Baking French macarons can be frustrating and challenging. There are no short cuts when it comes to baking these yummy little confections. Quality ingredients are important as well as measurement, techniques, and temperature. Luckily, I have gone through many trial and error (hundreds of batches) and found the perfect recipe to make those delightful little macarons in my favorite flavor - Salted Caramel.
To start, you will need a digital food scale to measure the ingredients precisely. Many recipes online don't tell you this but I find that a digital food scale is necessary if you want a consistent batter. The reason is this, eggs vary in sizes. Therefore, the volume will alter the moisture in your meringue when you combine it with the dry ingredients. Too much egg white will cause your batter to run and not set correctly. Too little egg white will cause the batter to dry out and crack while baking.
To make perfect macarons, you will need to watch a video demonstration using my ingredients below. The best demo I have seen is the one from thejoyofbaking.com because she is thorough. This video will help you understand the importance of mixing, folding and piping the macarons correctly. View the video by clicking here.
Chan's French Macaron Ingredients:
- 100 grams of Bob's Red Mill finely ground almond meal/flour
- 180 grams of confectioner sugar that contains corn starch
- 100 grams of "aged" (1-3 days old) egg white, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 25 grams of fine white sugar
- 3 drops of brown gel food color
Once you understand the techniques, use the salted caramel filling recipe below to fill the macarons into a cute little sandwich.
Chan's Salted Caramel Filling:
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of confectioner sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons of Trader Joe's Caramel Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
In an electric mixer, beat the butter using the flat beater until it is creamy. Add confectioner sugar, sea salt, caramel sauce and whipping cream. Beat until the filling is creamy. Let it cool in the fridge before piping.
Match up the macarons by sizes. This makes the sandwich look attractive. Pipe the filling from the middle out and stop at 3/4 fill. Sandwich the macarons together. Use the extra caramel sauce to drizzle over the finished macarons and sprinkle sea salt on top.
You are ready to devour these little perfections!
Enjoy!
Chan
