Pistachio Rose Macarons
I would always be so frustrated when food bloggers would say macarons are "actually pretty easy", "they're not really finicky", "here's a fool-proof recipe". The truth is: Macarons are challenging, but you what else? You're like, really smart. And there's nothing, not even a Lil french cookie, that's gonna get in your way! So whether you're coming into this as a first-time mac maker or with a little batch experience. I'm here to teach you the ins and outs of this truly temperamental French sandwich cookie.
Pistachio Rose Macarons
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10-13 minutes
Yields: 30 macaron shells- 16 macarons
Author: Ireland Lindsay
Ingredients:
For the macaron shell:
100g egg whites
100g granulated sugar
100g almond flour
100g powdered sugar
For the macaron filling:
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pulverized pistachios* or 4 tablespoons pistachio butter
*The pistachios should be very fine almost like sand
For the topping:
4 tablespoons crushed rose petals
FOR THE MACARONS:
PREHEAT oven to 300°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
CREATE a double boiler by putting 2 inches of water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan then bringing it to a boil. Once boiling place a heatproof bowl and add in granulated sugar and egg whites. Whisk egg whites and sugar until sugar melts completely and egg whites become white and frothy (1 to 1.5 minutes). You’ll know it’s done when you dip your finger and don’t feel any granules. Remove from heat and transfer egg/sugar mixture to a stand mixer.
INTO a stand mixer fitted whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form. Stopping intermittently to scrape down the side of the bowl and add food coloring if using, you want to add this before it reaches stiff peaks so you don’t overwhip the meringue. You will see the end result have a satin finish to the merengue, what you are looking for is a stiff peak where it stands straight up when lifted from the mixer. Omg dude, congrats you just made a Swiss meringue!
SIFT together almond flour, powdered sugar directly into a meringue bowl.
PLACE the bowl back onto the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn mixer to medium speed (about a 4) and whisk for 10 seconds. Stopping after to scoop down some of the batter. If you can make a figure-eight with the dripping batter without the batter breaking, you can stop. But you may need another 5-10 seconds. So repeat the process and try that figure-eight again, another way to know your batter is ready is by counting how long it takes a ribbon of batter to dissolve back into the batter, it should take 20-30 seconds until you no longer see the ribbon. These are indicators for if your batter is ready.
ONCE your batter is the correct consistency, scoop it into a large pastry bag and cut off one inch from the tip. Pipe silver dollar-sized circles onto baking sheets, keeping about 1.5 inches between each meringue. For the piping, this may take some practice so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it on the first few macarons!
ONCE piped, say sorry to anyone napping in your home, and give your baking sheet with the macs a good slam on the counter. This step is vital- as it gets out any large remaining air bubbles, this way your macarons won’t explode in the oven. Do this about 8-10 times. Carefully place crushed rose petals in a line to the top of your macarons.
LET rest for 15-30 or until your macs form a “skin” on the top. This will help them keep their shape and rise properly in the oven. You should be to lightly brush your finger over the mac without any residue remaining.
ONCE skin has formed, put into a 300F oven for 10-13 minutes (DO NOT let the oven exceed 300 degrees or the macs will crack). My oven has some major hot spots, so I always lose a few macarons during this process. The back of the oven tends to be the hottest so just keep an eye on your macs and avoid opening the door unless necessary, rotate halfway if you see fit. A good indicator to know if your macs are done is by lightly moving the tops of the macarons- if they move around on their feet, they’re not ready. If they stand firm, they’re done! Typically you don’t want these to gain any color in the oven so if the feet of the mac are starting to turn, they are most definitely done.
FOR THE PISTACHIO SWISS CREAM:
CREATE a double boiler by pouring 2 inches of water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and placing a heat-proof bowl over the top, make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl, but rather creating steam underneath.
INTO the bowl add the 1/4 cup egg whites and 1/2 cup of sugar and stir slowly until the sugar is completely melted, this can take a few minutes. Periodically check to see if there are any sugar granules remaining*, to do this pinch the mixture between your fingers- it shouldn’t be too hot.
*It is vital that during this step you melt all the sugar and there are no granules, the failure to do so will result in a grainy buttercream and that’s hashtag notcool
ONCE the mixture is completely cool, whip on high speed until soft peaks are achieved. Once the mixture is soft, glossy and light and the bowl feels completely room temp, begin adding in the room temperature butter tablespoon at a time.
*Important Note: Make sure the meringue is completely cooled or it will melt the butter and your buttercream won’t come together.
AFTER you have added about half of the butter, it may look curdled and runny, this is completely normal, and you should continue adding the rest of the butter. This will complete the emulsion process!
ONCE you have finished adding the butter and it has mixed on medium speed for about a minute the buttercream should be creamy and glossy again. Add the salt, vanilla, and pulverized pistachios*. Set aside.
*The pistachios should be very fine almost like sand, you can either buy pistachios and run them through a food processer (what I did!) or opt for pistachio butter instead.
