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The latest challenge over at Mactweets is to make macarons that capture the colors and favors of the holiday season.
I’v already contributed Orange Macarons with Aperol Buttercream and Galanga Macarons with Crunchy Speculoos Cream filling. This spearmint/vanilla combo is my latest and last macaron for the month. It’s about time I gave it a rest already.
I dumped poor peppermint for sexy spearmint years ago. It’s become one of my favorite flavors so it was only a matter of time before it made it into a macaron on this blog.
These fun and festive macs will be making their way to a brunch this weekend spreading holiday maccheer.
Vanilla Spearmint Macarons
For the Vanilla Shells:
I used the Tartelette’s basic recipe. Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements.
Ingredients:
- 90 grams egg whites – aged at least 2 days. Let them sit out on the counter uncovered.
- 25-50 grams of fine granulated sugar
- 200 grams of powdered sugar (minus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon ground vanilla beans
- 110 Grams of almond flour*
- Powdered green food coloring
*You can buy almond flour that has been ground with or without the skin. I use the later (blanched). The former looks really nice if you are not coloring the shells. You can also grind your own almond flour by putting whole or sliced almonds in a food processor or blender. If you do, make sure you throw a little of the powdered sugar in to prevent the almonds from forming a paste.
Directions:
- Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour and ground vanilla beans together or pulse them together briefly in a food processor. Make sure there are no large pieces.
- Whip the egg whites. When they start to get foamy, slowly add the sugar. Continue whipping until you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing slides out. (I also add a pinch each of salt and cream of tartar)
- Add the powdered sugar/almond/vanilla bean mixture to the egg white mixture and fold, using quick strokes at first then slow down. No more than 50 strokes all together. The batter should have a “flowing like lava” consistency. About halfway through add the powdered food coloring.
- Fill a Pastry bag and pipe circles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or on a Silpat.
- Let the macarons dry for about one hour until they harden.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- I keep the oven door propped open with a dish towel or wooden spoon. Try to refrain from obsessive peeping to see if they get feet.
- Let cool completely and then match up the shells into pairs according to size.
For the Spearmint filling:
Ingredients:
- 1/4 stick butter room temperature
- 1/8 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon spearmint extract (I used a few drops of LorAnn spearmint oil)
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
- Beat the butter, milk and extract with one cup of the powdered sugar.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Spoon the frosting in to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Stand it up in a tall glass and fill the bag.
- Pipe the filling onto one macaron shell and sandwich together with the other.
For the snowflake decorations:
Tools:
- Thin paintbrush
- White food coloring
- White disco dust (I used and iridescent one with a green sheen)
Directions:
- Dip the tip of the brush into the white food coloring and paint the snowflake shape on the shell.
- Dip the brush into the disco dust and gently apply it on top of the drawn snowflake.
15 comments
[…] year. Great idea and thanks, Mum – but they were so small and fiddly to use and kept curling. Now Lora, aka The Mad Hausfrau had a great arty crafty technique of painting on snowflakes with white food colouring directly on […]
Just what I love about you Lora…the energy, the enthusiasm and the fun in every bite. You don't call yourself 'mad hausfrau' for nothing eh? Thanks for making this holiday season so fabulous! Hugs!!
You've got macaron mad this season…and I'm so pleased, they're all gorgeous! Really interesting flavours – I'm inspired to try some more of my own this weekend.
You're always so great with macarons. It's more fun to see your versions rather than attempting to make them. 🙂
What a fun idea of painting snowflake on top!
I'm in awe of your beautiful macarons every time you post about them. The fact that you hand-painted your snowflakes on these delicious sounding and looking ones blows me away.
As always, stunning macarons! The painted snowflakes are so beautiful! I would have to cherish them a bit before I bit into that vanilla-spearmint goodness! Those are holiday 'kissing' macs 😉
These are beautiful! And spearmint? Mmmm! Don't often see that in baking. A nice surprise!
These are absolutely beautiful Lora! Very spectacular. I tried baking a huge batch of macarons a couple of days ago and must have accidentally miscalculated something because I had a massive macaron fail. So frustrating. Will keep this disco dust idea in mind if I get a successful batch 🙂
I love the glittery white snowflakes against the green macarons! These look so delightful. I'm sure they will take holiday "maccheer" with them wherever they go.
These look so good! I love spearmint too!
I wish you lived closer. I would insist you teach me. You should call your blog beauty queened baked goods. Always so pretty.
MMM… I can smell the minty filling from here!
Lora, this is so much fun. Love their colour and with your artwork, too. Wonderful name of disco dust! Sure is macaron fever with these. Amazing!
Sexy spearment? Disco dust? Oh even without the gorgeous snowflakes I already love these macs! You are always so creative and original and these are wonderful! Minty, snowy, these are perfect! Always love having your macs in our roundup!!