This recipe uses a blackberry and dark chocolate ganache to fill the purple macaron shells. Typically, ganache is made with cream and chocolate. However, instead of cream I’ve used blackberry puree. This can be more difficult as there is no fat, unlike cream which helps to combine with the chocolate. However the glucose and butter in the recipe are really important as they help to stabilise the ganache so that it doesn’t split.
I’ve bought blackberry puree for this recipe, but you can make the puree just as easily! All you need is fresh or frozen blackberries. Place the blackberries in a food processor or blend and blitz until liquid. Then sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds. Just make sure to have more blackberries that the amount of puree needed as you will lose some weight from the seeds. If you are struggling to find puree in the shops, you can find some on amazon for a really good price.
Ingredients for Macarons
This is the easy part! You’ll only need a few ingredients to make macarons. You will most likely have all of these ingredients!!
- Ground Almonds. The finer the better! You want to sieve the almonds until you get a fine-like powder. This will ensure your macarons won’t be bumpy and will be lovely and smooth and shiny.
- Icing Sugar: Icing sugar is used to thicken your macaron batter. You want to sieve the sugar also so you get a very fine powder.
- Caster Sugar: This is needed to make the Italian meringue for the batter.
- Egg Whites: You need to make sure that you weigh the egg whites carefully as 10g more can be too much!
- Food coloring (optional): If you want to color your macarons you’ll need just a few drops of food coloring.
What tools do you need to make macarons?
From the stand mixer to the piping bag to the oven you bake them in, your tools really matter when it comes to macarons.
- Kitchen Scale
- Standmixer
- Sifter
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Tray
- Piping bag
And obviously you’ll need a reliable oven to bake these french treats in. Macarons bake at a low temperature, so it’s super important that your oven temperature is accurate and consistent. If you aren’t sure how reliable your oven is, you can purchase an oven thermometer so you can regulate the temperature of the oven.
Blackberry and Chocolate Macarons
Equipment
- Thermometer
- Electric Whisk or Free Standing Mixer
Ingredients
For the Macarons
- 250 g Icing Sugar
- 250 g Ground Almonds
- 100 g Egg White
- 225 g Caster Sugar
- 60 ml Water
- 80 g Egg White
- 5 g Purple food colouring paste
For the Ganache
- 150 g Blackberry Puree
- 200 g Dark Chocolate
- 15 g Glucose
- 10 g Butter
Instructions
- Firstly make the ganache. In a pan, place the blackberry puree and glucose and bring to the boil.
- Melt the dark chocolate. Slowly add 2/3 of the hot blackberry puree to the chocolate. Mix together slowly so that the chocolate and the puree combine and starts to form a ganache. Continue to mix until it is smooth and shiny.
- Add the butter and stir until melted and mixed through.
- Place in a bowl and put in the fridge to set.
- Now for the macarons. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Sieve together the ground almonds and icing sugar and put into a bowl making sure they are completely mixed together.
- In a small jug, measure the 100g egg white with the colour. Whisk until the egg whites are completely purple
- Add this mixture into the almond mix. Using a spatula or scraper, mix until a stiff paste is formed and the colour is completely mixed through. At this point the colour should be very bright as it loses its colour whilst cooking, add more colour if necessary. Now leave this mixture until required later.
- In a free standing mixer or using an electric whisk, place the 80g egg whites in a bowl. Now place the water and sugar into a pan, and start to bring to the boil. Using a thermometer, cook until it reaches 121 degrees celsius. Whilst cooking the sugar, whisk the egg whites to a medium to stiff peak, then once the sugar is at temperature, slowly pour the sugar into the egg whites on a low speed. Increase the speed once the sugar is completely added. Whisk until cool.
- Now come back to the almond mixture. add the meringue to the mix, taking 1/3 at a time, fold slowly, making sure to mix thoroughly. Once all mixed together it should look smooth and shiny, and if you make a mark with a spoon through, it should disappear within 5 seconds.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a 10mm round nozzle with the mixture. Then pipe the macarons onto baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. Pipe to a 3cm diameter. Tap the tray onto a hard surface to remove any bubbles and to flatten them slightly.
- Leave the macarons outside for about 15-20 mins to ensure they have dried. You should be able to touch them without getting anything stuck on your fingers. Put into the oven for about 10-12 mins. They will be done when you can lift them off the paper easily.
- Pair the shells to others which are the same size and shape.
- Filling the shells is quite simple, place the ganache in a piping bag and pipe onto one of the pair and then placing the other on top of that. If the ganache is too hard, place the ganache into the microwave or over a bain marie to soften slightly.
- Leave them in the fridge to soften and for the flavours and texture to fuse together, ideally overnight but can be for 30 mins or so.
