Cookin' & Cussin'

Galentine’s Macarons

*sighs in French* Macarons have my heart. My whole heart. I don’t really like desserts, but Macarons are just SO delicate, SO fancy, SO many amazing flavor pairings, & SO damn scary to make – oh shit, wait. Sorry, I probably wasn’t supposed to say that to y’all.

JUST KIDDING.

FIRSTLY…..I want to prepare y’all for this entry – issa long one. But, worth it! But, quite the read – but, I have pictures! So, don’t panic –

carry on :)

brand new avenue

Y’all might have picked up on the fact (based on the recipes I publish) that I don’t self-proclaim myself to be much of a baker. No reason why, other than I just enjoy how forgiving cooking is – the measurements don’t need to be as exact as baking & knowing a few tricks that can always “save” your dish. Baking is *actually* a science.

Luckily, I have a very sweet neighbor who is a GREAT home baker & is always down to try something new with me – she’s also very knowledgeable & very patient, so I definitely took her up on her offer to help me concoct this super fun idea I wanted to try to turn into a recipe! (plus, we got to drink all the leftover Champagne that wasn’t used in the recipe, in the name of science, OF COURSE)

I won’t lie, Macarons can be daunting – but the same idea with cooking goes for baking – how can you ever get better if you don’t even try? :) Just something to keep in mind! Macarons require a few utensils you may or may not have on hand. The timeline is anywhere from 3-4 hours & just remember to HAVE FUN and it will be a memorable experience no matter what.

MACARON TIPS :

(tried & true)

Mis En Place – having ALL your ingredients sorted out, ALL tools / utensils at the ready can really help with the pace of your Macaron making – plus if you’re an anxious bitch like me, having everything laid out within eyesight & IN ORDER, can really help this process be fun & enjoyable!

The silicone mats with the guides are GREAT, but placing parchment paper overtop will definitely help even more with ease of removal of the macarons once they have cooled COMPLETELY.

Upside Down – Using your largest baking sheet, turn it OVER so it’s raised & upside down – this is so your Macaron sheet & batter will be level – plus giving you some raised height is always helpful.

Air Bubbles – “smacking” the pans gently helps release air bubbles that may have gotten trapped in the batter after you piped onto your sheets. This means to CAREFULLY lift up the edges of your tray & tap them out. Yes, I realize that sounds scary as shit – a toothpick gently poking into the bubbles themselves also works!

Drying out your macarons is extremely important. This gives them a “skin” meaning they will be perfect in the oven and will *hopefully* cook evenly without cracking or sticking to the pan. I’ve seen recipes that say to dry them out anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. We did 45 minutes & then did 2 batches in the oven (1 at a time) and that unfortunately resulted in a few of our macaron shells remaining stuck & crumbly, so I’d honestly do 30 minutes of drying & then bake them 1 at a time!

Room Temp eggs – having all your ingredients at room temperature is definitely ideal for the shell as well – not having to compete with different temperatures is what will ensure you 1 step further into having successful macarons! You also want the butter to be softened / room temp as well to have a light, fluffy frosting – worthy of piping onto your beautiful, delicate macaron shells!

but, like, make it pretty

edible luster dust was a game changer in this recipe for me.

It doesn’t affect the taste or texture of the macaron shell — which is the *piece de resistance*

this luster dust was $9 on Amazon & a little went a long way!

I’m personally not a huge fan of sprinkles with macarons — I’m afraid they will burn (even though there are specific kinds of sprinkles just for macaron use) — nah, I’d rather use luster dust or leave it bare!

the choice is yours, just be sure to have fun with it :)

Utensils / Gadgets

· Hand Mixer / Kitchen Aid Mixer

· Flour sifter

· Measuring spoons

· Wet & Dry measuring cups

· Silicone Macaron Mats (optional & pictured)

· parchment paper

· 2 Piping Bags (for batter & frosting – TRUST it’s hella easier than anything else) — also pictured.

Ingredients, macaron batter

· Organic Almond Flour, 1 cup + 3 tablespoons

· Powdered Sugar, 1 ½ cups

· 3 egg whites (room temp, damn!)

· White granulated sugar, ½ cup

· Red food coloring, 1 drop (we used gel & it worked GREAT)

· Almond extract, ½ TSP

Ingredients, macaron frosting

· 1 stick Unsalted butter (room temp / softened, damn!)

· 3 TSP pink bubbly Moscato

· Red Food coloring, 2 drops (to differentiate from the batter color!)

· Edible pink luster dust (totally optional – can mix a little in the frosting OR brush lightly on top of the macaron shells while they are cooling) – I got pics, don’t worry.

