Candy Cane French Macaron

How cruel am I to show you those gorgeous candy cane macarons and not share the recipe? My friend at CookieHolic, her husband, and I made this batch for Christmas, and in all the hustle and bustle, I didn't take detailed in-process photos. But, I promise to one day explain the delicate process of making parisian macarons in more detail.

Credit for the basic macaron recipe goes to my fellow macaron-enthusiast, Kathleen, from Pinterest and her instructor, Clemence Gossett of The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica. Thank you so much to her for sharing!

A few details were tweaked, including the addition of cream of tartar, which according to her Lady Martha Stewart, duchess of culinary perfection, should be used since it helps to strengthen the meringue. Ok, let's dive in!

Candy Cane French Macarons

240 g confectioner's sugar
180 g almond flour
80 g granulated sugar
140 g egg whites (room temperature)
pinch of cream of tartar
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
2 drops of red gel food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Sift almond flour and confectioner's sugar together in bowl or mix in food processor to combine ingredients.
3. Whip egg whites at medium speed in stand mixer with whip attachment until foamy and wires of beater leave trails (1 - 2 minutes).
4. Add a pinch of tartar. Continue to whip and add 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar every 30 - 45 seconds until all 80 grams have been added. Continue whipping until meringue turns glossy and stiff in about 4 - 8 minutes. If you remove the whisk and turn it upside down, your meringue should form a stiff peak.
5. Combine half of the almond flour/sugar mixture with the meringue and mix it gently with a rubber spatula. Add the second half of the almond flour/sugar mixture, food coloring, if desired, and peppermint extract, and gently mix to combine batter. If you want strips of white and red, wait until the final mix of your spatula to add coloring.

6. Pipe batter into small circles onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silco mats. Tap cookie sheets against the table to release air bubbles.
7. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes until shell is dried and no longer tacky.
8. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until macaron is baked solid. You should be able to easily lift the macaron off the parchment paper without falling apart. Let cool on racks before piping buttercream filling onto each macaron.

Peppermint Buttercream

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
drop of peppermint extract
pinch of salt
1 cup candy canes, crushed

1. Whisk sugar and egg whites together until combined in a glass bowl over a sauce pan of boiling water at medium high heat. Whisk occasionally while simmering until mixture is hot to touch (4 - 6 minutes).
2. Remove from heat and transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk.
3. Whip at medium speed until mix becomes light white and cool to touch (4 - 6 minutes).
4. Reduce speed to low and add batter in small slices. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Add peppermint extract and a pinch of salt.
5. Pipe peppermint buttercream filling onto each macaron cookie and combine with another macaron of equal size to form a sandwich.
6. Crush candy canes with a slap chopper. If you forget you have a slap chopper like I did (sorry CookieHolic!), then layer candy canes between two pieces of parchment paper on cutting board and break with rolling pin. Thanks to the husband of CookieHolic's ingenuity on coming up with that method in a pinch.
7. Sprinkle candy canes on the buttercream and voila! Candy cane French macarons!

Rating of Difficulty: 4 out of 5. Macarons involve several special tools around the kitchen in order to be made right. You can make macarons without a scale to measure or without a food processor, but getting the same results will be more of a challenge. Admittedly these are finicky desserts. It helps to have experience making meringues and using a piping tool, but sometimes there are x factors which might change the final look of your macaron. The good news is that even if the macaron's appearance falls flat, it will still be an amazingly delicious cookie. Just give yourself time for practice and you'll get better with every attempt. Happy baking!

{Update: Complete Illustrated French Macaron Tutorial now complete!}