It’s come to that time of the year where we celebrate the Lenten season of Easter. For us older kids, its a time of reflection and for the young ones, well its about all things sweet and the Easter Bunny!
This year I decided to tackle the finicky and fragile macarons in the shape of an Easter egg. Technically macarons are hard to master and takes practice but nevertheless they are fun to make and an easy dessert for the kids to indulge in minus the mess. Four ingredients are all it takes to create the macaron shell and three ingredients for the filling. Lets get started!
Easter Eggs Macarons (makes 24)
Ingredients
1 cup of icing sugar
1 cup of grounded almonds
2 medium size eggs (separated and room temp)
1/4 cup caster sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
- Sift together the icing sugar and grounded almonds into a bowl. If there are leftover grounded almonds that can’t sieve through, just discard it away. We want the mixture to be fine and powdery.
- In a mixing bowl, add in the egg whites and a pinch of salt. Remember this step is very important, as the eggs must be room temperature. If your eggs are cold, dunk them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Mix the eggs whites and salt on a high speed with a whisk attachment until it becomes foamy. Add in your sugar slowly until it reaches to stiff glossy peaks. This takes about 4 minutes.
- Now comes the next important step. Throw in half the sugar almond mixture and fold it in gently then add in the remaining mixture. Remember to be gentle while folding the macaron mixture. Fold it all in until you get a lava like texture. You will know its ready when you lift your spatula and the mixture falls into ribbons. This takes some practice but you will get the hang of it.
- Divide your mixture into 3 bowls and colour it into your favourite colours. Colour it slightly darker then you like it will lighten once baked.
- Put them into piping bags with a round tip and pipe them into egg shapes. I have provided a template for you to print. Put the template under a sheet of baking paper or baking tray. If you have a silicon mat like I do then go ahead and use that and freehand the egg shape. It took me a few tries to get the correct egg shape but don’t fret about getting it perfect. Eggs come in all shapes and sizes.
- Once your shells have been piped, tap your baking sheets on your surface to release any air bubbles. You may also use a toothpick to prick the air bubbles.
- Leave them to dry for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up before baking them in the oven. Once its dry to the touch, put the sheets in a 140 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the silicon mat or baking paper with the shells to a cooling rack to cool completely. You will risk cracking the macarons if you try to remove them while its still warm.
- While your shells are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes then whisk it together until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and mix. Let the ganache cool completely and sit for a few hours until it turn into a spreadable consistency. (You made do this in advance if you like before baking the macarons)
- Before assembling the macarons, try to match up the pairs that are the closest in size. Put a small dollop of ganache in the centre of the shell and then use the other shell and gently press it down.
And voila! Yummy easter egg macarons for adults and kids to enjoy. If you like you may use edible ink pens or royal icing to decorate it but personally for me I love it rustic and simple. Not long after the photo was taken, it was devoured by my daughters and nephew.
Remember don’t fret and don’t expect it to turn out perfectly if you are a newbie to macarons. Practice always makes perfect and most importantly have fun with it!
Happy Easter Mummies!
May Wan can be found on Instagram here, or follow her on Facebook here.