· Powdered Sugar , 1 ¾ cups

· Table Salt, ¼ TSP

Instructions, 1

Like I said above….Mis En Place, bitch!

· Have your silicone mats laid out over the baking sheets.

· Have your ingredients lined up & measured out.

· Have your piping bags connected to the tips & ready to be filled.

In a bowl, separately sift the almond flour & powdered sugar – you can sift them one-over-top of the other and then lightly combine with a fork once both have been thoroughly sifted. ((This method is much easier to see all the “balls” of flour and powdered sugar that are too tough to fit thru the sifter – you want to discard those so they won’t give you a grainy or chunky batter!))

Using a mixer (preferably a stand mixer, but a hand mixer WILL work, just be patient with yourself & the steps!) using the whisk attachment piece, beat the 3 egg whites on high speed until SOFT peaks form ((this means, when you pull up the handle, the whites stay on the whisk, but they are foamy & soft looking))

Next, on medium speed, add the white granulated sugar – this process may take a few minutes, don’t worry! Once you have added all the sugar, turn the speed to high & beat until STIFF peaks form ((this means the egg whites will continue to stick to the whisk but be STRAIGHT OUT & have no movement))

Return your whisk / attachment to the bowl and put on high speed again, add in your red food coloring to achieve the color you wish – we did light pink shells & medium pink frosting – choice is yours! Also add in the ¼ TSP of almond extract – it should smell amazing!

After you have gotten the color you want, remove the bowl from the mixer / pull out the whisks and scrape all the stiff-egg-white-goodness off the paddles.

Instructions, 2

Using a rubber spatula, ((FOLD IN THE CHEESE – what does that mean? Like a piece of paper?? Like HOW do I fold it in?? — #IYKYK)) slowly add in by thirds, the powdered sugar / almond flour mixture – MIX / FOLD / STIR with vengeance!

It’s magic – I promise – it seems dry as helllll one minute & the next, it will look smooth, a little shiny & a little runny – that’s when you know you’re good!

The folding process of almond flour + powdered sugar + egg whites may take a few minutes – chill the fuck out – that aint even the hard part.

Give your bowl a few good scrapes all along the side, also scrape thru the bottom to make sure no almond flour or powdered sugar is clumpy & just hanging out – cause GROSS, that’s surely not what you want.

If you are doing this project solo, then, sad. I’m sorry, but I hope you’re managing just fine & still having fun all by yourself – ANYWAY – if you’re doing this by yourself, an empty water glass with the piping bag draped over itself inside works as a great “holder” while you fill the piping bag with the batter.

If you’re lucky enough to have a partner, like I did, then 1 holds the piping bag open while the other scoops batter into the piping bag.

Carefully pipe your batter onto the “bullseye” circles on your silicone mat – I found it easiest to work in a circle from the outside in, be gentle & slow ((do NOT “dallop” from the middle and push the batter out – I learned that from experience the first time & our macarons were veeeery tiny & tall – HAHA, shit oh well))

Now is the “smacking” part – it’s scary as hell, I get it. Best way I can describe to do this easily is to have your macaron tray on a flat surface that you can pull halfway to yourself, lift up the edge & then set it down quickly, but gently to “smack” out the airbubbles – if you are still seeing airbubbles after that process, then resort to the toothpick but don’t actually POKE the macaron itself, just the bubble – you feel me?

Instructions, 3

Allow your macarons to rest for 30 – 45 minutes. I say that with a 15 minute gap BECAUSE we let our macarons rest for the entire 45 minutes and then put them in the oven 1 tray at a time…..resulting in the “over-resting” ((not sure if that’s a thing but we’re going with it)) of our macarons & some of them didn’t turn out as well / stuck more to the silicone mat…so that’s what we’re blaming it on.

My suggestion would be to Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, let them rest for 30 minutes, put the first batch in & then immediately put the 2nd batch in – so that way no macaron has rested for MORE than 40 minutes at any given time….

The key to resting & then baking macarons at a lower temperature is to allow the “feet” to develop & for the tops of the macarons to NOT change color – you want ZERO browning on your macaron shells.

Macaron “Feet” are the tell-tale sign of a well-made macaron ((hell yes, you did it!)) They look like tiny ruffles all around the bottom edges of the macaron – if you don’t have “feet” then your batter is too wet – something to remember / look out for next time!

Macarons are not a science, but an art.

OKAY SHIT SORRY – don’t mind me, just monologuing on – its time to put your 1st tray of macarons in the oven!

