Macarons are very popular little treats in Australia. What I love most about them is that they come in a wide range of colours and flavours – for everyone to love them! This recipe for milk chocolate macarons (with peanut butter centre) is the one I was given when I attended the MakMak Macaron baking class back in May 2015. It is a well-tested recipe to make the most perfect macarons at home! Give it a go and thank me later!
MILK CHOCOLATE MACARONS (WITH PEANUT BUTTER CENTRE)
Ingredients
- 144 g egg white (divided into 2 parts: 94 g and 50 g)
- 135 g almond meal
- 135 g pure icing sugar
- 252 g white sugar
- 62 g water
- 2g blue food colouring
- Crunchy peanut butter
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees C.
- Mix almond meal and pure icing sugar to combine then pass through a fine sieve. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine colouring and 50 g of egg whites. Add this mixture to the sieved ingredients and mix until it forms a homogeneous paste (macaronage).
- In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to boil and, using a sugar thermometer, cook until it reaches 118 degrees C (soft ball stage).
- When the syrup reaches 114 degrees C, start whisking the 94 g portion of egg whites.
- When the sugar reaches 118 degrees C, slowly pour it over the whisking egg whites. Continue to whisk until the meringue cools so that the bowl is warm to the touch (about 50 degrees C)
- Weigh out 192 g of the meringue. The remaining meringue is not required for this recipe.
- Add one-third of the 192 g of meringue to the macaronage and mix hard to incorporate. Add the remainder of the meringue and mix very gently.
- Put the batter into a pipping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
- Line baking trays with baking paper and pipe rounds of batter (around 4 cm in diameter) onto the trays, leaving 2 cm between each round.
- Tap the trays against the bench a few times to remove air bubbles and settle the batter.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
Check to see if the shells are done by gently touching it to see if it moves. If it still wobbles to the touch, bake for another minute. - Remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool.
- Remove the shells from the trays and baking paper.
- Pair each shell with a like-sized shell.
- Pipe the peanut butter in the centre of the shell.
- Pipe the chocolate ganache (115 g couverture chocolate, 100 g cream) around the peanut butter centre onto one shell and top with the matching shell.
