Easter Egg French Macarons Food

EASTER EGG FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Line two half sheet baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. (If you wish to use parchment, make sure the parchment lays perfectly flat so you don't end up with lopsided macarons. You can tape the parchment temporarily to help keep it secure while piping and then remove the tape before baking.)
• Fill a small saucepan halfway with water and set it over medium heat. Then, place a heatproof bowl over the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the water.
• Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl and whisk constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes. (Test to make sure the sugar is dissolved by rubbing the mixture between your fingers. If it's smooth, it's ready to go. If the mixture feels grainy or sandy, keep whisking for another minute or so and then try again.)
• Transfer the egg white mixture to a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium high until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the egg whites.
• Gently fold the mixture together, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you fold. Take your time and be careful that you are not deflating the egg whites just yet.
• Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, making sure not to deflate the egg whites. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you fold.
• Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg whites, add the gel food coloring, if using. (see notes below) Continue folding the meringue but this time begin gently smushing the batter against the sides of the bowl in a circular motion, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold it all back together. Repeat this deflating process until the batter flows smoothly off the spatula. (On average this takes about 5 smush and folds but will be dependent on how much you deflate the egg whites each time.)
• You can test the batter's consistency by slowly drawing a figure 8 with the batter. If the you can make an "8" with the batter flowing off the spatula in a constant stream, it's ready! If it breaks or falls in clumps, smush and fold a few more times until the desired consistency is achieved.
• When the meringue flows smoothly, transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with an open round tip. A #12 piping tip or #10 tip works perfectly.
• Pipe 1" circles or egg shapes about 2" apart holding the piping bag perpendicular to the surface. Using a silicon macaron mat will help with this step. Once you've finished piping one tray, tap the tray firmly on the counter or drop straight down onto the counter five or six times to release any air bubbles. Repeat for the second tray. The shells will flatten slightly.
• Let the shells rest for about 30 minutes or until the tops feel dry to the touch (this is called developing a skin). This can take up to an hour.
• While the shells rest, preheat your oven to 325°F (you can check the oven temperature using an oven thermometer - this is especially helpful if you think your oven runs a little hot)..
• Bake the shells one baking sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through if necessary. The shells are done when they don't move or jiggle about when the baking sheets are moved. Allow the macarons to cool before removing them from the tray.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until it has lightened in color, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined. If the buttercream seems too thick, beat in a tablespoon of heavy cream or milk.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitting with a piping tip of your choosing and set aside.
• Place the macarons in similar sized pairs. Pipe a small dollop of filling on one macaron and place another on top. Press gently, just until the filling reaches the edges.
• To decorate the macarons, use food markers or white chocolate to draw on the macarons. To make the speckled egg macarons, combine 1 teaspoon of water with a few drops of black gel food coloring and use a pastry brush to splatter the food dye on the macarons. Be very careful not to get the food color on any surfaces, clothes, etc. It stains! Make sure to protect all surfaces!Place the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge to age overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Place the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator to age overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving. Store in the fridge for up to four days.

FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add white sugar and continue to beat until peaks are stiff enough they stay in place when the bowl is turned upside down, about 5 minutes.
• Sift 1 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, almond flour, and salt together twice. Fold into the egg whites until batter is creamy and falls slowly off the lifted spatula, about 50 turns with a spatula. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Pipe batter onto the parchment paper, using a circular motion to make macarons 1 inch in diameter. Tap the baking sheet against the counter about 10 times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and continue baking until macarons are shiny and rise slightly to form "feet", about 9 minutes more. Peel off the parchment paper and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Beat butter, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until creamy and thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Pipe a small amount of filling onto the center of 1 macaron; top with another macaron and press gently to sandwich the filling between the two.

MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
• Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
• Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
• Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.