Did you know that March 20th is…… MACARON DAY?!?!
If you’re not yet aware of these little French cookies that have been plaguing bakeries all around the world….. let me give a brief introduction. Macarons are usually composed of 2 meringue-based cookies with a filling samwiched in between. When you think of a classic French pastry, croissant would usually come to mind. I’d like to think of them as the “croissant” of French cookies! (also because I can’t really name another French cookie off the top of my head…)
Vancouver for the first year celebrates Macaron Day! Bakeries will participate in form of donating part of their sale to charity, creating deals or even giving them out for FREE! Yayyyyyyy!! Please refer to the Vancouver Observer to find out more!
What will I be doing today? Making macorons of course! (of course going to work too)
I made the meringue cookie following a recipe from the book, but I decided to use whipped cream for the filling inside. Macaron shells are usually super sweet because of the high ratio of sugar for maintaining its structure. I didn’t think the addition of a super-sweet buttercream would be necessary! But, (non-traditional?) perhaps whipped cream would downplay its sweetness.
I usually measure my ingredients by volume because….. I do not actually own a weighing scale! Yes.. That’s right. It is quite sad 😦 However, I’ve come across many cookbooks stating that it is important to weigh your ingredients when it comes to macarons. Accuracy and precision are the key ingredients for success…
But, I still didn’t get a weighing scale. I’m too used to measuring by volume now.. But hey! I don’t think I did too badly for myself. 😀 So, here is the list of ingredients by weight AND volume. I would encourage you to try it by weight if you have a scale!
I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #17 – March Macaron Madness! (Mar 2012) hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies.
Strawberry Macarons with Whipped Cream – Macaron à la Fraise et Crème Chantilly
Cookie / Shell
from Mad About Macarons by Jill Colonna make approximately 30 mini macarons / 20 medium-sized macarons / 7 giant macarons.
- 75g egg whites (75 ml egg whites)
- 50g (1/4 cup caster sugar)
- 90g (2 tbsp less than 1 cup ground almonds)
- 135g (3/4 cup icing sugar)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Colouring (Used 1 drop of pink paste)
Directions
- Line your baking sheets with flat greaseproof paper. Parchment paper / silicon sheet OKAY. Wax paper NOT OKAY!!!
- Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the caster sugar gradually.
- Sift ground almonds with the icing sugar and discard any large coarse pieces of ground almonds.
- Mix well to incorporate icing sugar and almonds.
- Incorporate the beaten egg whites into the dry ingredients with a large rubber spatula. Mix well
- Work on the mixture using a plastic scraper. Press down well with the scraper, going back and forward, to remove oxygen (potential air bubbles) from the whites. Do this for no more than 5 minutes until you have a smooth mixture.
- The result should form a soft and brilliant mixture than forms a “ribbon” on the scraper. If the mixture is too liquid, the macarons will be flat. If too stodgy, they may crack.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a plain nozzle (1cm round the tip). Twist or clip the bag above the nozzle to stop the mixture from escaping.
- Pipe out the desired size of rounds. (about 3cm in diameter for medium ones). Press the nozzle right down on the paper then finish off with a flourish to obtain a nice round. Leave a good space between each round as they really do spread out!
- Leave for about 30 minutes to set until they feel hard. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160C / 325F degrees.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 – 12 minutes. Giant macarons will require about 15 minutes.
- Test after 8 minutes. Touch the top of a macaron. If there is a “wobble”, cook for 3-4 minutes longer till firm. When ready, leave them to cool off completely then scrap them off with a palette knife.
Crème Chantilly
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp sugar (or more depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
I didn’t really follow any recipe for this. I think 1 tbsp is sweet enough! But some may enjoy half or double the sugar of my preference! P.S. This will probably be more than enough whipped cream you need. You might even want to consider halving it.
- In chilled bowl, whip the whipping cream with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks begin to form.
- Add the sugar and vanilla, whipping just until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat, or cream will later separate when sitting.
