Salted Caramel Macarons
What better way to symbolize French elegance than with a salted caramel macaron recipe? Renowned for their delicate texture and irresistible taste, those delicate and colorful treats have fascinated people worldwide for decades.
Equipment
- Piping Bag
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
For the Macarons
- 100 grams almond flour
- 100 grams icing sugar
- 100 grams egg whites around 3 egg whites
- 80 grams granulated sugar
For the Salted Caramel Filling
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 40 grams water
- 200 grams heavy cream 30-35% at room temperature
- 80 grams unsalted butter
- Pinch of fleur de sel
Instructions
Macarons
- Begin by lining a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Sift together almond flour and icing sugar, ensuring a fine consistency. Make sure it matches the initial weight and set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, combine egg whites and granulated sugar.
- Create a double boiler setup by placing a bowl over a pot with barely simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk until the sugar is completely melted and the mixture is slightly hot to the touch. This should take a couple of minutes.
- Transfer the mixture directly to the stand mixer and whip on medium speed using the whisk attachment for 8-10 minutes, until stiff peaks form. (If you wish to incorporate food coloring, add it at this stage.)
- Gently fold the meringue into the dry ingredients mixture in three increments, using a technique known as macaronage. The first addition should be more vigorous, but the next additions should be handled delicately. Scrape the sides of the bowl and fold the batter onto itself with a rubber spatula until it reaches the desired consistency—it should fall off the spatula effortlessly like a ribbon without being too liquid. Try to avoid over mixing.
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a half-inch opening.
- Pipe the macarons onto the prepared baking tray at a 90-degree angle, leaving enough space between each one as they will spread during baking. Tap the baking sheet on the counter three times to release any air bubbles.
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Allow the macarons to air dry for approximately 30 minutes, depending on the humidity of the room, until they are dry to the touch.
- Bake the macarons for 13 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
- Once baked, allow the macarons to cool completely before carefully removing them from the parchment paper.
Whipped Salted Butter Caramel Filling
- In a saucepan, heat the sugar and water until it reaches a rich caramel color.
- Carefully add the heavy cream to the caramel in several additions, as it will splatter. Stir in the butter, cut into small pieces, and allow the mixture to simmer for a minute.
- Pour the caramel into a bowl, cover it, and let it cool - overnight, preferably.
- Once the caramel has set and cooled completely, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip it on medium speed until it becomes light, fluffy, and slightly lighter in color. Be cautious not to over mix.
- Store the whipped salted butter caramel in the refrigerator for a few days or use it immediately by piping it onto the macaron shells.
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