Vanilla Macarons

I've been wanting to try macarons for a long time now. The dessert blogs I read have numerous posts on different macarons and as soon as we tried them at Thomas Haas Patisserie, we were hooked.

I tried making them for the first time a couple of weeks ago. They tasted amazing, but my batter was a bit too stiff, so the shells weren't as flat as they should have been. I also used jelly as the filling, which made the shells a bit soggy in a few hours.

This batch was better - I didn't whip the egg whites for as long, and I made a vanilla bean buttercream for the middle. Delicious.


Vanilla Macarons
Adapted from this post on Tartelette
Yield: 40 macarons
Print recipe

Shells
90g egg whites (about 3)
30g sugar
200g icing sugar
110g ground almonds

1. The day before, separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container.


2. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam.


3. Gradually add the sugar. Whip until a glossy meringue forms, but do not overbeat, about 3 minutes.


4. Fold in the icing sugar and almonds. It should take about 50 strokes. The batter should flow like lava or a thick ribbon. Test a small amount on a plate - the tops should flatten out on its own.


5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe small rounds onto parchment lined baking sheets.


6. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes so the shells can harden a bit.


7. Preheat oven to 280F.


8. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Shells can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days.


9. Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon of buttercream in the center of one shell and top with another shell.

Vanilla Buttercream
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeded

1. Place sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.


2. Whisk constantly for about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, the mixture should be hot to the touch, and the mixture should look like marshmallow cream.


3. Pour the mixture into a mixer with the whisk attachment.


4. Beat the mixture on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes.


5. Switch to the paddle attachment.


6. Add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth.


7. Once all butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.


8. Beat in the seeds from the vanilla bean.


9. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to a week if not used right away.