Image credit : cookwithmanali
Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Macaron shells
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Peppermint frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons cream or milk
- 4-5 candy canes, crushed
- pink food color (optional)
DIRECTION
Macaron shells
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In a bowl mix together almond flour and powdered sugar.
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Sift the mixture 3 times and set aside. This step is important for macarons to have that smooth top.
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Separate eggs whites [they are best separated when cold] and keep them at room temperature for 2 hours before you start working on them. You can even leave them for 24 hours, this recipe does not work if egg whites are not at room temperature.
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Beat the egg whites at high speed using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer.
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When it begins to foam, add cream of tartar.
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Keep beating till it reaches a shaving foam like consistency and then add the granulated sugar. Beat more till the egg whites develop stiff peaks and are shiny.
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Fold in the almond flour-powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites using a spatula. Don’t add the entire thing in one go, do it in 2-3 parts.
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As you start mixing, the batter will be tough at first but will loosen up as you proceed. Do not undermix and do not overmix either.
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The batter should not be runny but should still fall down from the spatula in a blob.
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Transfer batter to pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip. Add few drops of pink food color (optional) to the batter.
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Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper making small blobs around an inch big.
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After you have piped all the macarons, let them sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, do not bake them immediately. If you bake them immediately, they will not develop their trademark “feets”.
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As the macarons are resting, preheat your oven to 300 F degrees.
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Bake at 300 F degrees for 15 minutes [time may vary depending on your oven].
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Remove the pan from oven and let the macarons cool completely. Do not try to remove them before that.
Peppermint buttercream
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To make the frosting beat butter using your stand or hand mixer till it turns pale, around 3 minutes.
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Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
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Add vanilla extract, peppermint extract and mix till well combined.
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Add cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time till you get the desired consistency. I kept the frosting thick so didn’t add too much milk, just enough to spread it.
Fill the macaron shell
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Pipe the peppermint buttercream into piping bag fitted with round/star tip and fill the macarons shells. Don’t overfill.
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Crush few candy canes using a mortar & pestle or simple place them in a ziplock and give a nice whack with a rolling pin.
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Roll the filled macarons over the crushed candy canes.
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Enjoy peppermint macarons, they taste even better the next day!