peppermint & white chocolate macarons

*drool* how awesome do these look! macarons are also a super nice holiday addition to the desert table if you’re looking to do something rather than traditional pies or cakes. these light little fluffy nuggets of happiness are also a great with a cup of homemade hot chocolate.

**note be prepared to dedicate a whole day to these puppies!

Peppermint Macaron Shells

1 1/3 cup almond flour
3 cups powdered sugar
6 large egg whites, left out, uncovered overnight
½ Cup + 2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Red Food Coloring (optional)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready. Using a pencil, draw 1-inch circles approximately 1-inch apart on your parchment paper.

In a food processor, blend the almond flour and powdered sugar until well incorporated.

In a stainless-steel bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs whites on high speed until they are foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, peppermint extract and about 20-30 drops of red food coloring to the egg whites and continue to beat until it forms a stiff meringue.

Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into the meringue in a couple additions. Blend by scopping batter up from the bottom and pressing it against the sides of the bowl. Do this a few times until well incorporated.

Fill pastry bag with the batter and carefully dispense into your drawn circles. Once the tray is filled, rap the baking sheet on the counter to help settle the batter. Let tray sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes so that a slight crust forms on each shell.

Bake at 375 F for 9-12 minutes, until the shells are slightly crisp on top. Allow to cool before removing from the trays. Repeat, one tray at a time until you’ve used up the batter.  Make sure you use a new piece of parchment at least every other batch to assure smooth and round shells.

White Chocolate Ganache

2/3 cup heavy cream
10 oz good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 ½ TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 3 pieces

Put the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate. Using a whisk or rubber spatula, stir together until smooth. Once smooth, stir in the butter. Place the bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water, stirring constantly until ganache is thick enough to pipe cleanly.  Work quickly, as the ganache will begin to harden again. If this happens, you can set the bowl over a simmering pot of water and stir it until smooth-then repeat the cooling process.

Peppermint Chocolate Macaron Assembly

Pair your cooled macaron shells into like sizes; I recommend you do this before making the ganache filling. Fill a piping bag fitted with a wide, round tip with your white chocolate ganache. Carefully pipe filling onto the flat side of one shell, leaving about 3mm space from the edges. Pick up your filled shell and its empty pair, and place them together, gently twisting as you press.

Store your macarons in the refrigerator. This allows the filling to soak into the shells and give them that distinct chewy bite. They’re best enjoyed the following day, brought to room temperature.