Strawberry Macarons

🧂 Ingredients

• 125 grams almond flour
• 125 grams confectioners sugar
• 100 grams egg whites

  (at room temperature)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 80 grams sugar
• red or pink gel food coloring

  (optional)
• ½ oz freeze-dried strawberries
• ½ cup butter

  (at room temperature)
• 4 oz cream cheese

  (at room temperature)
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup strawberry jam

  (optional, for filling)
• white nonpareils

  (optional, for decoration)

Instructions

• 1 Add 125 grams almond flour and 125 grams confectioners sugar to the bowl of your
  food processor and then pulse it several times until you have a fine flour
  mixture.
• 2 Sift the mixture into a large mixing bowl and then set it aside.
• 3 Pour 100 grams egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat it using
  the whisk attachment at medium speed until foamy.
• 4 Add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar and then continue mixing until you have soft
  peaks and can see track marks left by the whisk.
• 5 Very slowly add 80 grams sugar into the meringue in small increments, giving the
  mixer some time to incorporate it in between each addition.
• 6 Once all of the sugar has been added, add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and red or
  pink gel food coloring.
• 7 Continue mixing on medium-high speed until you have very stiff peaks.
• 8 Scoop ⅓ of the meringue into the bowl with your flour and use a silicone spatula
  to gently fold them together until combined.
• 9 Repeat this process two more times with the remaining ⅔ of the meringue.
• 10 After all of the meringue has been added, keep folding the batter until it
  reaches a consistency that is similar to lava and just barely falls off the
  spatula in ribbons.
• 11 Transfer the macaron batter to a large piping bag with a round tip (or a storage
  bag with the tip cut off) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment
  paper or silicone mats.
• 12 Hold your piping bag about ¼-inch above the mat at a 90° angle and firmly
  squeeze until the batter forms a circle of your desired size. Stop squeezing and
  quickly make a C shape to break the batter. Finish piping the remaining
  macarons.
• 13 Lift the baking sheet about 5 inches above the counter and repeatedly drop it to
  bring any air bubbles to the surface. Then, use a toothpick to pop any lingering
  bubbles.
• 14 If desired, sprinkle the optional white nonpareils over the top.
• 15 Leave the macarons to rest for 30-60 minutes, or until they have formed a skin
  and are no longer sticky to the touch.
• 16 Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 300°F (140°C/Gas Mark 2).
• 17 Once they are done resting, bake the macarons for 15-18 minutes, or until they
  don't move on their feet when nudged.
• 18 Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before removing them from
  the baking sheet.
• 19 Place ½ oz freeze-dried strawberries into a storage bag and roll over it with a
  rolling pin to crush the berries. Set it aside.
• 20 Place ½ cup butter and 4 oz cream cheese into the bowl of your stand mixer and
  use the paddle attachment to beat it at medium speed for a few minutes, until it
  is light in color and smooth.
• 21 Add half of your 2 cups confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and
  continue to mix until well combined.
• 22 Add the crushed freeze-dried strawberries and continue to mix, scraping down the
  bowl as needed, until thoroughly combined.
• 23 Pour in the remaining confectioners sugar and keep mixing until combined, then
  turn the speed to medium-high and mix for another minute or so.
• 24 Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with your preferred tip.
• 25 Match your macaron shells based on size and then flip one over.
• 26 Pipe a ring of the strawberry frosting around the outside of the shell.
• 27 Fill the center cavity with ¼ cup strawberry jam.
• 28 Press the matching shell on top and then transfer your macarons to a storage
  container in the fridge for 24 hours for the flavors to bloom.

Nutrition Info