French macarons are meringue-like almond cookies that are filled with jams, buttercream or ganache. They come in several different flavors, and macarons happen to be the perfect virtual baby shower treat for my dear friend Amanda from {i am baker}.
Lately I feel as though there must truly be something in the water, such is the number of pregnant friends I have. However, in just seven short days one of them will no longer be pregnant. Instead, she’ll join the ranks of “other moms with four children” I happen to have the pleasure of knowing, a title that is not as common as pregnant women, but ever growing and just as divine.
If you haven’t already wandered across Amanda’s blog, {i am baker}, you should visit and visit often. Her creative cakes and baked goods are enough to make you come back for more, but even sweeter still is Amanda herself. This soon-to-be mom-of-four recently opened her kitchen to gift cookies to someone who could use a touching gift, and when she received 165 stories, all equally deserving of a random act of kindness, Amanda reached out to the blog community to fill each one of those requests. It takes a special kind of woman to volunteer to make five cookie orders just two weeks before her fourth baby is to arrive.
So today, just one week before her baby is due, a group of blogging friends whom I’m honored to know are all throwing our sweet friend Amanda a virtual baby shower and shower her with treats and sweets. When considering what to gift to someone who can do wonders with cake and frosting, I decided I’d steer clear of decorating, but chose to tackle the French macaron instead.
First, I decided to weigh all the ingredients. I found far more recipes using weight measurements, and I wanted to try Helene’s master macaron recipe. I know several people who have had success with it, and it gave me a good excuse to click around her site for a few hours reading and gazing.
Into the food processor place powdered sugar, almond flour and the seeds of one medium-sized vanilla bean. (If you have the extra large beans, just use half for this.)
Add them all to the food processor and give it a whirl until it’s nice and smooth. You can also use blanched or slivered almonds, and you’ll want to do the same thing, only there will be more whirling.
I left egg whites out overnight. You can whip more air into them that way, and you’ll get better results. It took me until Friday to decide what I was making, or I would have left them out longer. Overnight seemed to work just fine, though. You’ll also need a small amount of granulated sugar.
Add the egg whites only to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment and beat until foamy. Helene says like a bubble bath, so I pretended that I’d had a bubble bath recently and could remember what those bubbles would look like.
Add in the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, but be very, very careful not to over-beat your egg whites, as it can cause your shells to crack when they bake.
Next, fold the almond mixture into the egg whites.
You want to fold until you reach a consistency that will fall back. I tested this by pulling my spoon out and then counting to ten to see if the dough would recede and the spot where I pulled the spoon from would disappear. (Note: Helene says no more than 50 folds to achieve this.)
Fill a large pastry bag with the mixture. I used one with a reinforced tip, but a jumbo round tip would have worked even better if you have one.
Pipe 1″-1.5″ circles onto baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Then clean up the mess in the kitchen and let those sit. Allowing them to sit for a while will help a crust layer to form. After they’ve been resting, preheat the oven to 280° F and bake.
While your macaron shells cool, prepare your filling. I made a blueberry mascarpone filling for these. I like how it’s not too sweet and balances out the sweetness of the cookie. Plus, it’s easy to make. Just a bit of mascarpone and a bit of blueberry preserves and we’re ready to fill.
I just gently spread my filling onto one macaron and topped it with another, pressing ever so lightly to get them to stay.
And while I was filling, my baby decided he wanted to come help.
Really, though, Magnus just wanted to demonstrate how to shotgun a macaron.
While it goes without saying, Amanda, before you know it, your baby will be all grown up and big, too. Then I’ll send Magnus over to teach him a thing or two about food and how to properly (and politely) eat it. Ahem. Enjoy the next few months and cherish that sweet-smelling head and those tiny cries. I can’t wait to see your new addition!
