Don’t these look quaint? Now I must admit I was supposed to make these for Ziv but it was a bad idea to tell the kids about it. Well, they figured that since it was for their dada they had the right to be all over it. And, it’s not easy to take photos and make macarons with kids around. As a result, some of the photos came blurry!! Eesh. This is my original recipe for strawberry French macarons with strawberry buttercream – just piped in a heart shape. You can also find all my macarons recipes here. The following are just a few samples.
Classic Vanilla Macarons (great for beginners)Blueberry Macarons with Blueberry Filling and Swiss Meringue ButtercreamRaspberry Macarons with Raspberry Filling and Swiss Meringue ButtercreamLemon French Macarons with Lemon Curd and SMBCStrawberry Lemon Macaron with Strawberry Jam Filling and SMBCOrange Macarons with Orange curd filling with SMBCMatcha Macarons with Match Cream and SMBC
Step by step instructions
Whip egg whites
Place the egg whites in a grease-free mixer bowl with whisk attachment – start whisking on medium speed.Add cream of tartar.After a few seconds start adding the fine white sugar a little at a time.Once all the sugar has been added – whisk on medium-high for another minute or so until stiff peaks.Add zest, food color and extract.
Prepare dry ingredients
Ensure the almond meal is super fine. If necessary pulse in the food processor a few times.Sieve the powder sugar and Almond meal at least twice to remove any coarse nuts.
Macronage
Next, add the dry mixture all at once.You need to fold the mixture until you have what is called a dropping consistency or a thick cake batter consistency.This means when you hold a little batter in your spoon and drop it back into the bowl it should drop smoothly not forcefully.
Pipe
Next place the batter into a piping bag with a large round tip.Pipe similar size Macarons on to a parchment paper using a template.The best way to pipe these hearts is to use a heart template. I pipe two teardrop shapes with the tail tapering downwards. When the two teardrops meet it forms a heart shape.Tap the baking sheet on the counter a couple times so all the air pockets will rise to the top and release. That way you won’t have big holes in your macarons.Let the macarons rest in a cool dry place for about 20 minutes so the tops will get crusted. In places with high humidity, this can take up to 30 minutes. This will give you a good dry shell on top.While the macarons are drying – preheat the oven to 150 C/300 F.
Bake / cool
Bake these for 15 to 18 minutes depending on your oven. The tops will look set and the bottom should not be wet. The top shell should be shiny and the bottom crusty (also called macaron feet).Let cool on the parchment for a while then take them off and let cool completely.
Fill / store
Once cool, fill with your favorite filling.Macarons must be stored in the fridge and are best eaten one or two days later.
Filling for Valentine heart macarons
With my kids, strawberry jam with strawberry buttercream works a treat.You can use store-bought strawberry jam or homemade Strawberry Jam
Strawberry buttercream (quick and easy)
Ingredients
Unsalted butter – 60 grams (1/4 stick)Powdered sugar – 125 grams (1 cup)Strawberry jam – 2 tbsp
Method
Cream all three well until light and fluffy.If needed add a tablespoon or more of milk or cream.
I do hope you find the time to make these. They are so cute. Don’t you agree?
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