Revisited: Salted Butter Caramel Macarons
October 1, 2014
I didn't get the deep, dark, salted caramel flavor in my previous attempt HERE for fear of burning it. Since then, I've made caramel twice - the first batch I burned and the second one made it to these macarons here. The flavor is very, very similar to this salted caramel ice cream. So yep, I finally got the deep, dark flavor I was looking for, but then again, I'm not so sure I can replicate it. Hehe.
This is my tried-and-tested macaron recipe. Foolproof but I'm quite sure you already know about my browning issues and our apartment's evil oven. Browning aside, this recipe is reliable and damn near perfect!
French Macarons
Print Recipe
makes 20-24 macarons
Ingredients
For the macarons
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsps almond flour
- 2 large egg whites
- 5 tbsps granulated sugar
For the salted caramel filling
Make the salted butter caramel using THIS RECIPE and let cool in the fridge.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together twice. If you don't mind nubby macaron shells, you can skip this step. But if you want smooth macaron shells, make sure to sift two times.
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the granulated sugar. Whip until very stiff and firm. If you're using a KitchenAid mixer, whip on speed #4 for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to #6 and continue whipping for 2 minutes. Increase the speed again to #8 and continue whipping for an additional 2 minutes. And for good measure, increase the speed to #10 (the highest speed) and whip for 1 minute. And then you're done.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. Fold and fold until the batter is the same consistency as "molten lava." Not too thick, not too thin. The mixture should fall onto itself if dropped from a spoon and reincorporate with the rest of the mixture in less than 20 seconds.
- Scrape the batter into the pastry bag and pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
- Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons and let air bubbles out of the batter to prevent cracking. Let the macarons sit on the counter for 20 minutes or until the shells have set. When you press your finger on a macaron shell, the batter should not stick to your finger.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake them for 16 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.
- As soon as the salted butter is chilled, whip the caramel using a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Spread a bit of the whipped caramel on the inside of a macaron shell then sandwich with a similar-sized macaron shell. Repeat for the rest of the macarons.
- Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors and soften the crunch of the macarons. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. If you freeze them, defrost them in the unopened container, to avoid condensation which will make the macarons soggy.
0 comments