Amanda’s Virtual Baby Shower Tour
Drinks
Add a Pinch – i am baby Shower Punch
TidyMom – Ducky Bath Blue Punch
Savory Bites
Dine and Dish – Stuffed Mushrooms
GoodLife Eats – Cucumber Sandwich Recipe
My Baking Addiction – Crab Rangoons
Simple Bites – Spring Crudité, Buttermilk-Black Pepper Dip
Desserts
A Farmgirl’s Dabbles – {i am baby} cakes
Bake at 350 – Baby on Board Cookies
Bakers Royale – Baby Shower Cupcakes
Bluebonnets and Brownies – Mini Fruit Pizzas
Confessions of a Cookbook Queen – Homemade Butter Mints
Food for My Family – Baby Shower Macarons
Gourmande in the Kitchen – Chocolate Blueberry Truffles
My Kitchen Addiction – Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
She Wears Many Hats – “B” is for Boy – Itty Bitty Baby Cupcakes
Smith Bites – Strawberries with Brown Sugar Dip
What’s Cooking with Kids – Hamentashen cookies
Last But Not Least
Wenderly – Baby Cards
Adapted (just barely) from Tartellete
200 grams powdered sugar
110 grams almonds or almond flour
1 vanilla bean, scraped
90 grams aged egg whites
25 grams granulated sugar
Place powdered sugar, almonds and vanilla bean seeds into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Set aside. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, place egg whites and beat until foamy. Add in granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture has peaks and represents a shiny shaving cream consistency. Be careful not to over-beat the egg whites. Add the ground almond mixture to the egg whites and fold to combine until the batter when the spoon is lifted out, recedes back into itself within 10 seconds, using no more than 50 strokes.
Fill a large piping bag with a large or extra large round piping tip. Pinch the end when filling so the batter does not run out. Pipe small circles approximately 1″ to 1.5″ in diameter onto baking sheets lined with silicone baking sheets or parchment. Allow the circles to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 280° F. Bake for 15-20 minutes until shells are cooked through and dry to a light touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cook on the pan for 10 minutes before trying to remove. If shells are not to be filled immediately, store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Filling:
4 ounces mascarpone
2 tablespoons blueberry preserves
Mix together the mascarpone and preserves until smooth. When the macaron shells are cool, spread or pipe a small amount of filling on one shell and carefully sandwich together. Allow to rest in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat.
Makes approximately 36 small macarons.
Congrats Amanda!!! We did it!!!!
Shaina thanks for posting this recipe! Macaron’s are on my list to try soon. They look soooo delicious!
will try this again,..first time was disaster,..:-)
This virtual shower for Amanda is fantastic!! Love this idea. She is such a wonderful friend & I wish her and her family all the greatest joy with their upcoming arrival. xo
Magnus is precious!
What a cutie pie!!
Your macarons look gorgeous. I have always wanted to try them.
So glad to have you as a friend, and I know Amanda is too!! 🙂
Oh! Look at you! Macarons!!! And Magnus = adorable!!!
And I cant wait for you to meet him!! You had me all teary and sappy then laughing out loud at Magnus ‘shotgunning’ that gorgeous macaron!!
Seriously… quite possibly the best tutorial and presentation I have EVER seen for macarons… you make it look easy!! 🙂
THANK YOU sweet friend! I am so honored and touched and overflowing with emotions and joy and gratefulness for you!!!
LOVE YOU!
Amanda
You are so sweet. Thank you. I’m lucky to call you my friend.
They came out with the most perfect little feet on them! Looks like they were a hit with Magnus 🙂
Thanks, Sylvie. I was so excited when I pulled them out of the oven to see their “feet.”
Your macarons are adorable. Your son is adorable and you are wonderful for being part of this unique *virtual showers* for a very special lady.
Simply adorable treats for a lovely cause. You guys are so sweet to throw this surprise shower. She and her baby must feel so loved =D.
They turned out perfectly! I think I’m waiting a while longer before I give em a go though.
And that Magnus is cuter than a macaron!
Oh Magnus! How cute. You outdid us all, my dear. Please can you throw my next shower, or at least ship a box of these?
They are truly perfect. Nice work!
I will fly there for your next shower! Wouldn’t that be fun!?
