Orange Macaroons Recipes

CHOCOLATE MACARONS WITH ORANGE GANACHE

Steps:

• For cookies:
• Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 3 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Pulse 1 cup powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor until nuts are very finely ground (but not to a paste), 60-90 seconds. Add cocoa powder and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar; process to blend well. Sift mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard larger almond pieces remaining in strainer (if more than 1 tablespoon remains, pulse nuts again in processor and re-sift).
• Using an electric mixer, beat 1/3 cup egg whites in a medium bowl on medium speed until white and frothy, about 1 minute. With mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add sugar by tablespoonfuls. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until firm peaks form.
• Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons egg whites. Fold meringue into dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing well between additions.
• Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" tip. (Alternatively, spoon into a plastic freezer bag, then cut 1/4" off a corner of bag.) Twist top of bag and pipe quarter size rounds onto 2 of the 3 prepared baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Let stand until tops appear dry, about 10 minutes.
• Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through baking, until puffed and dry, about 16 minutes. Slide cookies on parchment onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter on third baking sheet.
• For ganache:
• Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; stir in orange zest, cloves, allspice, and salt. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and butter; whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Spoon ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" tip. (Alternatively, spoon into a plastic freezer bag, then cut 1/4" off a corner of bag.) Twist top of bag and pipe about 1 teaspoon ganache onto flat side of 1 cookie, leaving 1/4"-1/8" plain border. Top with a second cookie, flat side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies and ganache. Brush tops with gold dust, if desired. Layer in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let return to room temperature before serving.

ORANGE COCONUT MACAROONS DRIZZLED IN CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix flaked coconut, sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl.
• Place egg whites and salt in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into the coconut mixture. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the lined baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, about 90 seconds.
• Dip the bottom of the cooled macaroons into the melted chocolate and set back on the parchment paper. Drizzle remaining chocolate on top. Cool until chocolate hardens, about 10 minutes.

ALMOND ORANGE MACAROONS

Steps:

• Place the oven rack in the lowest position possible in your oven.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar, confectioners' sugar, orange zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor together with the steel knife.
• Grind the zest very find with the sugar.
• This will usually take 3 20-second whirls of the processor.
• Scrape the work bowl with a spatula in between whirls and stir up the sugar mixture.
• Scatter the diced almond paste evenly over the sugar mixture and give the processor about two more 10 seconds whirls.
• The texture should be like coarse meal.
• Again, scrape the work bowl in between whirls.
• Add the egg whites and mix with about two 5 second whirls.
• Don't forget to scrape the bowl at half-time.
• Remove the steel knife and set aside.
• Working directly from the food processor bowl, scoop up the dough in rounded 1/2 teaspoonfuls and drop onto the parchment lined baking sheets.
• Space the cookies about 2 inches apart, these babies really spread as they bake.
• Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until lightly browned and crackly on top, about 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the cookies together with the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool.
• To remove the cooled cookies from the paper, loosen them carefully around the edges with a spatula, using short strokes.
• These are not brittle cookies, and you should get the hang of it soon enough.
• You can layer the macaroons between sheets of wax paper in an airtight Tupperware, and store them in a cool, dry spot.

BLOOD ORANGE MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar and almonds in a food processor and pulse until powdery. Sift through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding any large pieces.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the mixer speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the food coloring. Sift the almond mixture into the bowl and add the orange zest. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until the batter slowly drips off the spatula (it will still be thick).
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe about sixteen 1 1/2-inch circles, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto each prepared baking sheet. Tap the baking sheets against the counter to release any air bubbles, then use a damp finger to smooth any peaks of batter. Let stand at room temperature until shiny and dry, about 15 minutes.
• Bake 1 pan at a time, rotating it halfway through, until the macaroons are slightly crisp and the bottoms release from the parchment, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. Sandwich the macarons with a thin layer of jelly.

PINCHED ORANGE MACAROONS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Beat 1 egg white, the almond paste, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and orange zest, and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar, and roll into two 3/4-inch-thick logs, about 18 inches long. Cut each log crosswise into thirty 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Lightly beat remaining egg white. Brush onto each dough ball, and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely. (Macaroons can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.)

ORANGE-COCONUT MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Process granulated sugar and orange zest in a food processor until combined, about 3 minutes. Add almond paste; process 1 minute. Add egg whites, orange juice, confectioners' sugar, flour, half of the coconut, and the salt; process 1 minute. Remove blade, scraping batter into bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in remaining coconut.
• Drop rounded teaspoons of batter on to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake macaroons until the edges start to turn brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer parchment and macaroons to a wire rack; let cool completely.

ORANGE COCONUT MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the coconut in a medium bowl. Wash and zest the oranges and mince the zest well. Squeeze the juice from the oranges, strain, and sprinkle half of it over the coconut. Toss well. Gradually sprinkle on more orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, tossing well with the coconut. Stop adding juice when the coconut is just moist enough to hold a snowball. Do not overmoisten. Mix in grated orange zest and set aside.
• Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until opaque and loosely foamy. Increase speed to high and add sugar in a slow stream down the side of the bowl, beating until stiff and shiny. Remove from machine and fold in the coconut. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets and form each into a little mound with moistened fingers. Bake at 325 for 1012 minutes until cookies are set and tips are browned. Remove from oven and let cool on rack in pans for 5 minutes, then use spatula to remove cookies from pans and let cool directly on rack. When cookies are cool, melt chocolate in small metal bowl over gently simmering water. Dip bottom of each cookie into melted chocolate and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment of wax paper. Allow chocolate harden and then serve.