FOR ASSEMBLY:
TO assemble macarons pipe filling onto the center of macarons stopping a few centimeters from the edge. Then take a suitable-sized top and squish the sides together.
LASTLY, cry some tears of joy because YOU just made macarons and did it like an absolute pro. Enjoy, and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Best eaten the day of.
MACARON FAQ’S
Should I use an oven thermometer?
Yes, yes, 1000x yes. In all my testing my biggest challenge has been the oven temp. Our oven is super inaccurate so using an internal thermometer to tell me the actual temp has been a huge help. HERE is the one I use.
Do I really have to use grams?
Great question, and yes. While all baked goods need some form of precision, with macarons it is vital that the ratios are correct. Using a scale will help achieve the most accurate measurements (and lift some of the weight off your shoulders). HERE is a great scale, similar to mine, if you do not already have one.
Speaking of measurements! You may have already noticed, the macrons are just equal parts of all the ingredients, how easy is that one?!
MACARON GUIDE
Ok so here's the first surprise, these aren't actually French. Wow, feels great to get that off my chest. But really, after countless batches of French macarons, testing all those "fool-proof" recipes I decided that was a challenge for another day. Then came my love: Swiss Macarons.
When it comes to macs, there are 3 ways to make them- 3 methods. French, Italian, and Swiss. French is the most difficult, then follows Italian, then finally the easiest and (what I found to be) the most errorless (is that even a word?) method- Swiss.
So, What are the differences? The difference lies within the way we make the meringue.
French
For the meringue, egg whites are whipped till stiff peaks form then granulated sugar is added.
Produces a super light cookie
Leaves a lot of room for error- especially to first-time macaron makers. If you’re up for the challenge HERE is a recipe I’ve used in the past (and still haven’t mastered haha).
Italian
To make the meringue, over a double boiler you melt sugar until it liquefies and forms a syrup. Eggs whites are whipped till stiff peaks form then sugar syrup is streamed in.
Slightly easier & stable merengue
Used often in commercial kitchens because they last the longest
Swiss: the method used for these macarons
Egg whites and sugar are melted together over a double boiler, then transferred to a stand mixer and whipped till stiff peaks form.
Least room for error
Whipping the egg/sugar over a double boiler provides a really stable meringue.
As mentioned with macarons there are quite a few areas with room for error. Using the Swiss methods lessens our chances dramatically! The Swiss method lessens complicated issues like macaronage or over-beating our egg whites.
MACARON TROUBLESHOOTING:
Cracked macarons
This can be due to oven temp being too hot, or not tapping the macarons before putting them into the oven.
Solutions:
Make sure the oven isn’t too hot, turn down by -5 degrees. In preparation before you make your macs, I’d recommend getting an oven thermometer. HERE is the one I use
Give your macarons a few good smacks on the counter before heading in the oven (I do this about 10 times or so)
Sticking
If macarons don’t release easily, and they’re sticking to the pan this may be caused by under-baking or a “wet” batter due to humidity in the air.
Solutions:
Pop your macarons into the oven for a few more minutes. A good indicator to tell when they’re done is lightly moving the tops of the macarons- if they move around on their feet, they’re not ready. If they stand firm, they’re done!
Sadly, hollow macarons can also be to extra humidity in the air (something you can’t control, so it’s not your fault!). Try baking them on a different day.
No feet
This can be due to “wet” batter because of, you guessed it, extra humidity in the air! This can also be a product of baking them at too low of a temperature, or not letting them develop a skin.
Solutions:
Turn up the oven temperature +5 at a time. In preparation before you make your macs, I’d recommend getting an oven thermometer. HERE is the one I use, this will help keep an accurate oven temperature.
Let them rest for 5 minutes before you put them into the oven to help them form a skin
Sadly, no feet can be to extra humidity in the air (something you can’t control, so it’s not your fault!). Try baking them on a different day.
Hollow
This one happens to me a lot! This is most often caused by the oven being opened before they are cooked through or the macarons being taken out of the oven too early. The under-cooked middle drops to the base. This can also be due to over whipping egg whites.
Solutions:
Let them cook longer in the oven, 2 minutes intervals till they are done. (A good indicator to tell when they’re done is lightly moving the tops of the macarons- if they move around on their feet, they’re not ready. Vs if they stand firm, they’re done!)
Make sure you whip your egg whites to stiff peaks then stop.
FAILED MACARON IDEAS:
Okay, let’s face it. Sometimes even after the best efforts, our baked goods don’t turn out how we expected. Who says we have to be discouraged? Who says we have to take those cracked, hollow, sticky, macarons and toss em in the trash? Here are 3 ideas on what to do with your failed macarons.
Tart Crust
You heard me right. Take your failed shells and dry them out in the oven, add some butter, and press into a tart ring.
Ice Cream Topping
Add those macs to your favorite ice cream sundae or no-churn ice cream base for a satisfying chew!
Eat them anyway
Even though sometimes things don’t look good, they taste darn amazing. So take your macs, brew a cup of tea or coffee, whatever you’re feeling- and enjoy!
Recipe by @IreBakes
