Raspberry Banana and Blueberry Macarons

• Vegetarian
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 40 g Fruit, freeze dried
  • 1/2 cup Fruit finely processed, freeze dried
  • 170 g Raspberries / blueberries / 1 banana to yield, fresh

• Refrigerated

  • 200 g Egg white

• Baking & Spices

  • 246 g Almond meal/flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Almond meal/flour
  • 246 g Granulated sugar
  • 246 g Powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups Powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Dairy

  • 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted
  • 3 tsp Milk
  • 1 cup Powdered milk

• Liquids

  • 66 g Water

Found on sugarywinzy.com

Description

Ingredients

• 246 g finely blanched almond meal/flour (2 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons)
• 246 g powdered sugar (2 cups + 2 tablespoons + 2 ½ teaspoons)
• 40 g freeze dried fruit, finely processed and sifted (raspberry or blueberry or banana)
• 100 g egg whites at room temperature (3 egg whites)
• 246 g granulated sugar (1 cup + 3 tablespoons)
• 66 g water (1/3 cup)
• 100 g egg whites at room temperature (3 egg whites)
• Optional: few drops of red gel food coloring for raspberry macarons, or blue gel food coloring for blueberry macarons
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (175 g)
• 1 ½ cups almond meal/flour (135 g)
• 1 cup powdered milk (95 g)
• ½ cup / 1 stick melted unsalted butter (113 g)
• ½ cup freeze dried fruit finely processed (52 g raspberries / 52 blueberries /61 g bananas)
• 170 g fresh raspberries / blueberries / 1 banana to yield ½ cup pressed fruit juice (110 g blueberry juice / 110 g raspberry juice / one large banana pureed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Optional: few drops of red gel food coloring if making raspberry macarons, or blue gel food coloring for blueberry macarons
• 3 - 4 teaspoons milk (as needed if banana filling needs to be slackened, less for blueberry or raspberry fillings)

Directions

• Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Draw or print-out circles to make a template. Blend the freeze dried fruit in a food processor to a fine powder, and then sift. Do not include the large bits that don’t go through the sifter.
• Sift the almond meal/flour by itself, then measure out the required proportion. Do the same for the powdered sugar and freeze dried fruit. Whisk all three measured dry ingredients in a bowl to combine, then sift them again all together.
• Add first set of egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a paste. Set aside.
• Place the second half of egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer with a wire whip attachment.
• Place granulated sugar in a small sauce pan. Add the water and gently swirl it around just enough to dampen the sugar evenly. Turn heat on to medium.
• Start whipping the egg whites on low. When the temperature of the sugar syrup reaches 220°F, increase the speed to medium until the meringue is thick and starts to take shape. Reduce the speed to low and wait for the temperature of the sugar syrup to reach 235°F.
• Once the sugar syrup reaches 235°F, increase the mixer speed to medium high and pour the syrup in a thin, slow and steady stream into the egg whites aiming for the egg whites directly between the side of the bowl and the wire whip. Whip in a drop or two of optional gel food coloring, red for raspberry and blue for blueberry. Beat meringue until it has turned glossy and reached stiff peak stage. Do not over whip.
• Using a silicon spatula, take about a third of the meringue and fold it into the almond meal/flour, powdered sugar and freeze-dried fruit paste. Fold by cutting down the center and folding the mixture over at the same time scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Rotate the bowl as you fold over the mixture.
• Add half of the remaining meringue folding in to blend. Repeat with the rest of the meringue. When the batter is almost blended, you can add a drop or two of optional gel food coloring, if you like. The batter is ready when you draw a line with your spatula down the center of the batter and it slowly comes back together in about 3 seconds, like flowing lava. TIP: if the batter has not reached this stage after all the meringue has been blended, you can slacken it by adding 1 – 2 teaspoons of beaten egg white (in warm weather, this remedy will likely not be necessary). The batter should neither be very thick nor very runny. Do not over mix.
• Preheat oven to 275°F if making banana macarons, or 300°F if making raspberry or blueberry macarons.
• Divide the batter among 3 or 4 pastry bags fitted with a medium round tip #12.
• Place your circle template underneath the parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Hold the piping bag perpendicular, straight towards the center of the circle. Pipe the batter just until you reach the inner part of the circle. If you leave a mark in the center of the piped batter, this will slowly dissipate and smoothen out by itself in a few minutes. Pull out your template from underneath the parchment paper and transfer it onto the next cookie sheet.
• Gently tap the cookie sheet holding the piped batter on your work surface to release any air pockets.
• Let sit at room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes, or however long it takes for the surface of the piped batter to dry and form a skin.
• Repeat piping the rest of the batter on the rest of the cookie sheets. Remember to pull the template out of the last cookie sheet.
• The piped batter is ready for the oven when you lightly touch it and your finger remains dry.
• Bake each cookie sheet for 15 – 17 minutes (275°F for banana macarons and 300°F for raspberry and blueberry macarons). Rotate the cookie sheet halfway into baking after the feet have formed.
• Remove from the oven and let the macarons cool completely on the cookie sheet.
• Melt the butter. Puree one banana until smooth, or if making blueberry or raspberry filling, press the fresh fruit through a sieve to extract the juice.
• In a food processor, blend the melted butter, powdered sugar, powdered milk, almond meal, freeze dried fruit powder, vanilla extract and salt.
• Blend in half of the pureed banana / raspberry or blueberry pressed juice and process until smooth. Add the rest of the pureed fruit juice about a tablespoon at a time and use only enough so that the filling can easily be piped.
• If after adding all the fruit puree the filling is still too stiff and needs to be slackened, add milk one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If filling needs to be thickened, add 1 – 2 tablespoons additional powdered sugar or almond meal.
• Mix in a few drops of optional gel food coloring.
• Transfer the filling into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip #12. Pipe the filling onto one macaron shell and top with another to form a pair.