First bake since starting work! It’s been a while since I made macarons, and matcha macarons are one of my favorite flavors to make. The bitterness from the matcha cuts the sweetness from macarons which most of us really enjoy. And I had been looking forward to making something using the matcha powder I stocked up from the recent grad trip to Hokkaido in June.
As always, it’s the same basic macaron recipe that’s my go-to default. I don’t use matcha powder for the shells as it may affect the rise, so I make up for it by adding more flavor to the buttercream filling. After all, macarons are best enjoyed after 24 hours of maturing so technically the flavor should have melded nicely. For the macaron shells, I’ve written tips in more detail with my Funfetti macarons (has some tips for baking macarons in humid weather), Salted Caramel Macarons, and tips for baking in bulk here. In general, if you can get a nice dried shell before baking, proper oven temperature, and a nice lava-like consistency after macaronage, you should be able to get non-hollows and good feet!
I wanted some crunch in the Matcha Buttercream, so actually used my Maltesers Buttercream as a base. Simply add in crushed maltesers to the buttercream and spam lots of matcha powder. The malt brings out an interesting flavor that gives the sweetness a bit more dimension instead of pure vanilla-green tea. Give it a try and enjoy!
Matcha Macarons
| Basic Macarons Shells adapted from How To Cook That
220g (7.76 ounces) or 1 3/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) Matcha Crunch Buttercream adapted from Cupcake Jemma: 1 Batch Swiss Meringue Buttercream |
To make Basic Macaron Shells
Preheat oven to 320F (160 degrees Celsius). Use a thermometer to be exactly precise. (I usually preheat the oven while I wait for macarons to dry) Sift together the icing sugar and almond meal using a coarse sieve (if you use a fine sieve the almond meal will not go through). Discard any gritty bits of almond meal that do not go through. Beat together the egg whites and caster sugar on high speed until they are stiff enough that you can turn the bowl upside down without them falling out. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the almond icing sugar mixture and fold in using a rubber spatula. Keep gently folding until the mixture looks like lava, it should have some movement but not be runny. While you are folding periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the spatula to make sure everything is mixed uniformly. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe small circles of mixture onto non-stick baking paper. Slide onto a baking tray and bang on the bench firmly several times on each side, sprinkle with raw sugar (optional) Allow to dry until a shell has formed around the macarons, and then place in the oven. Bake at 160 deg C until a foot has formed and the shells are crisp. This takes roughly 10 minutes for me. Try not to open the oven during the cooking process as this will cause a drop in oven temp and may make your macarons hollow. Cool and then gently peel off the baking paper (if you can’t do this easily the shells are not done yet) and pair similar sized shells. Sometimes I like to flip the macarons over to prevent hollows as it cools (not sure how effective it actually is but no harm) To Make Matcha Crunch Buttercream Make 1 batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream: In a large saucepan, place mixing bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Add egg whites and cups sugar and whisk together until frothy. Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (no granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch (or like the temperature of warm milk). Once bowl is at room temperature, switch to paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it is absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquidy at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated. Flavor buttercream by adding 1/3 cup (100g) of crushed Maltesers, and matcha powder to taste (used a lot). Pipe a dollop onto each macaron and add the lid. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours for macarons to mature before serving (very important!) |
My Dose of Sugar 