Those look so mouthwatering delicious. But I must admit that I am a bit intimidated by them. You make it look so easy, but then again you make having 4 kiddos look easy…
Think I’ll wait and just enjoy yours!
I’m in awe of people who can successfully bake macarons. With your photo tutorial to help, maybe I’ll give it a try. The blueberry-mascarpone filling is a nice touch.
Love the little cutie gobbling up the tiny macarons. FUN!
Your macarons are beautiful. Have you ever tried them without ripening the egg whites? I’ve had mixed results baking them immediately after piping and letting them sit before baking. They’re lovely!
These are amazing. I have total macaron envy because mine *never* turn out right. What a fun idea for a shower… When I host one, I’ll be sure to call you up 🙂
And I’ll happily answer that phone call, Jen. xo
Ahahahahaha. Seriously, this line just about made me fall over laughing: “Really, though, Magnus just wanted to demonstrate how to shotgun a macaron.” Good on ya, Magnus. You’re a smart boy and you know just exactly what a great baker your momma is.
Your “baby” is just so sweet! I love little boys.
Gorgeous macarons too!
These are perfectly made. I love the step-by-step pictures. The vanilla bean and blueberry mascarpone sound like a perfect combination!
Shotgunning macarons!! Great job, Magnus – I think my 9YO could join right in there, as she loves her macarons! These look beautiful and delicious.
Love these photos of Magnus! YUM 🙂
Shaina darling, i BOW to you, BOW to you . . . macarons? with your own babies in the house??? and seriously, HOW CUTE IS YOUR LITTLE MAN??!!!!! can i just borrow him for a bit? oh and can i ‘borrow’ a few of those macarons too???
These are so cute! Congrats to Amanda!
Okay, the blueberry marscapone filling got my attention! Never made macaroons before, but they are on my “to bake” list.
Your little guy is adorable!
Love your photos! So adorable!
What a cute idea! Your boy is the cutest thing ever! and the macaroons are very nice too.
Absolutely GORGEOUS! I’m sooo impressed! XOXOXO
You did a fantastic job with these macarons, Shaina! Your little guy couldn’t be any cuter.
You are so talented! Your little guy is adorable! Love those pics.
These look delicious! I’ve never tried a macaron, but these look like the perfect recipe to try! Love Amanda, her blog is amazing!
Your son is just adorable! Discovering you from twitter, clicked an RT. Great tutorial & the mascarpone filling is a great idea.
Your son is so adorable! These cookies do look delicious.
One day I will tackle Macarons…until then I will just stare at yours. They are absolutely beautiful, Shaina! Well done.
They look fantastic! Bravo! They are really at their best after 48hrs and the top does not shatter in pieces that way.
Thank you, Helene! Your notes were fantastic and so easy to follow.
yum! I cant wait to try this!
Thanks for the great recipe and tutorial! I’ll have to try it. I feel like macarons are the new cupcake, which is great! I’d love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight
I have not seen you make these before, Barbara! Have you? You didn’t say… and they are gorgeous. The winning photos, of course, and Magnus devouring the precious little dainty. SO adorable. These need to be framed and up in your kitchen (but, I know you have other children, sigh)
Lovely lovely macarons – and lucky dear blogging friend to have such an incredible shower thrown for her!
🙂
Valerie
Beautiful macarons and I don’t doubt that they are just as scrumptious as they are lovely! I love your idea for the virtual baby shower! I am visiting via Mingle Monday! Nice to meet you!
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda
Wow! Those macarons look absolutely gorgeous! I will admit, they completely intimidate me 🙂
And blueberry mascarpone? that sounds like a perfect finish for macarons, amazing job 😀
macarons are so intimidating! they are so delicious though! thanks for the step-by-step, you definitely made these seem more manageable 🙂
Nice work!!! And oh my gosh, Magnus. Those pictures are absolutely priceless.
I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but great
topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or
understanding more. Thanks for great info I was looking for this information for my mission.
I agree this opinion after i read this post. I decided to try ways you tell us to have baby shower treatment.
How many eggs did you use? I dont own a scale. Or if you could put them in U.S units that’d be great thank you!