Acorn Macarons
These Acorn Macarons made without template. They are filled with dark chocolate ganache and homemade caramel. Decorated with gluten free pretzel stick.
Servings: 24 macarons
Calories: 252kcal
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 1 baking mat
- 1 spatula
- 2 pipping bag
- 1 Winton 12 pipping tip
- 1 Wilton Coupler
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 15 gr glucose syrup
- 200 gr dark chocolate
- 28 gr unsalted butter room temperature
Homemade Caramel
- 200 gr white granulated sugar
- 180 ml heavy cream
- 113 gr unsalted butter
- 5 gr sea salt
Macaron Shells
- 120 gr almond flour (1 cup)
- 150 gr powdered sugar (1 1/4 cup)
- 100 gr egg whites room temperature (from 3 large eggs)
- 100 gr white granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 drop of caramel food coloring
- 2 drops of brown food coloring
Instructions
How to Make Dark Chocolate Ganache
- In the small saucepan mix heavy cream and glucose syrup and bring to simmer. Do not boil!
- Pour hot cream mixture over dark chocolate and let it sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Emulsify with hand blender. Add butter and emulsify again.
- Transfer ganache into flat container and cover with plastic wrap " to contact". Let ganache set on the countertop. Check for consistency by pressing you finger on the top of the ganache. Ganache sets fast and ready for pipping. You can also place in the fridge if you are not using the same day. Let ganache become to room temperature before transferring into pipping bag for filling.
How to Make Homemade Caramel
- Melt sugar in the small saucepan over medium heat. Please see detailed instructions in my separate post.
- Meanwhile, in the other small saucepan warm up heavy cream, do not boil!
- Add butter to melted sugar and stir with the spatula.
- Add warm heavy cream and stir again. Please be careful, as mixture will start to bubble!
- Add sea salt and transfer caramel into flat container. Cover with plastic wrap " to contact" and it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate caramel until use.
How to Make Acorn Macaron shells
- In the mixing bowl sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of stand mixer add room temperature egg whites and start whisking on low speed. Start adding sugar one tablespoon at the time. Add red food coloring. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff picks. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Add dry ingredients and start folding the butter. In other mixing bowl place about 1/3 of batter and add brown food coloring. In the first bowl add caramel or light brown for coloring and keep folding.
- When macaronage drips down from the spatula “like lava”, transfer into separate pipping bags. Caramel color into bag with coupler and brown into another bag with Wilton 12 tip.
- Pipe macaron shells on the baking mat as you seen in the video.
- Top baking sheet pan with pipped macaron shells a few times. Let shells to rest on the countertop until no batter sticks to your finger when you touch.
- Bake macaron shells in the preheated oven to 275o F (134o C) for 12-14 minutes. Oven temperature and baking time may vary, depending on your oven.
- Remove baked macaron shells from the oven and let it cool on the baking mat with baking sheet pan. When shells are cooled completely remove from baking mat and pair them with similar size.
How to Assemble Acorn Macarons
- Transfer ganache and caramel into separate pipping bags.
- Place paired macaron shells on the table or baking tray.
- Pipe ganache on flat side of macaron shell and add caramel into the center.
- Cover with another macaron shells. Press lightly, make sure there is no ganache or caramel coming out from the macaron. Insert glute free pretzel stick into the top part of the acorn to look like stem.
- Place filled macarons into air tight container and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Macarons need to mature before you can enjoy them.
Notes
Get all ingredients and tools ready before baking.
Print the template and place it under the baking mat. If needed.
Macaronage should be "normal" (flow like lava), not "undermixed".
Nutrition
Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
