Peppermint Macarons

1. For the macarons: Prepare two 33 x 46 cm (13 x 18 inch) baking sheets with parchment paper placed over a stenciled form. Alternatively, you could use a stenciled nonstick baking liner placed on the baking sheet.

Place the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor and process for about 30-40 seconds. Pass the mixture through a sieve and transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside. The mixture should resemble talcum powder.

Place the egg whites and cream of tarter in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters on high until soft peaks form, then add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form and the mixture turns shiny. At this point, or a light base color, add a very tiny amount of food coloring gel. (You should be able to hold the bowl upside down and the egg whites will still cling to the bowl).

Using a rubber spatula, add the dry mixture into the egg whites in three separate additions, gently folding thoroughly after each addition. For the folding technique, scrape the spatula along the side of the bowl using an outward motion, then fold the spatula over. Be sure to cut into the middle of the mixture occasionally with the spatula. Continue until the ingredients are fully combined with the mixture still looking a bit grainy.

Using a dough scraper, continue mixing the macaron batter, pressing the flat edge of the scraper against the sides of the mixing bowl to release any air bubbles and to further incorporate the egg whites into the batter. Continue mixing until ʻribbonsʼ begin to fall off the edge of the scraper (you should be able to draw a figure 8 in the batter). The batter should appear smooth and satiny. (Caution: do not over-mix the batter; you should only need between 7-8 motions for this step).

Place the piping bag into a container and fold the upper edges over the top, fitting like a collar. Place a few drops of red food dye (or other color) into a bowl and dip a small brush into the dye. Starting from the bottom of the pastry bag, draw a thin line going from the nozzle to the top. The line should be thin and should not be solid. Draw a second thin line opposite the first, then fill the bag with the macaron batter. You should now see the streaks of dye inside the piping bag.

Pipe the batter onto the prepared parchment paper with the piping bag and nozzle pointing straight down towards the baking tray. Place the tip 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) above the tray and squeeze the pastry bag- the batter should ooze outward on its own and there is no need to move your arm around. After you have piped one macaron, stop squeezing the bag then transfer to the next circle. When finished, tap the tray 3-4 times on top of the table to release any air bubbles. Wait for 30-60 minutes until a skin begins to form on top of the macarons. When you touch the tops of the macarons, the batter should not stick to your finger. Meanwhile, prepare the Peppermint Butterceam filling.

For the Peppermint Buttercream filling: Place the softened butter in a bowl and cream with electric beaters until smooth and almost double in size. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar while beating, then add the peppermint extract and cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and creamy; add a little more cream or milk if the mixture is too dry. Cover and set aside at room temperature.

To bake and assemble the macarons: Bake the macarons until firm but not browned, about 13 minutes, at 154°C (310°F) in a fan-forced (convection) oven or 165°C (330°F) in a conventional oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the macaron shells from the parchment paper. Turn the shells over and then ‘marry them up’ in pairs, matching sizes. Pipe the peppermint filling on top of one shell then gently press the other shell on top. Place the cookies in an air-tight contained and cool in the fridge for 24 hours before eating. This gives enough time for the filling to absorb into the shells.