Conclusion? I didn’t think my macarons were perfect. I found them a little flatter than I wanted. Some cracked a little too.. But nevertheless, they tasted great!!! I really like the macaron / whipped cream combination!! Sweet but not too nauseatingly sweet!
HAPPY MACARON DAY!!
Sweet Samsations 
WOW.. I don’t know what else to say about this beautiful dessert. I can eat these macaroons any day of the week and still not tire of them. You did such a great job with this.
Oh Sam! You’re macarons look delightful! I love macarons, I love all the different flavor combinations, you can do anything with them! I think I will post the ones I just made to that site as well. I wish I could taste yours, I love the idea of the chantilly cream with strawberries. YUM!
These macarons are super duper gorgeous and delicious looking Sam. These look like something that would be served in a restaurant. High-five to you for a job excellently done!
These are gorgeous! I love the creme chantillly.
These were so so so so so so so so so yummy BB. Thank you for sharing! Almost like meringues with an extra punch of delicious fruit.
I love that there is macaron day, what a fun idea!!! Your flavor combination for your macs sounds fantastic! I adore macs….maybe too much, LOL! Take care, Hugs, Terra
They look lovely and very Ispahanish too! I didn’t realise that March 20th was macaron day, I thought it was in November. Clearly I need a new calendar! 😛
This is certainly the best macaron version I had ever seen. Just look at that beauty!
Yum Yum Yum! You celebrated in such wonderful style 😀
These look refreshing and delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you Kay!! Yay on fellow macaron fan!! hehe..
haha.. Thank you for your kind words, Mina!! How great would it be if we were neighbours and could trade macarons 😉
Thanks Tia dear!! Your comment made my dayyy!! 🙂
Thank you very much!! Such an honour to hear that from a macaron expert!! 🙂
Thank you BB!! Don’t you worry.. I will definitely be making MOAAAR! 😀
Yeah!! Too bad I didn’t get the free macarons! Too far awaaaay from my place! haha.. Thanks for dropping by Terra!! 🙂
ooh! I just googled Ispahan and learned what it is! Thanks! 🙂
Awww! That’s such a sweet comment!! Thank you Raymund!!!
Thank you CCU!! hehe.. It’s my first time trying to make macs! Definitely won’t be my last!
OMG these are absolutely beautiful! How clever you are! This is your first batch of macarons?? I don’t think I should say I hate you.. mine were a total #fail the first time. 🙂
Really lovely.
Lovely, lovely presentation and photos. Your instructions are so clear and easy to understand and follow. Thanks for sharing. Did not know there is a macarons day. learn something new, thanks.
Thank you Maureen!! I’m glad they turned out okay.. Not all of them got out fine though! hahaha..
Yeah! This was something new for me too..!! Thank you Norma!!
Do you have a Twitter Page? I want to subscribe
Wish I’d know about macaron day – I surely would’ve done my part to celebrate, too. Yours look fabulous!
Looks beautiful! So pretty with the berries, and delicious!
A beautiful dessert for a light springy day. Happy Macaroon day to you! I laughed when I read your about page and you said that you spend about 90 percent of your expendable income on groceries and eating out. I can totally relate! I am a happy new follower. Take care, BAM
This is a beauty – celebratory enough for the day. Love the creme chantilly and berries with it. So spring! So welcoming!
This looks wonderful! You have done such a fantastic job with this dessert. Superb!!!
EVERY day should be macaron day! LOL
In a just world, it would be. Or maybe just in my own little world. 😉
This is soooo beautiful!!!! I’m envious that you want to make macarons and you can whip up to make some. I keep saying I want to make macarons…but all the tutorial videos etc scare me for a non-baker. As soon as I am comfortable baking, I want to attempt to make it… I love how you decorated it too! =)
they look amazing! I could not do without my scale and if you ever decide to buy one choose slowly and wisely as you want the best most accurate you can get 🙂
I love macarons, but somewhere missed that it’ll be a “macaron day”. Yours turned out beautifully! When it comes to shell sweetness, I’m always amazed how macarons can get away with having both sweet shell and sweet cream inside. It’s a treat to indulge in after all 🙂
Those are so pretty-in-pink adorable! And delicious…I love all things strawberry flavored.
