Sparkling Champagne Macarons
December 31, 2016
It is time to say farewell to 2016. This is the time when we should reflect on all of the wonderful memories we have made this year, and to looking forward to many more great celebrations with our loved ones in 2017. A few things that are memorable to me in 2016 were celebrating my parents' 40th anniversary, receving my dream car from the hubby for our 6th wedding anniversary, taking the kids to Disneyland and Disney Aulani for the first time, and best of all, making this blog live! On the other hand, a few things I would like to work on for 2017, are to spend more quality time with my parents (I cannot imagine life without them), to spend more alone time with my husband and kids (by sacraficing blogging time), to read more clinical journals to further my Pharmacy knowledge (I need to know more than patients, after all), and finally, to improve on my cooking and baking skills.
Whewww...I am going to be extremely busy with the above agendas to do. But, before all of these things take place, I am going to sit back and relax this entire evening (and weekend) and enjoying family and friends company. One thing I am sure to do is to hold my kids in one arm and these sparkling champagne macarons in the other while celebrating the New Year Eve tonight. And maybe sip those pink champagne I just purchased yesterday (or red wine as suggested by my husband). I am so excited to show off these beautiful golden, sparkly macarons to you. Each of them is handpainted with edible gold glitters. They are fun to make and can be mixed with any of your favorite champagne. These fancy spectacular goodies are the best to be munching on as we counting down the minutes to a new year. We are ready to say "HELLO 2017!"
In this post I will focus on sparkling champagne macarons. This is very similar to the basic Vanilla Macarons posting I did previously, with a slight twist to create a whole new flavor. For a complete detail with pictorials of how to make basic vanilla macarons, you may check out my Vanilla Macarons posting.
Whewww...I am going to be extremely busy with the above agendas to do. But, before all of these things take place, I am going to sit back and relax this entire evening (and weekend) and enjoying family and friends company. One thing I am sure to do is to hold my kids in one arm and these sparkling champagne macarons in the other while celebrating the New Year Eve tonight. And maybe sip those pink champagne I just purchased yesterday (or red wine as suggested by my husband). I am so excited to show off these beautiful golden, sparkly macarons to you. Each of them is handpainted with edible gold glitters. They are fun to make and can be mixed with any of your favorite champagne. These fancy spectacular goodies are the best to be munching on as we counting down the minutes to a new year. We are ready to say "HELLO 2017!"
In this post I will focus on sparkling champagne macarons. This is very similar to the basic Vanilla Macarons posting I did previously, with a slight twist to create a whole new flavor. For a complete detail with pictorials of how to make basic vanilla macarons, you may check out my Vanilla Macarons posting.
PREPARATION OF DRY INGREDIENTS
First, I weight all of the ingredients using a digital scale for accuracy. Once all of the ingredients are all weighted, I blend the almond flour and powder sugar together in my food processor for about 1 minute. This is to make the batter as smooth as possible. I finish this mixture by running it through the sieve twice and then set aside.
Tip 1: Blend and sift almond flour and powder sugar. Do NOT skip this step, as it is important to achieve that smooth look of the macaron shells
PREPARATION OF DRY INGREDIENTS
First, I weight all of the ingredients using a digital scale for accuracy. Once all of the ingredients are all weighted, I blend the almond flour and powder sugar together in my food processor for about 1 minute. This is to make the batter as smooth as possible. I finish this mixture by running it through the sieve twice and then set aside.
Tip 1: Blend and sift almond flour and powder sugar. Do NOT skip this step, as it is important to achieve that smooth look of the macaron shells
WHIPPING THE MERINGUE
In a standmixer, I start to whisk the room temperature egg whites. Using medium speed (no. 4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Without stopping the mixer, add a pinch of tartar and continue to beat the egg whites at the same speed until soft peak forms. I add granulated sugar when I starting to see the fainted lines appear on the mixture. Granulated sugar can be added all at once, or in 3 additions to ensure even mixing. Either method should not alter the batter.
Continue to beat the egg whites for 2 minutes at high speed (no. 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until stiff peak forms and the meringue becomes thick and shiny. Then, I add about 1/2 teaspoon of reduced sparkling champagne and whisk for another 30 seconds on the highest speed (no. 10 on a KitchenAid stand mixer).
To make reduced sparkling champagne, just pour 1 cup of your favorite champagne into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup.
Tip 2: to test for readiness, when turn the mixing bowl upside down over your head, the meringue does not fall off.
FOLDING THE BATTER
I like to gradually sift the dry ingredient into the meringue in 3 additions. Using a rubber spatula, I gently fold the batter starting from the bottom, up and around the sides with the clockwise pattern. Repeat this circular motion until the batter becomes smooth and glossy. I highly encourage you to count the number of folds to prevent overfolding the batter. It normally takes about 40-45 folds to get to the right ribbon-like consistency. The batter will become thinner as you fold. Do NOT stir the batter.
Tip 3: to test for readiness, lift the spatula up with some of the batter and let it fall. The thick "ribbon" should flow downward smoothly. The batter should also blend in together, leaving no marks or traces behind, within about 15 seconds.
