Matcha Macarons
I’ve always been super intrigued by Matcha. I know it’s the *healthiest* version of caffeine. Other than being high on life – but who the hell is that energetic?
Tenzo Tea approached me with an offer to try their highest grade, premium, organic Matcha Powder. It is called “Better Boost” and boy let me tell ya – it gave me a boost all right.
I’ve only had a Matcha Chai Latte once and it was at Starbucks so whooo knows how good the quality of the Matcha actually was & whoooo knows what Matcha actually is supposed to taste like when it’s drowned with milk and diluted with Chai tea. It was fine, but obviously I never ordered it again.
I was really excited and impressed to use a brand that specializes in Matcha. They even sent me a cool diagram to breakdown all the different kinds of matcha that are used all over the world.
What is Matcha?
Ceremonial – this is the big mamma-jamma of all the matcha leaves and is called “first harvest” and has a subtle, smoother flavor that works best for traditional preparation as tea – basically simply mixed with hot water & whisk because it provides the purest flavor.
Culinary – meaning “second harvest” and provides a beautiful color and rich flavors – this is best used for lattes, smoothies and cooking recipes.
Ingredient Grade –– it has been a later harvest which means it has been allowed to mature more than the other grades. Unfortunately the extra time means it is a bitter tasting, more yellow effect than its other greener grades – this is the least expensive grade and is used in supplements.
Matcha Made in Heaven
Some benefits to matcha aren’t limited to the spike in caffeine – some boast up to 36 grams per serving! Like damn if you ain’t awake, you better get ready! Not only boosting your energy levels, but can also promote healthier cholesterol levels & improving brain function! In addition to providing the same benefits of green tea for detox needs, matcha doesn’t leave you feeling jittery the way coffee sometimes can. Damn if that doesn’t get you excited about matcha, I don’t know what will!
I didn’t want to *just* make a latte. I wanted to really explore this ingredient & have some fun with it to boot – I mean, shit isn’t that what my blog is for? If you ain’t having fun, no sense in doing it.
ANYWAY.
Macarons immediately came to mind! It was springtime, Matcha powder is bright green & I had the hankering for something a little sweet but healthier too! My Matcha Macarons hit all the points!
I decided to do a white chocolate & coconut filling – it was the PERFECT choice with the earthy matcha. I was tickled pink! I’m not a huge chocolate lover in general but those two ingredients somehow toned each other down without drowning ANY other flavors out – match made in matcha heaven! *ok I’ll see myself out*
Hopefully your ears are perked & you’re excited to see this Matcha journey I went on – fusing together Japanese & French culture was hella fun! Let’s get to it!
Ingredients
• 3 TSP Tenzo Matcha Powder, Better Boost
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ cup almond flour, sifted
• 2 egg WHITES, room temp
• 5 TSP granulated white sugar
• 1 TSP almond extract
INGREDIENTS, Filling
• 1 cup Ghirardelli, white chocolate chips
• ¼ cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 5 TSP Heavy Cream, warmed
Instructions, 1
First things first. MIS EN PLACE. If this is your first time trying to make macarons, never fear – they will be great! You will be fine! Just have your shit together, take a deep breath & follow my directions!
OK cool, so its story time. Let’s kick this off :
Please pay attention because I don’t know where the fuck MY head was at but I will honestly say this recipe ((or shit, ANY Macaron recipe)) is best suited for a stand mixer.
The egg whites take a few minutes to whip to form a “stiff meringue with soft peaks” but ALSO DON’T BE AN IDIOT AND DON’T FORGET TO SEPARATE YOUR EGG YOLKS FROM YOUR EGG WHITES…..you can probably guess what we did. *oops* so as the story goes, our Macarons didn’t get the tell-tale “feet” BUT they baked well enough & tasted great so, whatever. But just don’t do it, ok?
In a medium bowl, sift both the almond flour & the powdered sugar right over top of each other.
Measure out the Tenzo Matcha Powder & whisk the dry ingredients together.
Set aside & get your egg WHITES ready in the mixing bowl.
On medium speed (3), with your SEPARATED EGG WHITES, beat them with the whisk attachment for 2 minutes.
Slowly add in the granulated sugar & the almond extract.
At a higher speed (7) continue to whip for another 3 minutes – scrape the sides of the bowl well before whipping all the way to ensure all the sugar is fully dissolved with the EGG WHITES ((are you sensing a trend here?))
On the highest speed possible (10) whip for the final 3 minutes – the consistency should be thicker, white & shiny, and have *stiff* peaks when you turn the attachment upside down.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer & FOLD IN the dry ingredients (the powdered sugar & almond flour) directly into your freshly whipped EGG WHITES by the spoonful, ((if you’ve seen Schitt’s Creek or ever read my blog before then you know what I really wanna say, but I won’t))
DO NOT over-fold this batter. It will turn into a gross, watery mess that cannot be saved & this will go to hell in a hand-basket REAL QUICK.
I like to count 10 sweeps (stirs / folds) per few spoonful of dry ingredients – basically you are going for 40-50 folds by the time everything is incorporated.
The meringue’s fluffiness will have gone down (deflated) and your entire batter consistency should be glossy & a little slow to run off your spatula.
Instructions, 2
Now it’s time to transfer your batter into your piping bag.
