Cranberry Macarons
Serves 40
30 mins prep
45 mins cook
100 mins Resting Time
175 mins total
These cranberry macarons have a sugared cranberry design on the macaron shells and are filled with a cranberry white chocolate ganache filling.
Macaron shells
Cranberry white chocolate ganache
Garnish
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Do ahead
The night before: Age your egg whites. Place them in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic. Refrigerate overnight until ready to use. Alternatively cover with a loose lid.
Before you start: Wipe all bowls, baking mats and utensils with vinegar to remove any oils that could deflate your meringue.
Prepare two large piping bags with plain round tips, one for the macaron batter and the other for the ganache filling.
Make the ganache
In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the cranberries, granulated sugar, orange zest and juice. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Mash any cranberries that haven’t popped with a spoon or fork. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the mixture looks somewhat jammy and most of the moisture is cooked off. Remove to a small, heatproof bowl.
Puree with an immersion blender, or a regular blender / food processor.
Combine white chocolate, cream and cranberry puree in a heatproof bowl over a bain marie, a medium pot filled with an inch of water. Stir over medium heat until all of the chocolate is melted. Add food coloring, if desired. Immersion blend to emulsify (optional). Chill on the counter until room temperature and then chill completely in the refrigerator.
Make the macaron shells
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond flour, powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Sift the mixture into a large bowl. Discard any large bits of almond flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt until foamy soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Add the vanilla and food coloring and beat until just combined.
Add ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the meringue and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined. Continue folding until the mixture flows like lava when you lift the spatula up, this is called the ribbon stage and it means the batter is ready. Conduct a figure-8 test if you are not sure if it is ready.
Transfer the batter into the prepared piping bag. Pipe the macarons onto the silicone mat or parchment paper in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced one-inch apart. Take care to pipe straight up and down, and not to the side.
Rap the baking sheet on a flat surface firmly to release air bubbles. Any remaining air bubbles can be popped with a metal cake tester or wet toothpick.
Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch.
Preheat the oven to 300˚F.
Bake the macarons for 16-20 minutes, until the shells do not wiggle on their feet when gently grabbed.
Fill the macarons
Cool shells completely before filling.
Pair off similar size shells. Pipe filling on one shell then sandwich the two similar size shells together.
Sugar the tops
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the jam and water. Microwave for 15-30 seconds and stir. Sieve, if desired.
Use a pastry brush to brush a tiny bit of watered-down jam onto the top of a macaron. Gently dip and roll in the granulated sugar to coat.
Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld and serve at room temperature.
