Strawberry macarons

Macarons are one of my favorite things to bake. Yes, they can be a little time consuming and require some planning, but there are so many different flavors and decorations that can be done with them! Today's flavor is strawberry!

I've made these particular macarons before, as part of my macaron mass production last year, but never got to post the recipe until now!

The night before, I aged the egg whites (separating them and putting them in the fridge overnight) and made the strawberry buttercream. The buttercream was made with real strawberries - I pureed them and then reduced it over heat to concentrate the strawberry flavor.

Today, I whipped up the macaron batter and baked up the shells, before filling them with the buttercream. More details and tips about how to make macarons are in my previous posts.

It was a rainy day, so I was worried the humidity would ruin the shells, but I dried them in front of the AC before baking - and they turned out just fine! Here's to more macaron baking in the near future!

Strawberry macarons - makes about two dozen macarons

Macaron shells:

• 110 g almond meal
• 200 g powdered sugar
• 100 g egg whites (aged in fridge overnight)
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 50 g white sugar
• Red gel food coloring 

Strawberry filling (adapted from here)

• ¼ cup of strawberry puree (pureed from fresh strawberries)
• ¾ Tbsp (1.5 sticks) of unsalted butter
• 100 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

1. Sift the almond meal, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder together and set aside. 
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
3. Whip egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. 
4. Add white sugar in. Continue mixing on medium-high until stiff peaks form.
5. Add gel food coloring to the mixture and beat until the coloring is even. The amount you add will depend on the type of coloring you use. I just added more gel until I got the pink I wanted. 
6. Add the almond mixture to the meringue - I added it in three parts. I sifted a third of the mixture into the meringue, and then folded/scrape the bowl for 10 strokes. Repeat with the remainder of the mixture, a third at a time. The batter should run off your spatula in thick, slow ribbons. 
7. Transfer batter to a piping bag with a ½ open round tip.  
8. Pipe macarons shells that are 1½ inch wide and 2 inches apart from each other. Keep the tip low and close to the paper so the shell can spread out instead of pile up. 
9. Let shells sit at room temperature for 60 minutes or until the top no longer feels tacky when you touch it. 
10. In the meantime - make the buttercream! Heat the strawberry puree in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it's reduced to about a tablespoon. Let cool completely.
11. Beat butter in a stand mixer on high speed until it's light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and continue mixing until a smooth frosting forms. Add the vanilla and the strawberry reduction and mix until completely combined.
12. Bake in preheated oven at 325F for 13-15 minutes, or until the bottoms just barely separate form the parchment paper. 
13. Let cool completely before removing from the parchment paper.
14. Sandwich buttercream between two shells to form a macaron. Chill in the fridge overnight. 
15. Enjoy!