Laduree's Macarons ***

From Not So Humble Pie

The girls wanted to make macarons again.  This time we used this Laduree recipe I found on Not So Humble Pie  We decided to make the basic macaron shell and fill with rose buttercream, lemon curd and raspberry jam.  Once again I undermixed.  Also I used a different almond flour and the macarons were grainier.  I used King Arthur's Almond Flour the first time we made the macarons.  This time we used Trader Joe's Almond Flour.  The taste of the macarons was good which was great since this recipe made about 3 dozen cookies.  To save on time we used lemon curd and raspberry jam we already had.  To make the rose buttercream I just used a simple buttercream recipe and added a 1/2 teaspoon of rose water.

Laduree's Macarons Framboise 

Raspberry Macarons 
From Ladurée's Sucre: The Recipes 
Yields approximately 50-60 1" cookies

Macaron Shells 
275g (2 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp) ground almonds (almond flour)
250g (2 cups + 1 tbsp) confectioners (icing) sugar
210g (6 1/2) egg whites (I used fresh egg whites)
210g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
a few drops red or maroon food coloring gel 

Raspberry Jam Filling 
225g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
2 tsp powdered pectin
375g (3 cups) french raspberries
1/2 lemon 



Start by preparing the Jam. In a large bowl combine the sugar and pectin. In your blender or food processer, puree the fresh raspberries and then pour into a medium sauce pan. Over low heat bring the berries to just barely warm then add the sugar and pectin mixture and the juice from the half lemon. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for two minutes.

Pour the jam into a bowl and cover, allow to cool and then refrigerate until chilled.

(Note: It is perfectly okay to substitute your favorite store-bought or homemade jam to save on time. Pick a jam that is bursting with fresh flavor and isn't too runny.)

To make the macaron cookies. Preheat your oven to 300°F with an oven rack in the lower third (If your cookies tend to burst, move the rack higher. If your cookies tend to brown, move the rack lower).

Combine almond flour and confectioners sugar together in a food processer and blend thoroughly. Sift the mixture through a medium gauge sifter to remove any lumps or large pieces of almond and repeat until fine.

In a large clean dry mixing bowl, beat your egg whites until foamy and then slowly add the granulated sugar beating on medium speed. Once the sugar has disolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. Add the food coloring and beat briefly to combine.

With a large flat rubber spatula, fold one third of your sifted almond/sugar into the egg whites until combined. Repeat, until you've added all the almond mixture. How much mixing beyond incorporation is the tricky part to describe.

If you're used to my most recent macaron recipe, you'll find that this recipe needs a few strokes more mixing. The batter is thicker and packs a lot of air and if you don't deflate it during mixing your shells may have nipples or crack.

Pipe your cookies onto parchment or silicone baking mats (I used parchment and a Ateco round #11 tip) and then allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes. To prevent hollows, I recommend snatching one cookie from the oven and breaking it open prior to removing the cookie sheet. If the insides are still overly moist or molten, leave the cookies in the oven for 1-5minutes longer until the insides are set. This will prevent the insides from collapsing during cooling and forming hollows.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Fill the cookies with a small dollop of jam and then arrange in an air tight container. Refrigerate the cookies for a minimum of 24 hours to mature. Then bring to room temperature and serve.

Enjoy!