PIPE THE SHELLS
To pipe the macaron shells. I pour the batter into a prepared fitted pastry bag with a round tip (Wilton no. 12), and pipe about 1 inch round. I use a printable template of circles and place it underneath the silicone mat to guide me in piping perfect rounds. Remove this template carefully once all of the shells have been piped. Do not forget to leave about an inch in between each shell.
Next, I tap the bottom of each baking tray against the counter for about 5-8 times to release big air bubbles. You can also remove big air bubbles using a toothpick. You need to do this quickly before the batter starts drying out. Leave these piped macarons to dry for about 20-30 minutes; the cookies are ready to bake when they are completely dry to touch.
Tip 4: resting macarons to dry is a crucial part to create those well-known "feet." This drying layer is to force the heat to escape through the bottom as it won't be able to escape through the top.
To pipe the macaron shells. I pour the batter into a prepared fitted pastry bag with a round tip (Wilton no. 12), and pipe about 1 inch round. I use a printable template of circles and place it underneath the silicone mat to guide me in piping perfect rounds. Remove this template carefully once all of the shells have been piped. Do not forget to leave about an inch in between each shell.
Next, I tap the bottom of each baking tray against the counter for about 5-8 times to release big air bubbles. You can also remove big air bubbles using a toothpick. You need to do this quickly before the batter starts drying out. Leave these piped macarons to dry for about 20-30 minutes; the cookies are ready to bake when they are completely dry to touch.
Tip 4: resting macarons to dry is a crucial part to create those well-known "feet." This drying layer is to force the heat to escape through the bottom as it won't be able to escape through the top.
BAKING MACARONS
Make sure the oven is preheated at 325 °F degrees (or 162 °C degrees). It is best to bake one sheet at a time at the lowest rack to prevent browning. Another tip you can try is to reduce the baking temperature down to 300 °F degrees and increase the baking time by 2-4 minutes. These cookies should start to rise about half-way through the baking time. At this time, you should also rotate the tray around to ensure even baking.
Remove the macarons from the oven at about 15-18 minutes. They are ready if the cookies come off the silicone mat or parchment paper easily. If they are still sticky, you need to pop them back in the oven for another minute or two. I suggest you stay nearby the oven to check for the readiness of these cookies. It is easy to overcook them thereby making them too crunchy. The perfect macaron should be crispy outside but chewy inside.
Once they are done, let them cool completely and sandwich them with sparkling champagne filling. To add an accent to these macarons for the New Year Eve celebration, I handpainted each with edible gold glitters. I use Vodka to mix with the glitters and paint on each macaron using a painting brush. You can create any designs that fit your event theme. Here, I write Happy New Year, 2017 and just paint half of the mini macarons in gold.
Craving for more? Check out my previous Red Velvet Macarons and Matcha Macarons recipes as well.
xoxo
Tristina
Sparkling Champagne Macarons Recipe
Make: 20-25 filled macarons
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
Sparkling Champagne French Buttercream Filling
Instructions
Macaron Shells
Sparkling Champagne French Buttercream Filling
*To make reduced sparkling champagne, heat 1 cup of your favorite champagne on the stove under medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup.
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 71 g of almond flour
- 115 g of powder sugar
- 50 g of granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon of sparkling champagne (any brand)
- Pinch of cream tartar
Sparkling Champagne French Buttercream Filling
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of reduced sparkling champagne*
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Blend powder sugar and almond flour and in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture twice and put aside.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy for about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form for about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar and increase to high speed and whisk until stiff peaks form for another 2 minutes. Add reduced sparkling champagne slowly and whisk for another 30 seconds on the highest speed.
- Sift flour mixture over the egg whites batter in 3 additions. Using a rubber spatula to fold the mixture until smooth and glossy (about 40-45 folds). The batter is done when it looks ribbon-like and should blend in within 15 seconds.
- Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip, and pipe 1 inch rounds on a double parchment-lined baking sheets or a silicone mat. Tap the bottom of each baking tray against the counter surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature until dry to touch at approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325° F degrees. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating halfway through until macarons are crisp for about 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and let macarons cool on sheet for 1-2 minutes.
Sparkling Champagne French Buttercream Filling
- In a mixing bowl with a whisk attached, beat egg yolks on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until a light yellow color.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and corn syrup. Heat without stirring until the thermometer reaches 230 degrees F.
- With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into a small stream into the egg yolks. Do this slowly to prevent curdle. Once all the sugar is in, turn the mixer on high speed and beat until the bowl reaches room temperature (no longer warm to touch) for approximately about 8 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of softened butter into the egg yolks slowly and mix well after each addition. Continue until all butter has been incorporated, for about 2 minutes.
- Add reduced sparlking champagne and vanilla extract and whisk again for about 1 minute or until achieve the desired consistency.
- Sandwich two same-size macarons using about 1 teaspoon of filling.
- Store in the fridge for about 1-2 days. Remove from the fridge at least 20 minutes before serving for the best taste.
*To make reduced sparkling champagne, heat 1 cup of your favorite champagne on the stove under medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup.
It is best to store macarons in the fridge for 2-3 days before serving. These wonderful cookies can last for about 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
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