Chocolate-Chestnut Macarons
Macarons are the petite jewels of the dessert set. Dainty, yet decadent. At once crunchy and chewy. Delicately tinted or neon-hued to indicate the flavor combinations, filled with tart jams, decadent buttercreams, tangy citrus curds, rich ganaches… the variations are endless, and delicious.
A single macaron will set you back a couple of bucks at the local patisserie — if you can even find them. But despite their elegant appearance and current cachet, macarons aren’t difficult to make, given a good recipe, proper equipment, and the right technique. It’s that last item that’s the most difficult to acquire, so this recipe gives detailed info on how and why to do things. However, even if your first batches are not perfect, nothing improves macaron-making skills like practice, and they will still be a delicious treat for family and friends.
For the best flavor and texture, store macarons in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours before eating, so that the moisture from the filling can slightly soften the cookies and the flavors meld. They are best if eaten within 6 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
— 30-40 macarons
*Items marked in green are available from The Gourmet Corner.
Ingredients
Macarons
Chocolate-Rum Buttercream and Chestnut Purée
* Note: if you are concerned about the safety of using uncooked egg whites, use reconstituted egg white powder (available in most larger supermarkets). The powder has been sterilized, so there is no danger of salmonella.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scales capable of measuring in grams (most kitchen stores carry them, or they are available online)
- Hand-held or stand mixer
- Rubber/silicone spatula
- 2 baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats (e.g., Silpat) or parchment paper
- Pastry bag and 1/3 to 1/2-inch wide plain tip (e.g., Ateco #805 or 806)
Macarons
Combine the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, mix together until thoroughly blended and even the smallest lumps are broken up. Sift the powder to remove any large chunks that remain.
Weigh out the granulated sugar and egg white powder in another medium bowl, then whisk well until the egg white powder is throughly blended into the sugar. Set aside.
Place the fresh egg whites and cream of tartar in the mixer bowl. Mix on medium speed until the egg whites begin to form soft peaks , then turn the speed up to medium to medium-high and gradually add the sugar mixture just until you obtain a glossy meringue. The meringue should resemble shaving cream, hold stiff peaks, and stay in place if you turn the bowl upside-down. It is very important not to overbeat the meringue or it will be too dry, and will deflate rapidly when you add the dry ingredients — if you swoop a spatula through it and the mound of meringue looks ‘clumpy’ rather than smooth and creamy, it’s overeaten (it will still make delicious macarons, but they will be flat and chewy).
Sprinkle all of the nut mixture over the meringue and use a rubber spatula to fold together, gently scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure no clumps of dry ingredients are left behind. After all dry ingredients have been incorporated, slowly continue folding the batter until it looks somewhat glossy and flows from the spatula in a thick ribbon. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test the batter by spooning a tablespoon of it onto a plate: if the top of the mound flattens by itself within ~20 seconds, it’s ready. If a small peak remains after 20 seconds, give the batter 2 to 3 more folds and test again (if the batter is too stiff, the macarons will be more crunchy and dome-shaped than they should be). If the peak disappears immediately, the batter is overmixed (it will still make tasty macarons, but they will spread out and be flatter and chewier than usual).
Fit the tip into the pastry bag, then fill with half of the batter (if the bag is too full, the weight of the batter makes it rush out too fast, making it harder to control the size and shape of the macarons.) Pipe tiny blobs of batter onto the 4 corners and center of 2 baking sheets, then line baking sheets with parchment paper OR line with silicone mats.
Pipe 1- 1.25″ wide rounds about 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheets. To ensure smooth ‘hamburger bun’ shapes, pipe by holding the tip 1/4 inch from the surface of the pan, then gently squeezing out the mound of batter without raising the tip. As you ease up on the pressure to stop piping out batter, simultaneously lift the tip to clear the top of the mound and give it a tiny swirling motion to prevent a peak from forming. After all the macarons are piped, pick up each sheet with both hands and slam it firmly straight downward on the counter 2 to 3 times. This will to force any large air bubbles to the surface. Immediately pop any bubbles with a toothpick. Do not pop bubbles after the macarons have been sitting for more than a few minutes, because you’ll interfere with the shell that’s forming on the surface.
Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to harden their shells (to prevent tops from cracking during baking). Check if they’re ready by lightly touching the top and side of one shell. It should feel dry and not stick to your finger at all. Pre-heat the oven to 275F. Bake one pan at a time for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the macarons. After the first 10 minutes of baking, rotate the pan and place a large piece of foil loosely over the macarons to prevent browning. The macarons should be very, very lightly golden on the bottoms, but you’ll have to waste one by prying it off the baking sheet to check. Let macarons cool completely before trying to remove from the parchment/silicone mat.
Once cool, remove the shells from the silicone mat or parchment. If you have trouble removing them from parchment paper, freeze the macarons for about 10 minutes, then quickly peel them off before they have a chance to warm up and get sticky again. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer if they will not be filled immediately.
Chocolate-Rum Buttercream
Melt together the chocolate, water, and rum in a small heat-proof bowl over simmering water, or microwave on low power until the liquid is just warm enough to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth, and set aside.
Put the sugar and egg whites in the bowl from a stand mixer over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream.
Install the bowl of egg white mixture in stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a glossy meringue, ~5 minutes. Feel the exterior of the bowl near the bottom to be sure the meringue is at room temperature — if it’s too warm, it will melt the butter! Add the butter a tablespoon at a time. Don’t worry if the mixture starts looking curdled and clumpy, it will magically form a thick, silky buttercream as you continue to beat. Beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and beat until incorporated (if the chocolate has cooled and hardened, warm it slightly and stir well before adding).
The buttercream can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Assembly
Pipe or spoon a generous layer of butterceam on the bottom of half the shells. Set them aside, balancing them on their tops (a wire cooling rack is excellent for this, particularly the kind with a cross-grid of wires). Spread the remaining shells with a layer of chestnut sweetened chestnut purée, sandwiching it with a similarly-sized buttercream-coated top shell and pressing gently together.
