…they become Dreamsicle Macarons.
Yep, you heard me right – Macarons.
Because I had a bunch of left over eggwhites from last week’s TWD bread pudding, I figured I’d give the ol’ French Macaron another go. Last year, I tried making them for the first time, and after a few batches, I finally figured out the best technique for making them in MY house. It took a bit of trial and error, but now it seems I’ve got the process down pat. Maybe you have yet to give macarons a try….and just maybe these tips will help you out and give you the confidence to make them yourself. I hope so. Because they are so good.
In the past, I have always made them using chocolate in both the cookie and the filling. But I decided to branch out this time and try something new. Thanks to Twitterer Caitlin, the
Engineer Baker, I was pushed into trying a fruity flavor. It just so happened that I had an orange, and orange extract…so orange it was. And thanks to the tweeting of
Two Peas & Their Pod and some back up encouragement from
Good Life Eats – a creamy vanilla filling emerged, and voila – the Dreamsicle Macaron was born!
What we have here is a shell of Orange and Almond, filled with a dollop of White Chocolate, Cream Cheese, and Orange and Vanilla Extracts. It’s so simple and yet, so…perfect?
These macarons are unbelievable, folks. The orange is just the right amount of citrus, and the cream cheese and white chocolate meld together in perfect harmony to round out the filling. I hope you’ll give them a go and then let me know what you think!
Dreamsicle Macarons
2 ounces almonds
1 cup Confectioners Sugar
1 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Orange Zest
2 Egg Whites, Room Temperature
5 Tbsp. Superfine Sugar
1/2 tsp. Orange Extract
1 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
Orange 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, Orange zest, 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.
1/4 tsp. Orange Extract
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Heat White Chocolate Chips in microwave for 30 second intervals until smooth. Stir and add in softened cream cheese. Stir until smooth, then add in extracts. If the mixture seizes, replace it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir again. Spread or pipe onto cooled macarons. (If filling is too loose, place in refrigerator for a few minutes until it is a spreadbale consistancy.)
Store filled macarons in refrigerator in an airtight container.