Arrange your oven trays around so 1 is directly in the middle & place your first macaron tray in the oven – timer should be set for 10-12 minutes – we did exactly 10 minutes & then checked on them – they should look smooth, NOT brown, NOT tan, ZERO color & a gently brush of your fingertips should not allow the shells to crack.

After your timer has gone off & you are pleased with what your macaron shells look like, immediately place the 2nd tray in the oven & repeat the above steps.

Once your macaron shells have finished baking, don’t place the trays on top of the oven due to possible, residual heat – move the entire trays to countertops. They will need to cool from 20-30 minutes.

If you are choosing to use the optional luster dust, I’d take a soft brush (I used a never-before-used eyeshadow brush) to gently brush a design or simply dabble a sprinkle overtop your cooled macaron shells

At this point, if you’re like me, baking gives me hella anxiety. I think its *fun* and I *like* to do it….but macarons are unknown territory for so many of us, so give yourself a pat on the back, take a seat, set a damn timer for 15 minutes & pour yourself a well-deserved drink before you get to work on the frosting!

Instructions, 4

Yipeeeee now it’s time for the fun part! – THE BOOZE!

Don’t you love recipes that only require *a little* bit of alcohol?

Shit, I do – ‘cause that means I get to drink the rest!

Ok let’s make it! –

Hopefully I don’t have to tell you to wash out your bowl / beaters / whisk….but whatever, please wash & dry that shit out so you can reuse it for the frosting!

Beat / Whisk the butter for a minute or so until it is creamy.

Add in the powdered sugar (does not need to be sifted) to combine with the butter.

Add in however many drops of red food coloring you wish to achieve the color you want.

While the mixer is still mixing, add in your 3 TSP of bubbly pink mascato ((1 for you, 2 for me)) along with the ¼ TSP of salt.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl well & empty into a piping bag – following the same steps as above for getting the piping bag ready / easy to empty the frosting into.

It *miiiiight* be time for you to check on your 1st batch of Macaron shells?!

Wash & dry your hands well – do I really have to say that? *eyerolllllll*

Using your pointer finger & thumb, you *should* be able to easily and gently lift up the macaron shells – I will say, if it’s going to come up, it will all come up all-together, if it aint going to come, it will be a clump in the middle of your macaron shell – some of these will be salvageable, some wont – so give the “ugly” ones a taste! You will still enjoy the fruits of your labor!

A soft crunch, a slight chew & a distinct, velvety mouth-feel and almond flavor will instantly be recognized in your mouth – I will say that if you’ve EVER had a *good* macaron in your life, you’ll never forget it.

Place your cooled macaron shells inside-up (face up?, shit I don’t know) on a plate & using your piping bag, pipe in a circle – around the outside & into the center.

You don’t want a HUGE dallop of frosting, but you want *enough* for them to be able to hold onto the other side of the macaron shell & to be able to do the “twist & squeeze” – we named it that when you are joining together 2 macaron shells with the frosting in the middle.

It is also important to find suitable “mates” for your macaron shells to be paired up with – obviously they don’t have to be perfect, but LAWD please don’t make them wonky. It should be slightly easy to find 2 shells that are of similar size & shape – ROUND.

Once you have matched up all your macaron shells – have fun plating AND EATING them :) Take pictures, pour a glass of champagne, clink glasses with your gal pals – or whoever was lucky enough to go down this rabbit-hole journey with you.

Real Talk

If you’re still with me in reading this entry, congrats, you give a shit — & thank you.

I wanted to post this picture to be real — I was honest above when I said some of our macarons didn’t turn out too hot — but it was OK — we still enjoyed the journey & ate the “ugly” ones in private as we cried into our champagne glasses ;)

Just be sure to pay attention to the tips & tricks from above. Watch how long your macarons “dry out” and don’t let them overset — we believe this was the culprit & will remember for next time — just wanted to be transparent with everyone :)

be your own Valentine

With this new skill you just mastered, who needs a Valentine? You’re a boss-ass bitch that just (hopefully) successfully just made macarons! That’s the shit! How COOL? How FUN! I’ve loved that I’ve been wanting to dabble in not-your-everyday-desserts & hopefully have developed some sort of *different* recipe to share with you. Shit, its high-risk but high-reward, I promise you.

Again, if you have a few hours on your hands, a trusted side-kick, an adventurous streak & someone to share these delectable bites with, I urge you to give this recipe a try! It's fun, its flirty & IT’S PINK! I loved every minute of sharing this new avenue with y’all – Happy Valentine’s Day!

You deserve this & much more – Happy Day, everyone xoxo