Flavored French Macaroons Recipes

BEST FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Combine confectioners' sugar, almond flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until extra-fine. Sift through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
• Beat egg whites with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until frothy. Gradually add superfine sugar and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat; tips of peaks should hold their shape but curl over slightly.
• Gently fold 1/3 of the almond flour mixture into the egg whites, turning bowl occasionally, until nearly combined. Drop in food coloring. Add remaining almond flour mixture in 2 additions, gently folding until a batter comes together. Batter should fall off the spatula in thick ribbons without breaking.
• Transfer batter to a piping bag with a #804 pastry tip. Line 2 light-colored baking sheets with silicone macaron mats. Pipe batter into each circle on the mats. Tap baking sheets 4 times against the counter to release any air bubbles. Let macarons sit at room temperature until dry to the touch, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Bake macarons in the preheated oven until bottoms rise slightly off the mats to form 'feet', 17 to 20 minutes. Switch baking sheets positions halfway through.
• Let macarons cool on the mats for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat butter and confectioners' sugar together using an electric mixer until creamy. Add heavy cream and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
• Transfer buttercream to a piping bag with a #4 pastry tip. Pipe buttercream onto 1/2 of the macarons. Top with the other halves to create sandwiches.

FLAVORED FRENCH MACAROONS

Steps:

• An hour before making the macaroons, separate the eggs and let the whites sit in the bowl of an electric mixer to reach room temperature. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Put the confectioners' sugar and the almonds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse them together until they become a fine powder. Add the cocoa powder, and pulse until well mixed.
• Whip the egg whites at low speed until they start to foam. Add the cream of tartar, and increase the speed to medium. After 2 minutes, gradually add the granulated sugar. Continue to beat until stiff and shiny peaks form.
• Put the almond-sugar mixture in a large bowl, and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites. This will take about forty strokes (after twenty strokes, the egg whites will deflate; after another twenty, the batter will be mixed and runny).
• Fill a pastry bag with the batter (it is easiest to use a 1/2-inch-diameter tip). Pipe out 1 tablespoon, or enough batter to make silver dollar-sized circles, an inch apart on the lined cookie sheets. The best way to do this is by holding the pastry bag straight up and squeezing until about 1 1/2 inches of batter runs out for each macaroon. Let the macaroons sit at room temperature, uncovered, on the baking sheets for 1 hour, or until they dry and are less glossy.
• While the macaroons are drying, make the mocha filling. Stir together the butter or margarine, honey, and coffee in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and remove from the heat. Stir in the chocolate, and, using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat until slightly stiff. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees, and arrange the racks in the two lower thirds of the oven. Put the sheet pans in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Switch the positions of the baking sheets, and continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the macaroons are no longer wobbly and sticky.
• Allow to cool. To serve, spoon about a heaping teaspoon of filling on one cookie, and top with another.
• For white macaroons, omit the cocoa powder and proceed as above.
• For raspberry-flavored macaroons, replace the cocoa powder with 2 tablespoons raspberry powder, and add a few drops of red food coloring when you whip the egg whites. Alternatively, you can make your own raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, or cherry powder by pulverizing a few dehydrated (not dried) berries in the food processor. Dehydrated fruits and raspberry powder are available from www.justtomatoes.com and are also sold at many supermarkets. Although the Just Tomatoes products are not certified kosher, they are processed in a facility that is purely vegetarian.
• Chocolate-ganache: Heat 3/4 cup heavy cream with 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens slightly.
• Chocolate-orange: Substitute 1/4 cup orange juice for the coffee.

FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F using the convection setting. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone mats. Measure the confectioners' sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Transfer to a bowl; whisk to combine.
• Sift the sugar-almond flour mixture, a little at a time, through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold.
• Add the food coloring and extract (see below). Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.
• Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).
• Bake the first batch until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling (see below).
• Almond-Raspberry:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops neon pink gel food coloring; flavor with almond extract. Fill with seedless raspberry jam (you'll need about 3/4 cup).
• Mint-White Chocolate:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops mint green gel food coloring; flavor with mint extract. For the filling, microwave 3 ounces chopped white chocolate, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon mint extract and 1 drop mint green gel food coloring.
• Blueberry Cheesecake:
• Tint the batter with 3 drops royal blue gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 4 ounces softened cream cheese and 3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
• Lavender-Honey:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops violet gel food coloring; flavor with almond or vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon ground dried lavender.
• Pineapple:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops lemon yellow gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, press 3/4 cup pineapple jam through a sieve, discarding any large pieces.