Guest Recipe: S'mores Macarons
Being that s'mores were invented as an easy camping treat, they generally aren't associated with elegance. Fair enough. But Naomi from Baker's Royale worked some magic and turned s'mores into macarons -- which are really one of the world's more elegant little sweet snacks.
Photo by Baker's Royale
S'more Macarons
Makes 35 cookies
Macaron cookie
135g egg whites
45g granulated sugar
30g graham cracker crust
215g powdered sugar
115g almond meal
Marshmallow frosting
5 large egg whites
11/2 cup sugar
Chocolate glaze
2/3 cups dark chocolate
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 tablespoons water, warm
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.
Trace out 1 inch circles on parchment and set this aside as a "master copy." Reserve two extra sheets of parchment and set aside.
Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and fit mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles.
Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes. Turn off mixer.
Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until finely crumbed. Add in remaining dry ingredients and process for two minutes and then push it through a fine mesh sieve to sift.
Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against the bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don't worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness.
Place master copy of drawn circles on a bake sheet and then place a sheet of parchment on top. Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe until batter reaches edge of circle. Remove master copy from underneath piped layer and place on second bake sheet and pipe remaining batter (remove master copy and save for future use).Take hold of each pan and give it quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and prevent cracked shells.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave shells to cool completely in pan. Shells will cleanly peel away from parchment when ready.
Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over--not on, (think bain marie style) simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.
Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until dipping consistency is reached.
Dip the top of one cookie and pipe filling on the middle of another cookie. Place chocolate dipped shell on top of another marshmallow filled cookie to create a sandwich effect.
Place fully assembled macaron on a fire proof surface and quickly torch edge of filling for a toasted marshmallow finish.
Want to make s'mores out in the wilderness? Check out these techniques for outdoors s'mores!
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