Raspberry Macaroons Recipes

RASPBERRY MACARONS

Steps:

• Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until soft peaks form. Whisk in the icing sugar in 3 or 4 batches, whisking well between each addition. Add a couple of drops of colouring with the final addition of sugar. Keep whisking until the mixture is light pink, with no streaks, and is thick and glossy, a bit like shaving foam.
• Using a large metal spoon, gently fold through the ground almonds. Cover 4 baking sheets with baking parchment and dab a little of the mixture in the corners of each sheet to secure paper. If you don't have enough baking sheets, make and cook half the quantity, then repeat. Use 2 spoons or a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle to make 40 circles, each about 5cm wide. Leave to sit out for about 10 mins until a skin starts to form.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Place the baking sheets in the oven, leaving the oven door slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, then bake for 20-25 mins until just crisp, but not browned. Leave to cool.
• When ready to serve, gently ease off the paper with a palette knife. Carefully spread 1 tsp raspberry jam per biscuit over half of the biscuits and 1 tsp mascarpone per biscuit over the other halves, then gently sandwich together.

RASPBERRY MACARONS

Steps:

• For the macaroon: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (preferably convection). Make an Italian meringue by combining sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat until it's 110 C (230 degrees F). At the same time, beat all the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on medium speed. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the macaroon ingredients by combining almond flour and powdered sugar together. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add all the egg whites. Mix by starting in the center and mixing towards the outside. Set aside. Finish the Italian meringue when the egg whites are at "soft peak" stage in the mixer by adding 1 teaspoon sugar and mixing 15 more seconds. Pour the heated sugar mixture into the beating egg whites, slowly to make the meringue. Continue beating until it's at room temperature, 5 more minutes.
• When the meringue is at room temperature, combine it with the almond paste mixture, a third at a time. Continue to add meringue until the batter forms ribbons. The mixture shouldn't be too stiff or too loose and you may not need all of the meringue. Using the tip of a knife, add a small amount of food coloring, a little at a time. Place macaroon mixture into a piping bag and squeeze a little into the bowl to remove air at the tip. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, then draw rings on the paper to use as guides for the macaroon size. Pipe onto the baking sheet by starting in the center and pushing up, staying inside the ring. Repeat until all of the rings are filled. Bake 12 minutes until shiny with a little "neck" on the outside.
• For the buttercream: In a saucepan over high heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil until thermometer reaches 120 degrees C. Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high. When egg whites are firm and sugar syrup has reached 120 degrees C, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites and continue beating until it cools down to room temperature, 5 minutes. Slow down the mixer and add butter, a little at a time. If at any point the mixture looks broken, increase the speed and beat to re-emulsify it, then reduce the speed and continue adding the butter. Continue whipping until it's the texture of butter cream. If the buttercream is too loose to hold it's shape, it should be refrigerated for up to a few hours to harden, then beaten again to return to the proper consistency. Place 1 cup of butter cream into a bowl and fold in the jam. Place the buttercream into a piping bag with tip and pipe the cream onto the center of a macaroon (using the same technique as the macaroons). Sandwich together and enjoy. Note: The buttercream can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month; defrost frozen buttercream in the refrigerator before using. Thirty minutes before using the buttercream, place it in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and allow to soften. Then mix on low speed to return the buttercream to the proper consistency.

RASPBERRY MACARONS

Steps:

• Pulse confectioners' sugar and flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low; add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high; whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites; fold until smooth and shiny. Fold in puree and food coloring.
• Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip; pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging tip to sides rather than forming peaks. Tap sheets on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.
• Let cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. (If sticking, spray water between parchment and hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)
• Sandwich 2 macarons with 1 teaspoon jam.

RASPBERRY THUMBPRINT MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large bowl until combined; fold in the coconut.
• Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture about 1 inch apart onto the baking sheet. Use your fingers to form into pyramids; bake 10 minutes. Make an indentation in each cookie using the back of a teaspoon; fill each with the raspberry jam, then continue baking until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 15 more minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

RASPBERRY MACAROONS IN CHOCOLATE SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine coconut, granulated sugar, egg white, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined, scraping down sides of bowl, if necessary. Add raspberries and pulse until just incorporated. (Do not overprocess.)
• Scoop mounds of coconut mixture 1 inch apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using a 1/2-ounce (1 1/4-inch) ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to form small mounds.
• Bake until macaroons are lightly golden, 28 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer macaroons to a wire rack and let cool.
• Place chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted. Add coconut oil, stirring until combined, then remove from heat.
• Dip bottoms of macaroons in chocolate or completely cover with chocolate, transferring as dipped to a wax-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Garnish as desired while still warm, then refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Serve chilled.

RASPBERRY MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degree Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl; beat egg whites with salt until foamy.
• Add mixture of gelatin and sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• (I have also used a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with cooking spray) Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
• Turn oven off.
• Let stand in closed oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire racks.

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE FRENCH MACAROONS

Steps:

• Make macaroons:
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Pulse almonds with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Sift in remaining cup confectioners sugar, stirring to combine.
• Beat egg whites with salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks. Add drops of food coloring to reach desired shade and mix at low speed until evenly combined. Stir almond mixture into meringue with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate.)
• Spoon batter into bag, pressing out excess air, and snip off 1 corner of plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening. Twist bag firmly just above batter, then pipe peaked mounds of batter (the size of a chocolate kiss) onto lined sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Let cookies stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and edges are just slightly darker, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on sheets on racks, about 30 minutes.
• Make ganache while macaroons bake:
• Melt chocolate with cream in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water or in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (Bowl should not touch water.) Remove bowl from heat, then add butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.
• Assemble cookies:
• Carefully peel cookies from parchment (they will be fragile). Sandwich a thin layer of ganache (about 1/2 teaspoon) between flat sides of cookies.