Wednesday, January 9, 2013

brown sugar salted caramel macarons

Brown Sugar Salted Caramel French Macarons via design. bake. run.

who doesn't love salted caramel? i know i do!

so i decided to be a tad adventurous with my usual macaron recipe. instead of your good old white sugar, i went for the brown one instead. and what do you know? the brown sugar works just fine too! in fact, they actually give you a nice tint of brown to the shells and that sweet butterscotch-y flavor. it's really good, i must say. the added salted caramel filling is just scrumptious.

below's the recipe should you be interested. let me know how yours turn out if you do make them. happy baking and eating! :)

Brown Sugar Salted Caramel French Macarons via design. bake. run.
the brown sugar substitution give these macarons a nice butterscotch flavor. and to top it off with the salted caramel filling is just divine.

Brown Sugar French Macarons with Salted Caramel via design. bake. run.
these macarons make for the perfect gift, for anyone and any occasion. :)

brown sugar salted caramel french macarons

ingredients:

macaron batter:
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed

salted caramel filling:
1 bag of kraft caramel bits
2 tablespoons of milk (you can use water too)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 cups powdered sugar (optional, i use this to thicken my caramel a bit)

directions:

to make the macaron batter/shells:
  1. line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
  2. sift together the powdered sugar and almond meal so there are no lumps. set aside.
  3. in the bowl of a standing electric mixer (or if you prefer, you can use a bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. while whipping, beat in the brown sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
  4. carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. when the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).
  5. pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1.35-inch circles evenly spaced one-inch apart.
  6. rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. then let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes depending on humidity before baking them in the oven. about 10-15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. bake for 15 minutes.
  7. once macaron shells are out of the oven, let them sit for 30-60 seconds before removing the hot baking sheet underneath. let the macarons cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper.

for the salted caramel filling:
  1. put the caramel bits with the milk and sea salt in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes (i usually do it in 30 second increments).
  2. once it looks like the bits are melted or soft enough to stir, take it out and stir until everything is fully incorporated.
  3. let it cool until it's thick enough to spread. if it's still too runny, it's not ready yet. at this point, you can add in the powdered sugar to thicken up the mixture so you can use it quicker if you like. otherwise, i say hang out for a bit until it's ready. of course, if you've gone too long and the mixture is too stiff to spread, you can pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it.

to assemble the macaron cookies:
  1. before assembling these cookies, make sure to pair up all the cookie shells so they are as close as possible in size.
  2. using a knife, spread a good amount of the salted caramel on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together.
  3. let them stand at least one day (keep them refrigerated) before serving (serve at room temperature), to meld the flavors.

store in airtight container for up to 5 days. makes 20-24 macarons. happy eating because these are really, really, good! :)

6 comments:

  1. These sound surprisingly simple! We were first introduce to macarons in Paris and loved them. It'll be nice to make them at home. Thanks!

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  2. I can't get the meringue to stiffen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. When did you add in your sugar? It's important that you don't add in your sugar too early. You want to make sure your egg whites turns very foamy and just almost to a meringue state before adding in the brown sugar. So soft peaks. That way once you add the sugar in you won't need to beat too long for it to fully stiffen. Also, it's very important that your bowl is clean before beating the egg whites. Good luck. I hope you got it working okay!

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  3. Hello! I just wanted to say I made these and they are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! That's great to hear. I'm glad you were able to make these and enjoyed them. :)

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  4. hi!
    i want to ask about the caramel.
    1. does it stand in place when u piped it? i mean does it not dripping at room temperature?

    2. does the caramel harden or firm in the fridge?

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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