So Very Cordial…Cherry Cordial, that is

by doughmesstic on August 19, 2009

in cookies, macarons

cor-dial /ˈkawr juhl –adjective

  1. courteous and gracious; friendly; warm: a cordial reception.
  2. invigorating the heart; stimulating.

Last week I decided to use the egg whites that were sitting in my fridge. Every time there are egg whites in there, I think macarons!…and only macarons. It’s never a question, really, other than “what flavor”?

as luck would have it, I recently picked up some Cherry Flavoring from LorAnn, and I was eager to use it. Therefore, Cherry Macs were to be the order of the day. I Tweeted that I was about to get baking, and wouldn’t you know who joined me in the Macaron Making Extravaganza??

Helen. Mrs. Tartelette herself. The queen of all that is Macaron. it was Helen’s tutorial that taught me to make a no fail (or at least a rarely fail) macaron. If not for her, I would have never attempted them in the first place last year. So it was a pleasure sharing the day with her, even if it was only via Twitter.

I have come a long way since my first macaron baking, making up my own ways to flavor them, pushing the envelope a bit when it comes to method. This cherry flavoring wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was new to me, and I got to make my first pink macs. Love the color. So girlie, so pink, so sweet!

What you really need to know about making macarons is to be careful with your added moisture. If you are adding liquid food coloring and your flavor is also liquid, you need to be not only sparing, but preventative. For me, the way to counteract the moistness is to add a couple tablespoons of meringue powder, and it seems to do the trick.

My best piece of advice, and I’ve said it before…is put an empty pan in the bottom of your oven. I have found that my oven gets too much heat from the bottom, and this pan diffuses the heat just enough that I get perfect macs with no split tops, no burned bottoms, and the cutest little feet you’ve ever seen.

Once I had my pretty little shells, I needed something gorgeous to fill them with. Luckily, I had a bag of Cherry Cordial Kisses. I was a little timid about melting them down – what would happen? Would they gunk up? Would they even melt? But I went with it. I unwrapped about 8 of them, melted them down with a half cup of Bittersweet chips and a little bit of whipping cream and voila – the perfect Cherry Cordial filling for the perfect pink Macarons. Give them a try, won’t you?

Cherry Cordial Macarons

  • 2 ounces almonds
  • 1 cup Confectioners Sugar
  • 2 Egg Whites, Room Temperature
  • 5 Tbsp. Superfine Sugar
  • 1/3 tsp. Cherry Flavoring
  • 1 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
  • Rose/Red/Pink Food Coloring Gel

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/4 to 1/2-inch) ready. Grind together the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, add in the granulated sugar a little at a time, until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. If you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue stays put, you’ve got it. Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. Before dumping in the second half of the dry ingredients, add your food coloring, meringue powder and extract. Stir quickly and gently, then add remaining dry ingredients. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone). Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheets in 1-inch circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch or more (3 cm) apart. Rap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons. Place an empty baking sheet on the lower oven rack, then place the macarons in the upper third of the oven. Bake them for 14-16 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet. Macarons that are not being baked (waiting their turn on the counter) are fine, and can be left out unbaked for a half hour or more.

Fill with your Cherry Cordial Chocolate Ganache or your favorite filling and enjoy!

Do they invigorate the heart? Are they Stimulating?

You bet your butt.

{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

Engineer Baker August 19, 2009 at 2:01 am

Oh my, just gorgeous! Even prettier than I imagined! Just amazing – and lucky you to bake along with Helen :)

Reply

Nancy/n.o.e August 19, 2009 at 2:08 am

Your macarons are just beautiful, and thanks for all the great tips.

Reply

sarahe August 19, 2009 at 2:48 am

those look amazing! i might have to be brave enough to try these!

Reply

Kristin August 19, 2009 at 2:50 am

Yum yum yum!

Reply

Barbara Bakes August 19, 2009 at 3:31 am

What a gorgeous color! I have yet to bake macarons, but these make me want to try!

