough bumpy surfaces, no nipples that won't settle. That much I'm pleased with.

BUT... WHY are they still so dome-shaped like a hamburger???!!!!

If any of you have had the same experience, and have solved the mystery, please please please share with me.

VANILLA BEAN & CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Makes about 15.

40g almond meal

60g icing sugar

30g egg whites, aged for almost 48 hours

1/4 tsp egg white powder (optional)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

10g caster sugar

Blitz almond meal and icing sugar in a food processor till as fine as possible. 

Sift, and discard any remaining chinks in the sieve. 

In a separate mixing bowl, combine egg whites, egg white powder and cream of tartar.

Whisk till peaks are soft. 

Gradually add caster sugar, whisking till peaks are just stiff. 

Fold the almond/sugar mixture in 3-4 batches into the meringue. 

Stop folding when the mixture is glossy and flows like magma, and any peaks settle in 10 seconds. 

Pour mixture into a piping bag and pipe 3cm circles on a silicone mat or parchment paper. 

Rap the pan a few times so that the mixture settles into smooth circles.

Ignore the piped circles for 45-60 min, till the circles are matte and the skins are no longer tacky when touched. 

Bake at 140*C for 12-15 min till the feet no longer look wet.

Let the macs cool in the pan (to continue cooking and setting the base).

When cool, lift the macs off and you should almost not have to clean the mat/paper. 

Fill the macs with nutella or your favourite chocolate, melted with some butter or cream to get a spreadable consistency. 

Oreo Nutella Macarons

I almost gave up on macarons.

I got feet. Once. Back in February this year.
But ever since then, all I got were meringue cookies (a.k.a. mutant feetless macarons).

After making tiramisu for a party last weekend, I was left with 5 egg whites sitting all alone on the counter. So I mustered up whatever courage I had left from my traumatic mac experience and plunged right in to mac-ing.

I should forewarn you... this post is kind of an odd one because the 'making of' photos are from a previous batch - which turned out less than perfect, so I didn't take the end shots.  All's not lost, because the 'making of' shots are still helpful (I hope) in showing how macarons are made.

Ok now, please resist the temptation to ask me why my macs look like hamburgers.

I have no idea.
But I wish I knew why my mac shells are so domed.
Time for more experimentation...


OREO NUTELLA MACARONS
Makes about 15 small macarons (30 shells).

30g almond meal
8g oreos (2 sides of an oreo cookie)
2g cocoa powder
50g icing sugar
30g egg white (from about 1 egg, preferably aged overnight)
20g caster sugar

Combine almond meal, oreos, cocoa powder and icing sugar in a blender.
Blitz till as fine as possible.
Sift to break up any clumps, and discard leftovers in the sieve.

In a mixer, whisk egg white till foamy.
Continue whisking while adding caster sugar gradually.
Whisk till the meringue is glossy and peaks are stiff.

Your meringue should NOT have black specks as seen in the picture below, unless you added scraped vanilla beans. Or, I can't imagine why, pepper!

Fold the sifted dry ingredients in 2-3 batches into the meringue till you get a thick and sticky batter.
Pour batter into a piping bag fitted with a #11 tip.
Pipe 3cm circles about 2cm apart on parchment paper or silicone mat.

Don't worry if the freshly piped circles have peaks.
Wait 5-10 seconds and it should all fall into a smooth shiny mass (like the pic above).

If it doesn't it probably means that your batter is under-mixed.
Scrape your batter back to your mixing bowl and fold it a few more times.
Try again.

Now, it is important to practice a little patience at this stage.
If you want feet, you need patience.

Let the piped batter dry for at least 30 minutes.
Yes, 30 long minutes.
In the meantime, distract yourself with making the filling and/or washing up.

After 30 minutes or so, the piped batter should have formed a dull skin and should no longer be tacky to the touch.
Yes, you can very gently test with your fingertip to one of the circles.
It should not stick.

Bake in a 140*C oven for about 16 minutes or when the feet no longer look wet.
(The feet should show up by about the 5th minute. If it doesn't, congratulations - you've just made meringue cookies!)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a minute or two before you nudge one of the macarons to test for doneness.
Gently nudge a macaron (pick the ugliest, just in case). If it comes off the parchment or silicone without leaving a messy mass, it's done. If it leaves a sticky mess/mass, pop it back in the oven for another minute or two.

To make the filling:
Combine the filling from as many oreo cookies you can find. (I used the whole small pack of about 10 cookies.) Then add nutella to make up about half a small bowl. Add milk by the teaspoon and stir till you get an easily spreadable / pipeable consistency. (Add less milk if you like it thick, and more if you like a lighter filling.)

When the mac shells have completely cooled, pipe or spoon about 1-2 teaspoons of filling onto the flat side of a shell. Smoosh another shell on top and gently squeeze till the filling just reaches the edges.

Macaron time!!!

Oh, wait.
Not quite yet.
You need patience again.

Macarons are best enjoyed after it's been left to mature in the fridge overnight, giving it time for the flavours to meld and the shells to develop that signature chewy bite.
Best to also let the macs come to room temperature before sinking your teeth into these little delights.

So, from start (ageing the egg whites) to end (when you can finally eat it!), that's a span of 2 days.
Patience, my friends, and you will be well rewarded.

More macs coming up...
Stay tuned :)

Green Tea Macarons + Nutella Filling

It was such a coincidence that my blog-buddy, KL, and I made macarons on the same day! 


In the midst of mac-ing, we were whatsapp-ing each other on the recipe we were using - the ingredient proportions, the drying time, the oven temperature, baking times, etc. So many factors that could make or break a macaron. 

I don't know why this picture turned out so psychedelic.

It's really not meant to be so neon.

The first few minutes in the oven are anxious minutes. 
Will those elusive feet appear?
Yes, they did. Phew!! 


But will the tops be nice and smooth? Or will they crack and erupt?
Thankfully, they turned out just fine. 
Now I can breathe...

Green Tea Macarons

30g egg white (or 1 egg white)

10g caster sugar 

40g almond powder

60g icing sugar

1/2 tsp green tea powder (1 tsp for a more intense green tea flavour)

Blend almond powder, icing sugar and green tea powder till fine. 

Sift two times. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites till foamy, then add caster sugar and whisk till soft peaks appear.

At this stage, you may want to add some colouring to enhance the appearance of the macarons. The colour fades quite a bit after baking, so your mixture should be a few shades darker than your desired end result.

Continue whisking till the meringue is glossy and stiff.

Fold in almond/sugar mixture in 2-3 batches till batter is evenly combined and somewhat sticky.

Using a #11 piping tip, pipe 1-1.25" circles on parchment paper or silicone mat. 

Let the piped circle air dry for about 30-60 min till skins form and are no longer tacky.

Bake at 140*C for 18-20 min. 

Now resist the temptation to peel the macs off. Allow macarons to cool completely before removing from parchment paper or silicone mat. 

Nutella Filling

This has got to be the easiest yet tastiest filling ever!
You can simply use Nutella straight from the bottle.

Or if you prefer something a little more delicate, mix some milk or whipping cream into the Nutella and fill those macs!

Now for the most important question: Do you like mini macs or maxi macs?


Me? I like 'em mini. 

Macarons - Getting it right

Finally!!! Some decent looking macarons from my oven!!!

This time, rather than rushing into it, I compared the ingredients and each of their quantity in a number of recipe books and blogs. Below are 3 recipes that I found to be particularly insightful and helpful! The fourth column was from my previous macarons attempt - it was from a kids' easy macarons kit. My macarons didn't turn out perfect, but at least, they had feet and smooth shells.

Comparing the three expert recipes, I found that their dry ingredients all add up to be in the range of around 340-360g. The temperature that they use to bake is between 140-160 degree celsius, much lower than what I used to set. Now, of course, this is only part of the success story for the perfect macarons.

I tested using the recipe from Tartelette but included the cream of tartar from Sweet & Skinny. Because I did not have enough fine almond meal, I substituted the balance amount with cocoa powder, just to make up the amount of dry ingredients required.

My ingredients for this batch:

• 1 egg white from "Pasar" - 35g
• 21g caster sugar
• 78g icing sugar
• 2g or 0.4 tsp cocoa powder
• 31g almond meal
• 0.5g or 0.1 tsp cream of tartar

For future reference, I made this conversion table.

In macarons making, it is THE TECHNIQUE that is the most important. I used to whip my whites until it became very stiff. This is incorrect. It should be a MEDIUM peak - see picture below from the book "Sweet and Skinny, by Marisa Churchill". Do NOT over-whip or meringue will become very dry and the macarons will not work.

