Back to Italian Method, but Better than Ever. No hollows, full, and not too sweet!

Hellooo and happy new year! If you guys knew me back in 2016, you'd know that I said that I was a convert of the French method. But as a baker, you always want to improve. However, I've tried a version of the Italian method that I have grown to love and my customers do love it as well. I would love to share with you my updated Italian method recipe, as well as the French which is used in my recently published book (in the next post).

For starters, I will just use the Vanilla Bean Macarons recipe. I have adapted it from Bouchon Bakery's cookbook. If you've ever tried Bouchon Bakery, their macarons are not too sweet, slightly chewy but melts in your mouth. Paired with my delicious, fluffy, and not too sweet new buttercream recipe, it becomes a crowd favorite.

What I do like about this recipe is that it isn't too sweet (personally) and that the shells come out smooth and with smaller feet. They also tend to dry a little faster than the French method. I also have some new tips to add to help speed up your macaron making process, which I will include in another post later. I did not include a recipe for only 1 dozen, because the macarons seems to not turn out as well when I split it up in small batches. The original recipe makes 4 dozen macarons, but I'm sure most don't want to make that many. So I included this recipe for 2 dozen.

So let's get to it!

Vanilla Bean Macaron Recipe (Italian Method 2)
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Servings: 24 completed macarons

A delightfully fluffy, delicious vanilla bean macaron that "is far from basic". Below are some vanilla bean macarons that I made for a special order and dyed them burgundy with a gold brush stroke. I also can give a more in depth tutorial on designs as well!

Ingredients:

• 112g almond flour
• 100g powdered sugar
• 50g egg whites (for mass)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 118g granulated sugar
• 79g water
• 45g egg whites (for the meringue)
• 226g unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 37g almond or whole milk
• 37g powdered sugar
• 7g vanilla bean paste

Instructions:

1. Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl. If almond flour is not finely ground, grind it together in a food processor.

2. Add the 50g egg whites and vanilla bean paste into the bowl, then mix together with a rubber spatula to create a paste (the mass).

3. Weigh out your 45g egg whites for the meringue and put it in the bowl of your stand or hand mixer (I recommend stand mixer).

4. In a small saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water, then boil at high heat, checking the temperature with a candy thermometer.
5. When the sugar reaches 230 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the mixer on to speed #5 and whip the egg whites with the whisk attachment of your stand or hand mixer until they are frothy and almost at soft peaks. At the same time, the sugar will be set to reach 248 degrees Fahrenheit while you are whipping the egg whites.

6. When the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the heat and bring it to the mixer. Drizzle the syrup down the side of the bowl into the whipped egg whites.

7. Turn up the speed to 7-8, and whip for another 3 minutes until the meringue reaches medium peaks that are shiny and soft yet firm. It is important that you do not overwhip or underwhip the egg whites at this stage, or your macarons will either be hollow or crack.


8. Once ready, add the whole meringue to the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture. Use your rubber spatula to fold the meringue with the mass by turning the bowl, then folding and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. This method is called the macaronage. Keep folding and turning the bowl and flattening the batter against the bottom of the bowl until your batter is thick but still flowing, like thick pancake batter. It is very important that you do not overmix or undermix the batter, as it will determine if your macarons are flat , hollow, or cracked. A good way to check if the batter is done is to lift up your spatula and see if the batter flows back into the bowl. If the batter does not disappear into itself in 15 seconds, then it is undermixed, so keep going. If it falls off the spatula at a medium rate and then disappears into the batter after 15 seconds, then it is ready. Do not go past this stage otherwise your macarons could crack, be flat, or will never form a skin on top which prevents cracking.

9. When the batter is done, prepare a piping bag and Wilton Tip #12, and unroll it into a mug or large cup to make it easier to pour in the batter. Pour the batter by using your spatula to guide the batter into the bag inside the mug, and then roll up the sides and twist the top to prevent any from coming out of the top. You want to make sure you don't hold the bag with the piping tip facing downwards, otherwise batter will spill out of your bag.


10. Prepare a baking sheet (I prefer Nordic Ware Baking Pans - Half Sheet Size) and a silicon mat or parchment paper lined with a circle template. Using your left hand, guide the piping bag to the mat and your right hand to squeeze out the batter, and pipe out 1.5-2" inch circles about 1 inch away from each other. To end each circle, flick the piping tip to the left so that it doesn't leave a "nipple".
11. Once finished piping them all out (this will take about 2 trays), use your hand or the kitchen counter to rap the trays a few times to flatten out the macarons and remove any air bubbles. This is also an important step because these can also make your macarons hollow or misshapen.

12. Now leave them in front of a fan to dry for about 30 minutes-1 hour. This helps to create the 'skin' on the macaron to prevent any cracking and so that they rise up to create a "foot" or the ruffle on the bottom of macarons. If it is humid, use a dehumidifer to absorb any moisture in the air. It is also important to preheat your oven to 320 degrees around this time so that it will be ready when your macarons are dry. You can tell if they are dry if they are matte, or you touch them and they do not stick to your finger.

13. When the macarons are dry, bake them in the oven for 11-12 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. In the summer for some reason I can bake them at 11 minutes, but in winter I need to bake them at 12 minutes or they will be too sticky inside.
14. After baking, let the macarons cool for 10-15 minutes. During this time, you can make the delicious filling!
15. To make the filling, make sure that your butter is very soft, at room temperature. If you do not have time, you can microwave 2 sticks of butter for about 15-18 seconds in the microwave, depending on your microwave's power.
16. Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand or hand mixer with the whisk attachment (I prefer stand mixer) and whip for about 2-3 minutes on high until it gets white and fluffy.
17. Add in the almond or dairy milk as well as the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste at the same time, then whisk on low speed for a minute just to get incorporated. Once incorporated, turn up the speed to high and whip for another 2-3 minutes. If it is separating or not coming together, the butter is either too cold or you have not whipped it long enough.

18. Now, we can assemble the macarons. Using the backside of your silicon mat or parchment paper, pop the macaron shells off and match them together.


19. To fill the macarons, use a piping bag to pipe an even swirl or dollop onto the underside of one macaron shell. With the matching macaron shell, sandwich it together while at the same time twisting and pushing it down a little so that the filling touches both sides evenly.



20. Once completed with all 24 macarons, you can store them in the fridge for 4-5 days or 1 month in the freezer for best taste. Macarons actually taste better the next day when the shell and filling has melded to create a crisp, yet moist texture as well as more prominent flavor. These turn out to be not hollow if you mix the batter correctly!:)

Below are some helpful tools that you can use in baking your macarons! I love amazon, it has everything you need and delivered right to your door.

2 Half Sheet Pans - $16.79

2 Macaron Baking Mats/Piping Bag/Tip - $19.79

Americolor 8 Gel Food Colors - $19.25

6 Reusable Piping Bags (for filling and piping) - $12.95

Candy Thermometer - $9.99

KitchenAid Stand Mixer - $259.00

KitchenAid Hand Mixer - $34.99

3 Rubber Spatulas - $8.99

3 Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls - $21.00

3 Cup Sifter - $6.36