When I first saw the title, I was imagining coconut macaroons. These French beauties are just spectacular! I love how you challenge yourself with different types of baking. Bravo, Sam!
Yes I do!! It’s @chocosammie. I have a facebook page too! Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/SweetSamsations
Cheers!
Thank you Courtney! I guess this will make up for me not contributing to the St. Patty’s baking affair! haha
Thank you Carol! Berries add a magic touch to everything! haha..
Aww! Thank you Bam!! I hope you enjoy it here! Yes, sometimes I spend way too much time and money for my own good! hehe.. Oh wells, life would be so dull without the joy of eating!
Thanks Claudia! I can’t wait for summer! I don’t know if we can still call is spring here in Vancouver because it just snowed today… again..
hahaha.. But I’m starting to see the price of berries decrease! so yayy!
Thanks Asmita! And welcome back from your vacation!
Lovely macarons. I just had my first taste over the weekend and can’t wait to experiment making macarons 😀
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Most definitely! I’m surprised that macarons weren’t heard of only until recently! They’re so delightful and pretty!! I’d love to have them all the time tooo..!
That’s true. They do seem a little intimidating when you first watch those videos! Plus there are so many components to a macaron… The meringue cookie, the buttercream, and you also need to figure out what to do with the yolks!! I hate wasting parts of eggs! hahaha… Thank you Nami!! I’m sure your macarons will turn out super gorgeous when you start making them!! 🙂
oooh! lol.. Interesting! i guess accurate measurements are imperative to the success of baking!! I was considering the dollar store. haha.. But I guess that won’t cut it!
Thank you!!! That is true!! Sometimes I can find it a little too sweet though but I guess there’s just a magic behind this dessert! What a genius Ladurée was in redefining these little meringue cookies!!
me too!! Thank you Joanne!! Strawberries make everything look pretty-in-pink! 😀
I’ve always wanted to try macarons; kudos to you for actually doing it! I do think you should get a digital scale, though — it’s SOOO much better for baking.
hehe.. I love the coconut macaroons too!! It’s on my to-bake list. 😀 Yes that list is not getting any shorter… lol! Thank you!!!!
oooh! I can’t wait to see yours! I’m sure they’ll turn out very lovely! 🙂
I guess I will in the near future! I’m so used to measuring with volume that it’s gonna be a huge change though. hehe.. But I know professionals do it by weight too!! Will help ensure consistency 🙂
This is so beautiful! I bet it tastes amazing! 🙂
Yum! I’ve never heard of a macaron before – you almost made mini strawberry shortcakes. I love this, especially since I can convince myself its super healthy from the strawberries 😛
Look at that generous amount of cream and strawberries in each macaron! Yum!
Beautiful.
I love the strawberries being as a topping
Hi Jen!! Thank you for visiting my blog and thanks for your sweet comment!!!
Thank you!!! haha.. Yeah. These aren’t very typical looking macarons though! But you must try them! Very yummy! Usually sold in French bakeries 🙂
Thank you!!! Yes, I must say I’m quite biased towards whipped cream! Not a huge buttercream fan. But I will try it next time! 😀
Thanks Wendy!!! I ❤ strawberries too!! 🙂
BEAUTIFUL Sammie!! I tried making these twice, but the legs still wouldn’t stand up as tall as I would have liked them to. So maybe I will have to try them again. You did a nice job!!
Thanks Yudith!!! haha.. Yeah! That happened to a few of mine too! But I just ate them anyway 😀 I think it may be because of the distribution of oven heat. Some ovens don’t have even distribution and the lack of bottom heat will cause that to happen! Try turning on the fan if you have a convectional oven! 🙂
The strawberries topping give the mac a whole new dimenstion. LOVELY!
Thank you Lucy!!! Glad you fancied it!