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Matcha Macarons



Macarons are one of the most famous French desserts. A macaron is an almond flour-based cookie that is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Two macarons cookies are sandwiched together with hundreds of different fillings ranging from buttercream to mousse.


I failed to make these cookies when I first made them because I tried to convert metric measurements to US ones. I thought they failed due to the quality of my ingredients and the infinite humidity in San Francisco. However, I was successful the second time.


Macarons are known to be fickle to moisture. However, these macarons worked in the humid conditions of the city. San Francisco averages around 70% humidity year-round. They were crisp, chewy, sweet, and had an intense matcha flavor.


I filled them with a chocolate ganache. Since I didn't have any heavy cream, I made a substitute with milk and butter.


I used my Standmixer for this recipe, but feel free to use an electric hand mixer.



Recipe


Makes 30 small macarons


Ingredients


Cookie

  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

  • 1 cup superfine almond flour

  • 4 tsp matcha powder


Chocolate Ganache

  • 2 tbsp butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup whole milk

  • 4 oz chocolate, finely chopped or grated



Directions


Cookie


1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, matcha powder, and half of the salt. Process them at low speed until extra fine.


2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and the other half of the salt until frothy.

3. Keep beating and slowly add sugar until stiff peaks form.

4. Sift about ⅓ of the flour mixture into the beaten egg whites and use a spatula. Gently fold the mixture until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons, and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up.

5. Place the mixture into a piping bag or zip-top bag fitted with a small round tip. Cut off the end so you can pipe.

6. Pipe 1 1/2-inch dollops 1-inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Tip: take a little batter to “glue” down the edges of the parchment paper. You do this to prevent the parchment paper from moving while piping.

7. Let the cookies rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. They are ready to bake when they are no longer wet to the touch and a skin forms on top.


Chocolate Ganache

1. While the macarons are resting, make the filling by placing the chopped or grated chocolate into a medium-sized, heatproof bowl, set it aside.


2. Place milk and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally until the butter has melted completely. Increase heat to medium-high and allow the mixture to cook another couple of minutes until you see tiny bubbles around the edge of the saucepan. Do not let the milk boil, or it will burn.


3. Pour the hot milk into the bowl of chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth.


4. Use as-is for a simple dessert topping over cake, ice cream, or cookies. For a thicker chocolate ganache, allow it to set room temperature for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. It will set up more quickly if it is refrigerated.

5. Transfer to a piping bag and set aside until ready to fill.


Baking

1. Preheat oven to 285ºF when the cookies are dry to the touch, bake for 15-18 minutes until they have risen.

2. Let rest cool before filling.


Assembly

1. Pipe about 2 tsp of the buttercream onto the bottom side of a cooled shell and sandwich together with a similarly sized cookie.

2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 24 hours to “bloom”. Letting them sit in there for 24 hours will allow the flavor to develop.


The Matcha Macarons will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about two weeks.


Notes

  • Feel free to adjust the amount of matcha powder.


  • You can replace the matcha powder with other ones like cocoa powder, cookies blended in a food processor to powder, and black sesame powder.


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