Reply

nutmegnanny August 19, 2009 at 3:54 am

Mmmm these look great! I need to give these a try. I'm a little intimated by macaroons though. I fear failing, although what is cooking and baking with a little mistakes here and there:)

Reply

tspegar August 19, 2009 at 3:58 am

you did it again girl! pretty sure you can make anything and it's always pretty :) i love these! move to slc! xoxo

Reply

HLEure August 19, 2009 at 4:08 am

These are GORGEOUS! I've never been a big macaron person, but I just adore this pink hue. I think I'm in love. I'll have to make these very soon!

Thanks for sharing!

Reply

Liz August 19, 2009 at 4:54 am

Beautiful! The cherry-chocolate combination sounds delicious, and your macarons look perfect.

Reply

La Nouvelle Femme August 19, 2009 at 5:27 am

Those sound great! I LOVE macaroons but they sound so intimidating to make!

Reply

natalia August 19, 2009 at 7:52 am

Wonderful !!! I wish I had the guts to try them once !!

Reply

Kayte August 19, 2009 at 12:22 pm

There just isn't enough pink food in the world today…these are so refreshingly beautiful! Okay, you know I don't like the chocolate, but I could adjust something else in there…the pink is just so pretty! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge. I need to make some soon…

Reply

BigSis August 19, 2009 at 1:07 pm

Hey Susan, these are gorgeous! I actually have macarons on my "cooking bucket list", but I've been too intimidated to try them yet! Your tips are really helpful. I may have to get brave and try these sooner rather than later. I like your inside-out-chocolate-covered-cherry flavor combo!

Reply

Tracy @ Sugarcrafter August 19, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Amazing; love the color! I still haven't made macarons yet; I need to get on that. :-)

Reply

Renée August 19, 2009 at 1:51 pm

Those are so pretty!!! I LOVE that color! I really just want to dive through my monitor screen and take a big bite! I haven't tried making macarons yet but it is definitely on my 'to bake' list.

Reply

TeaLady August 19, 2009 at 2:11 pm

THOSE look AMAZING!!! Gotta make…

Reply

Jamie August 19, 2009 at 2:31 pm

These are amazing and gorgeous! But no Italian meringue? Wow! That makes me even more than happy! But where does one get meringue powder in France?

Reply

Little Miss Baker August 20, 2009 at 3:08 am

You are so inspiring and amazing :) Very happy I found you!! xo

Reply

Chez Denise et Laudalino August 20, 2009 at 2:27 pm

AMAZING job, you really out did yourself. Keep up the fantastic job baking these lovely little morsels!!

Denise
http://www.chezus.com

Reply

cakeflower August 20, 2009 at 8:22 pm

They're beautiful! I really need to try them again.

Reply

The Food Librarian August 21, 2009 at 10:35 pm

You are the master. That's true. Please start wearing a crown!

Reply

Cathy August 21, 2009 at 10:38 pm

I can't even believe you just started making macarons last year. They are so perfect that I would have thought you've spent years perfecting that technique. So beautiful, and such creative flavors. Thanks for the mac-making pep talk ("I think I can. I think I can.")

Reply

Fuji Mama August 22, 2009 at 12:21 am

GORGEOUS! Love the color–truly stunning! They sound delicious too. I love me some macs!

Reply

Deeba @Passionate About Baking September 8, 2009 at 2:54 pm

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!! I can only hope mine look something remotely like these. WOW!! Maybe I can? Thanks a million!!

Reply

frockandfork September 10, 2009 at 11:30 pm

OMG! those look absolutely fabulous, gorgeous, glamorous and chic! I am definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks for inspiring me. cheers :)

Reply

Cynthia October 19, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Those look awesome! I'm new to macarons but fast becoming addicted. I found your post because I am making a similar flavor today- except I pulverized some Black Cherry Herbal Tea in with my almonds and confectioners sugar for flavor.

Thanks for the tip about the pan in the bottom of the oven. I will try that on my next batch. I've been doubling up my heavy duty baking sheets but I think your method sounds like a better plan. Thanks!

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: