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Serves
2 dozen (without accidents)
Author Notes
I felt a little like Walt (or maybe Jessie) from Breaking Bad as I measured and weighed and piped for my first-ever attempt at making macaroons. I'm more of a guess-&-toss kind of cook, so this was really a departure for me, and I'm sure mine don't measure up to the amazing ones already submitted for this contest. But I did tinge my little babies a tender shade of pink, thanks to some liquid left over from poaching beets. AND I came up with a Passover-appropriate filling of which I am rather proud--combining tahini, honey and pomegranate molasses. Most importantly perhaps, this can be repurposed as a frosting on all manner of honey cakes and the like, punching up any dry old dessert into something truly divine. —gluttonforlife
Ingredients
- Almond Macarons
-
65
grams egg whites (4 to be safe), held covered, overnight, at room temp
-
115
grams confectioners sugar
-
65
grams blanched almond flour
-
30
grams granulated sugar
-
1 pinch
salt
-
1 pinch
cream of tartar
-
2 teaspoons
beet-poaching liquid, optional
- Halvah Filling/Frosting (about 2 cups)
-
2
large egg whites
-
2/3 cup
sugar
-
1/3 cup
tahini, room temp
-
1/3 cup
honey
-
1 tablespoon
pomegranate molasses
Directions
- Almond Macarons
-
Push almond flour and confectioner’s sugar through a tamis. Mix together in a bowl and set aside. Mixture should be dry; if not, spread on a baking sheet and heat in your oven at its lowest setting for a few minutes.
-
Pass the egg whites through a fine sieve and into a large, clean stainless steel bowl. Whip until foamy, then add salt and cream of tartar. Increase speed to high, gradually adding sugar. Whip until peaks are stiff and shiny.
-
Using a flexible spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture in 3 increments. Stir in 2 teaspoons of beet liquid, if using. When small peaks dissolve to a flat surface, stop mixing. Resulting batter should be thick but flowy.
-
Fit a piping bag with a 3/8-inch round tip or cut the corner off a Ziploc bag and fill with batter. Starting in the middle and working outward, pipe 1 ½” circles 2” apart onto double-stacked baking sheets lined with Silpats. Tap firmly on the underside of the baking sheets to remove any air bubbles. Dry at room temperature for 1-2 hours so a thin skin forms.
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Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake macarons for about 12 minutes, propping the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon, and rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Remove macarons from oven and transfer Silpats to a cooling rack. When fully cooled, slide macarons off, gingerly, one at a time, with a metal offset spatula.
-
Pair macarons of similar size, and pipe or spread about 1/2-1 teaspoon of the filling (recipe follows) onto half of them. Sandwich with the other halves and refrigerate to allow flavors to meld. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
- Halvah Filling/Frosting (about 2 cups)
-
Whisk tahini and honey together until well blended. Whisk in pomegranate molasses and set aside.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites and sugar. Set mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture, whisking often, until it feels warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 3-5 minutes.
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Transfer bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until mixture is stiff and shiny, 3-5 minutes. Add tahini mixture, in 3 increments, each time mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Can be kept, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.
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