MACARONS FIRST ATTEMPT

MACARONS FIRST ATTEMPT

I am always up for a challenge and macarons are definitely that challenge.  They are not a simple, whip together ingredients, plop them on cookie sheet, and bake. Nope there are many intricate steps involved to obtain the perfect macaron.   While I suppose each step is not necessarily hard they can take practice and each step is important and can not be skipped.

My First Attempt is Strawberry Macarons

Results are not too bad.  The flavor is pretty good though a bit sweet. Maybe they could have used a bit more salt. I guess the size is kind of big compared to all of the templates I have printed.  I made my own template on this batch and used my smallest measuring cup as the circle. I would say they are about the size of a half dollar.  They had a good crunch on the outside and moist on the inside without a big air bubble. The only problem really is the outside appearance.   The outside had a shine to it but was a bit lumpy looking, not the smooth appearance it should have.  I did achieve 'feet' on most of the shells  on my very first try which I am happy about.  The lumpiness I believe is due to not quite enough hand mixing when I added the almond mixture to the egg whites.  

I am using the macaron recipe from Stella on BraveTart.com except that I cut the recipe in half.   It would just make way too many cookies for the whole batch since I am just practicing.

2 ounces almond flour

4 ounces powdered sugar

2 1/2 ounces room temperature egg whites

1 1/4 ounce sugar

scrapings of 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt


Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cp powdered sugar
drops strawberry flavoring

pink or red food coloring
Heavy cream, to thin buttercream to desired consistency