Peppermint Macarons
Macarons are having a moment, but they can be daunting to make at home. I myself made several failed attempts to make macarons, the best of which tasted like potato chips (I still don’t know why). Finally, I figured them out, and here is the fool-proof recipe!
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 15 cookies
Ingredients
Macarons:
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup FINELY ground almond flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract (or another flavor or your choice! Orange also works well with the chocolate ganache filling)
- Red gel food coloring (optional for decoration)
Ganache Filling:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- To make the ganache filling, combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and then repeat until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside and cool for 1 hour.
- Combine powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Pulse until very fine and completely combined.
- This next step will take a little patience, but it is 100% worth it and is the trick to getting perfect macarons. Sift the almond flour mixture through a sieve into a large bowl, then set aside.
- In another large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites and ½ teaspoon of salt until soft peaks form. Slowly add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated and beat until stiff peaks form. Feel free to hold the bowl upside down over your head to test this (if you’ve done it right, nothing will fall out).
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture into the beaten egg whites. Once combined, repeat this process until all of the almond flour mixture is incorporated.
- Add the peppermint extract (or whichever flavor you prefer) to the batter and continue to fold with a spatula until you see the batter falling into “ribbons” and it’s possible to make a figure 8 with the ribbons.
- If you’ve opted to use the gel food coloring, this is when it comes in. Grab a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with a small hole cut at one of the corners) and fit it in a tall drinking glass. Paint 2 stripes on opposite inner sides of the bag with the gel food coloring. I personally just angle the drops and let them slide down the bag, but others find it easier to use toothpicks or skewers to direct the gel.
- Spoon the batter into the bag and then squeeze 4 small circles of batter on each corner of your baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets, so repeat this step if necessary) and then stick a piece of parchment paper to the sheet, using the batter as a type of glue. This trick stops the parchment from moving around.
- Squeeze the batter onto the parchment paper in 2-inch circles at least 1-inch apart.
- Take the baking sheet and tap it onto a flat surface 2 times. Turn the baking sheet around and tap it again 2 more times. This is key for getting rid of air bubbles in the batter and getting an even spread for the macarons. Now, let them sit at room temperature for 45 – 60 minutes, until you can lightly swipe your finger over the top of one and it’s smooth and dry to the touch.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Bake for 20 minutes. When you remove the macarons, you should see that the “feet” are well risen. Feet are the small ridges at the bottom of a macaron. They should come off the parchment paper easily, without sticking. Remove them and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once the macarons are cool, put the chocolate ganache into a piping or zip-top bag and squeeze a small amount onto the inside of one macaron shell. Use another shell to sandwich the ganache, and voila! You have your first macaron. Repeat this step until you’ve completed all of the macarons.
- Some people like to put the macarons in an airtight container and let them “bloom” for 24 hours, but I don’t have the patience, personally. That’s up to you!