Pumpkin shaped Macarons

It's Halloween!! One of my favourite time of year as kids are usually excited about going to Trick or Treat.

But it seems like the weather have got the better of us as we are all poorly and both kids have temperature and not been well all week.

It's schools half term and kids have a week off, we done nothing apart from cuddled up to watch telly and drink medicine!! But that doesn't stop the fun from baking.

First Halloween bake off are these cute little pumpkin shaped macarons.

Green Tea macarons

Green Tea Macarons

 

Ingredients:

 

50g ground almonds
60g icing sugar
40g caster sugar
40g egg white
1 1/2 tsp green tea powder
 

I baked this at 130c for 15 mins.

Mini Orange Macarons

 

As sugar plays a big part in macarons for structure & texture.

 I've been wondering why 2 different types of sugar is used. I have been doing my research and have found that increasing the ratio of icing sugar produces a higher feet with the macaron. Caster sugar produces a harder shell and stronger structure where as the icing sugar gives a higher feet but weaker structure.

In my experiment, I have used a higher ratio of icing sugar and as the structure will be weaker I made mini ones & normal size ones to compare whether size of the macarons will be effected.

 

 

The larger ones (pictured above) actually looks really good.

Though the shell isn't shiny but overall it has lovely feet & they are chewy.

The macarons were left in an airtight container overnight and the colour & texture have improved. 

The shell was still hard and the texture was still chewy! 

If you would like to try this recipe, here are the ingredients. 

70g ground almonds

90g icing sugar

50g egg whites (aged* optional) 

20g caster sugar

Pinch of cream of tartar 

Few drops of orange food colouring

* I've used aged egg white where I left out in the room for 2 days. 

For the method you can follow my step by step guide here but as the ratio of icing sugar is higher you would only need 25-30 folds. I have found that using less caster sugar in the meringue, it won't whisk to shiny stiff peaks. Just whisk until you get firm peaks even though it looks matt.

As soon as the dry ingredients mixes in with the meringue, you can see it changes in texture immediately, if you have made macarons before then you will know what I mean. Just be careful not to over fold at this stage. 

I made lots of  mini size macarons in preparation for a mango mousse cake. 

For the filling, I will be using orange curd, just want to keep a fruity flavour to go with the fresh fruits in the cakes I'll be using. 

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Making of the French Macarons

 

French Macarons, is this one of the hardest cookies to bake? 

 

Well, I would say yes as I have failed a few times when I first made them. 

When I have finally made my first successful batch, I stuck to the same method all the time and now I can say 'I can make them!'

 

But at times I still get one or two imperfect ones out the oven.

But hey, it is one of the hardest cookies to bake after all!

 

I have created a step by step guide of how I made mines, I hope my method is made simple for you to follow. I still follow it closely as it has worked for me all the time now.

Just want to share with you what to look out for and what you must do! 

 

So here it is, my guide to the French Macarons. 

Recipe is here so good luck and have fun! 

French Macarons

 

Before you start, if you prefer a step by step guide which I have made for reference.

Click here to take a look at my method to the making of French Macarons. 

French Macarons recipe:

You need  a template of circles drawn about 3.5cm, I drew mine with a piping nozzle.

Place it under a piece of baking paper on a baking tray.

 Ingredients:

50g ground almonds

40g icing sugar

7g cocoa powder 

(or just replace 7g of almond meal if you want all white macarons)

45g caster sugar

40g egg whites (*aged for 2 days, optional)

Nutella for the filling

Method:

Sift the ground almonds, cocoa powder and icing sugar together and discard and large bits of almonds that don't pass through the sieve. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites till soft peak then gradually add the sugar and whisk till you get stiff peaks.

Add your dry ingredients to your meringue and now you have entered the macaronage stage. 

Now for the macaronage technique, which I have learned to follow carefully after I failed my first batch by over mixing. 

They say this is the crucial part of the process, under or over mixing your batter can affect the results of your macarons.

You need to mix the batter and spread it against the sides of the bowl to deflate some of air in the meringue, keep mixing until you get a smooth, shining batter. 

Around 40-50 folds and you should have a batter that flows like volcano lava. 

If you get this right, then feets should appear on your macarons when baking. 

Now fill your piping bag and pipe onto the baking paper with your template under it. 

Once it's done, tap the macarons on the work top 2-3 times to remove any trapped air bubbles.

Let them rest for 30 minutes or depending on the humidity in your room. 

They need to form a skin so they no longer stick to your fingers when you touch it. 

This is also another crucial part which I have  learn from my mistake because if you don't dry it out it will crack in the oven. 

 Bake in a preheated oven at 130c for about 15minutes.

Let it cool before you remove it from the baking paper.

Match up your macarons to the same size then pipe Nutella and sandwich together. 

 

* you can use fresh egg whites with this recipe, I have tried both and leaving my egg whites out in a bowl covered with kitchen towel in room temperature for 2 days. I can't really see the difference or maybe I just haven't noticed it! The reason for this the experts say is to evaporate the moisture in the egg whites which results in a stronger shell and better texture. 

You can try this and tell me your findings. 

Happy baking. :)