I have found time & time again that the easiest & least messy way to do this is to fit your metal tip into the bottom of the piping bag, set the whole empty bag into a tall drinking glass and fold over the top so you have the ability to pick it up MESS FREE once your batter is in the piping bag! ((I have included pictures))
I also prefer to have my cookie sheets laid out with my silicone macaron mats in place – MIS EN PLACE, people. Damn have I taught you nothing?
Carefully & slowly – take your time! Don’t stress & have fun with it! You are going to pipe your shells!
Starting outward, gently push on your piping bag to make a flat circle within your silicone circle. Keep one hand at the top so your batter doesn’t push out and one hand at the bottom near your piping tip to control where your batter goes.
Simply fill out the circle. Don’t worry about the “shape” so much as you stay in the circle – it will gently fill itself out – I included pictures for reference.
Complete as many circles as you can on your silicone mats and TRYYYY to make an even number so your macaron has a buddy. If not, it becomes a taster & there’s nothing wrong with that either!
Once you have piped all your macaron circles and your batter bag is empty, GENTLY pick up each side of your macaron pan & give it a good smack straight down onto the countertop – this will allow any little air bubbles to escape or pop so the top of your macaron shell will be smooth.
Allow your macarons to “rest” for at least 45 minutes. They will look a little sticky & become dry – if you GENTLY brush over the top of a few of them with a flat fingertip, they should also FEEL dry to the touch.
Kick your feet up! Have a drink! Watch an episode of your favorite lil show! Come back refreshed!
Instructions, 3
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F
Bake each pan separately – we made this mistake as well. Nothing “bad” happened but I still believe it added to our overall demise of not getting the exact desired effect.
Bake 16-18 minutes on the middle rack, turning (rotating) your pan completely around during the halfway mark.
To really be sure your macarons are cooked thru, use a butter knife & gently lift up on the edge of one that looks wonky or if you have an uneven number. The “feet” should gently pry up easily – IF NOT, place them back in the oven for another 3 minutes so they can continue to bake / dry out. You will ALWAYS rather have an overbaked macaron rather than underbaked.
Once you have successfully baked BOTH batches SEPARATELY of your macaron shells – allow them to cool completely. This could take another 30-60 minutes to ensure they are completely cooled.
If you have granite countertops, they are natural cooling / defrosting element – you’re welcome! Place your macaron trays directly on your countertops to ensure quick & even cooling.
Take another lil break! This can be stressful, trust me I get it. We used this time to have ourselves a little happy hour action – it really calms the nerves! We had some wine, ate some cheese, devoured Cucumber Sammies ((also a great recipe on the blog!)) we made it work!
We also used this time to make our filling – we didn’t want it to be runny or too hot since it is still chocolate afterall – so we made it around the halfway mark of cooling our shells so it wouldn’t be hard or set, but it wouldn’t be too warm to work with either!
Instructions, 4
Slowly & gently heat 5 TBS of heavy cream in a small saucer over low heat. You don’t want the cream to scald or boil, just a very gentle simmer. It should take about 1-2 minutes to heat up.
Measure out the 1 cup of white chocolate chips in a small bowl and pour over the warmed heavy cream.
Stir gently and sprinkle in the ¼ cup of coconut flakes.
Stir gently with a rubber spatula & mash to ensure the white chocolate chips are melting evenly. This may take a few moments of stirring.
Using the same method as we did up above with the batter, using the drinking glass as our footholder, prepare your piping bag & piping tip and gently pour out your white chocolate-coconut filling.
Are your Macarons cooled?? Are they ready?? I hope so! It’s time to make them matches! ((get it? Matcha Matches?....anyway))
Flip over every single macaron shell so its flat bottom is showing.
Gently pick up each macaron & do a light piping filling – starting from the outside in.
You don’t want them to overstuffed but you want them to stick to each other.
The white chocolate-coconut filling you made should be more of a frosting consistency by now – still easy to pipe but not hardened.
To bring your macaron shells together, find a suitable size for its mate and then put together with your fingertips & gently twist! VIOLA!
You just made Macarons – Matcha Macarons at that!
I like to store mine in the fridge in a Tupperware, wrapped in wax paper to help stave off any moisture. I won’t lie – the flavors develop & deepen and the macarons tend to “relax” a bit from the chill of the fridge on day 2.
They will be delicious right out the gate, but definitely do a taste test between day 1 & day 2!
Choose wisely who you will share these with because obviously you just did a HELL of a lot of work for little reward! ((This made us about 22 macarons TOTAL – so yea, choose wisely
Keen on Green?
I did my due diligence and read up on Matcha & its importance to the Japanese culture. I wanted to do something fun & elegant with the Tenzo Matcha but wanted to respect its origin.
“In Japan, the preparation and serving of matcha tea is a highly respected ritual that reflects the principles of harmony, purity, and tranquility”
I love that. I loved reading that, I loved the feeling I got when I read it. And I just imagine the warmth and calmness that Matcha must exude for it to be held in such high regard.
I started this blog journey to showcase family recipes – I still try to hold true to that beginning but I realized MY world is so small! There are SO many amazing recipes, people & ingredients I didn’t know existed nor did I have the confidence to try them! I’m so grateful that this journey has allowed me to expand my horizons yet still publish and praise my humble roots.
I enjoyed fusing together the French Macaron delicacy & the always-respected Japanese Matcha – I hope I did both cultures proud. With love, til next time!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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