Pistachio Macarons recipe, Step by Step and Tips

Selam everybody.... Merhaba from Turkiye 😃

Today's post again is part of my journey (read; adventure) of macarons... I think I'm in heart to these tiny little sweet. I mean, who doesn't? And also they are too cute and pretty much "photogenic"..(^,^).. you know what I mean.... They are just perfectly beautiful in front of camera. I always love to add some cute and girly properties for them... I think they match each other (^,^)

Well, I'm not photographer.... but I always love to present what I made in my little kitchen look genuinely scrumptious for my readers because that's what food photography about-at least that's what I believe. And you must try the recipe to experience the taste.

And back to macarons topic... many of my friends said they they are afraid to bake them because they said it's tricky and mostly end up with failure.
Believe me, I'd been there before! Before I got "success story" on baking macarons... I was like my friends before... If I'm not mistake calculate maybe I failed baking this macarons about 4 or 5 or 6 times since 2 years ago.

I am not master of macarons but here I add my note during my learning baking this lovely sandwich cookies for you who want to have success story in macarons (^,^)
To mastering something, we must really pay attention to every detail to achieve our goal. My note will be longer (or even update) next time if I found something new when I bake another macarons... I am also learner here friends... so let's learn together (^,^)

Do it ahead:
This step for some people is an optional. Maybe since they already purchase "macarons baking mat" with ready circles on it. Or some people just accustomed bake macarons like hundred times (^,^) . 
But for me who want my macarons have precise size I always do this step. Draw some circle over white paper like picture below. The circle should have about 4 or 5 cm in diameter with about 2,5~3 cm space in between. Of course if you wanna your macarons bigger or smaller, draw in diameter as you want. You can keep this paper for later you bake another batch of macarons.

Before you start turn on your mixer, just put this paper under your baking paper like so. Just remember to slide off that paper before baking.

Now, prepare all your ingredients....
Make about 25~30 pair (Depending how big you pipe your macarons)

For macarons shells:

• 80 gr egg white- this time I use fresh egg white, aged one works perfect, ROOM TEMPERATURE
• pinch of salt
• 60 gr caster sugar
• 140 gr icing sugar
• 50 gr pistachio meal/ flour, more for sprinkle on top later.
• 35 gr almond meal/ flour
• gel food color, green and yellow

After you ready with everything above, let's start to make Macarons shells:

Put pistachio flour, almond flour and icing sugar in food processor and process for about 4 minute or so until you get powdery mixture. Scrap down with spatula to evenly fine the mixture and start process again until you get fine powdery mixture.

Then sieve twice or three times into a bowl, press with back of the spoon until you get fine mixture. Set a side.

Note : 

sift the dry ingredients a few times to aerate the mixture and  for remove any big chunks of almond or pistachio flour to make smooth macarons cookie shells.

Powdery pistachio,almond and icing sugar after sifted.

İn clean mixing glass/ metal bowl (do not use plastic bowl) whisk egg white with pinch of salt just until foamy. 

Note to success:

It's important to keep your mixing bowl and utensil grease-free cause meringue very very very hate oil-even just a touch of it! Plastic bowl has risk with grease even after you clean them. I always avoid to use plastic mixing bowl.

After foamy like figure above, gradually beat in caster sugar one spoon at a time. Continuously whisk between each addition.

Continue to whisk until glossy and stiff peak. If you invert the bowl, the egg white will against the gravitation (^,^)...it won't drop down.

Glossy and hard peak egg white

After you get stiff and glossy egg white, turn you mixer at medium speed, whisk in green and yellow gel color, whisk just until combine.

I should add more yellow color , next time

Carefully mix in 1/3 almond mixture to the white, fold until well blended. 

Making macarons is all about technique, and it’s important to learn the folding technique right from the start. At the beginning the batter is quite thick, but it’ll get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to over-mix, or the batter will get too runny and the cookies will spread too much. Overmixing also results in hollow macarons. And don’t be tempted to undermix the batter to avoid overmixing, because then the macarons won’t have smooth top and won’t have pretty ruffled bottom.

Combined but still undermix

Then add remaining almond mixture. Fold nicely to well combine. The batter should has lava consistency.

I have around 2 cm round tip here, but you can go bigger than mine.                    

yes... that's my fingers (^,^)

I twisted near the end and secure with a clamp---hehehhe... never mind my big laundry clamp... you can use paper clamp or something smaller (^,^)

Put your piping bag inside a measurement glass or anything fit and pour macarons batter into it, it is an easy way to move your batter from a mixing bowl. Shake and lightly bang into counter to remove air in the bag (If you use glass, careful doing it .. ^,^ )

And here my little assistant showing you that macarons batter ready to pipe (^,^)

After you pipe all batter, bang that baking tray few time to remove air which might trap in the batter, and helps the batter flat. Do it to each side of your baking tray.

İf you see some obvious bubble in surface of your macarons you can puncture it with toothpick. Let them sit for about 45 to 60 minute (depend on your local humidity and temperature) or until they dry on surface (when you gently touch it surface, it will not stick in your finger). 

Sprinkle with pistachio.

Note:

Make sure to dried your macarons before baking. It can take from 30 min up to couple hours, depending on the humidity. For example, when I bake my macarons in winter it took approximately 50 to 60 minutes, Longer time than I bake in summer day. If you don’t dry the shells prior to baking, your macarons won’t have those pretty crown/ feet.

Pre heat your oven at 140 to 150 Celsius ( İ turned on my fan also) few minute before baking time (from those drying time). Bake about 15 to 20 minute. You can turn over tray to make even baking after 15 minutes. Test them 1st before you take from oven by press them gently, if it's strong and hard enough they should be okay.
Cool them completely before remove from parchment paper.
İf you want to filling and serve later, keep them in zip lock bag and keep in fridge.

For this batch I got cracking problem in some of my macarons, mostly they are at side of my baking tray. I got about 5 or 6 pieces with this crack problem. It's probably because still there was air trap--since they are at edge side, so "banging tray" effect didn't affect at side as much as middle side.

crack problem

Actually I wanted to make white chocolate with pistachio flavor for the filling. But when I search in my fridge I couldn't find any...hhhhh... bit disappoint. But when I taste my pistachio macarons with this dark chocolate 
For Dark Chocolate filling--you can use white chocolate to substitute dark chocolate cause I ran out of stock for these macarons.

Ingredients and how to make it. (it's enough for amount of this recipe)

• 80 ml heavy cream
• 80 gr dark (white) cooking chocolate, finely chopped/ shredded
• 50 gr unsalted butter

1. Put chopped dark (white) chocolate in medium mixing bowl. Double boil heavy cream just until simmering. Pour it into chopped dark / white chocolate, let it rest to melt for few minute--If you find your chocolate not completely melting, slightly double boil it and stir until melt.
2. Cream butter for 2 or 3 minute until smooth and creamy, slowly add in melted chocolate. Whisk just until well blended for 1 or 2 minutes more.  Store in fridge until it's ready to use.

What I can say to you who failed baking macarons... keep trying, learning, take a notes and keep going.... Sometimes you need a little break if you failed like 2 or 3 times in a row (^,^)--my story though... 

And for you who already have success story in macarons baking with your same recipe... it's up to you to keep using your success recipe or to dare your skill to other level by trying other recipe--which now I'm thinking to do it..Well..not now.. later (^,^)... 

Happy Baking Every one...! ! (^,^)

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