When mixing the meringue and the dry stuff, fold in half of the dry mixture in a few quick sweeping strokes to break the mass and slow down. When it is mostly incorporated, fold in the remaining mixture. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount of the batter to see if it has the correct consistency before piping.

I have a small tabletop oven and I find the heat to be somewhat higher than that stated in most recipe books. Hence, I lowered the temperature by another 5 degree celsius.

Steps and things to note:

1. Sift the almond meal and icing sugar & / or cocoa. Or blitz in a food processor until very fine. Otherwise, the macarons will have a rough surface.
2. Whisk the whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar.
3. With the mixer running, add caster sugar slowly - one teaspoon at a time.
4. Continue to whisk until medium peaks form. Do NOT over-whipped. The meringue should curl over softly when you lift the whisk.
5. If you are adding colouring, add now. Mix just until the whites are evenly coloured.
6. Fold in half the almond mixture in a few quick strokes to break the mass and slow down. Fold in the remaining almond mixture, mixing until combined. Do not over-mixed. The entire folding process should take no more than 50 steps.
7. Check the consistency of the batter. It should flatten on its own after counting to ten. If it stands with a pointed top, it is under-mixed. Scrape the mixture back and give it a few more turns.
8. Place the piping bag into a jar so that the batter can be poured in nicely.
9. Pipe the macarons, leaving 2cm gap between them.
10. After piping, leave macarons to dry for at least 30 minutes.
11. Pre-heat the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
12. Let the macarons cool down before peeling them off the baking paper.

I got feet!

I am just so thrilled that I finally got feet on my 3rd attempt!  I had almost given up on making macs till I saw Quizzine's Chocolate Macarons and was tempted to give it one more try.

I'm glad I did, cos I finally got feet feet feet!

In fact, I got more than feet...  I got nipples too!  LOL!!

Well, I still have a long way to go with macs.  But this is a very encouraging step for me.  For those of you who are still looking for a recipe that works for you, do give Quizzine's recipe a try.

And if you are wondering why I only have these pics of the half macs, it's because the big boy in house finished it all before I could take any photos. (I filled the macs with nutella; that's why they disappeared in a flash!)

Mini Chocolate Macarons

It's been a while since I baked macarons. I usually prefer chocolate flavour because the cocoa makes it less sweet.



Traditional macarons in the old days, were simply fused together when they were still hot without any filling.



These were filled with buttercream, with a blob of Hershey's chocolate in the middle of the sandwich.



And of course, I can't resist dressing up some of the macarons in pretty icing flowers and sprinkles.

Mini Chocolate Macarons

Making macarons must have been one of my most challenging bakes. I can't recall when I started liking macarons but these little colourful domes sandwiched with creamy fillings are just so adorable! Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, these delectable treats are incredibly hard to make to perfection.

The ingredients are simple - egg whites, almond meal and sugar. The steps are minimal - whisk whites till stiff and shiny, fold in almond meal and sugar, pipe and bake. But virtually any step in the whole process could go wrong. I've baked macarons that had empty shells, were feetless, cracked on the surface, had batter that oozed out from the shells, were overdone till hard as rocks ... and many more misadventures.

Anyway, my last weekend was all about macarons. After a disastrous batch of macarons on Saturday, I was determined to try again on Sunday. This time round, my mini chocolate macarons turned out to be rather successful, which boosted my morale a bit. I made them tiny, about 2 cm each in diameter so they were pretty cute.

My ingredients are:

• Almond meal: 70g
• Pure icing sugar: 160g
• Egg whites: 2 medium eggs
• Caster sugar: 30g
• Cocoa powder: 20g

Steps:

• Sift almond meal, icing sugar and cocoa powder.
• Whisk egg whites till foamy, add caster sugar and continue whisking till stiff peaks and shiny.
• Fold in the powder in 3 batches.
• Pipe into circle shapes on baking sheet.
• Let it rest for about half an hour till the surface of the batter is dry.
• Pre heat oven at 200 deg.
• Bake at 200 deg for 2 minutes (the feet should start appearing). Lower temperature to 150 deg and continue baking for about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat further to 130 deg and continue baking for about 2 minutes.

Tip: Sometimes, it is hard to remove macarons from the baking sheet even after they are completely cooled. To remove them easily, place the baking sheet with hot macarons on a surface sprayed with water as soon as they are out of the oven.