Pistachio and Candy Cane Macarons

I received orders for pistachio macarons and candy cane macarons both flavors I've never made before. Macarons are very finicky when it comes to turning out right. The aging of the egg whites (which some people say is a myth), perfect batter consistency (not too firm but not too runny), the shells delicate but not broken, and smooth with feet at the bottom. The first batch of pistachio ones I made turned out more like meringue cookies. This was because I didn't smash the air out of the batter during the macronage mixing faze. Had I mixed it further, the batter would have flowed instead of peaked.

The shells for the candy cane ones were really sticky and were a pain to get off of the parchment paper. I believe this was due to a lower sugar content in the batter. I finally got them off with a knife greased with butter and a lot of patience. My macarons have turned out when aging the egg whites 3-5 days in the refrigerator, 1-2 days on the counter top or microwaved for 10 seconds.

 I've posted the recipe for the pistachio macarons here. If you want to make the candy cane ones, substitute extra almond meal for ground pistachios in the batter. For the buttercream, mix in a few drops of peppermint extract. Omit ground pistachios. Mix in or roll sides of macarons in crushed candy cane pieces. I double bagged candy canes in ziplock bags and hit them with a meat mallet. Food processing tends to make them more sticky and not as pretty.

Pistachio Macarons

Makes 30

Inspired by The Extraordinary Art of Cake

160 g  icing sugar

100 g  almond meal

60 g  ground pistachios

4 egg whites, separated into two batches, aged

160 g caster sugar

green food coloring paste


Pistachio French Buttercream

100 g unsalted butter, room temperature

3 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. caster sugar (or vanilla sugar)

1 egg

50 g ground pistachios


1. Trace 1 1/2" circles two inches apart on two sheets of parchment paper. Turn the paper over and use it to line baking sheets.

2. Sift icing sugar, almond meal and ground pistachios into a large bowl.  Mix in the first batch of egg whites and food coloring until a paste forms. The mixture can be a little darker as it will lighten once the rest of the ingredients are mixed in.

3. Put the second batch of egg whites into a heatproof bowl. I like to use my stand mixer bowl. Place 50 ml of water and caster sugar into a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat until it reaches 230 degrees F. Beat the egg whites on high speed using a stand or electric mixer. Once the syrup has reached 244 degrees F, pour it in a thin stream into the heatproof bowl  of egg whites and whisk on high until the mixture is slightly warm, peaked and shiny.

4. Fold the meringue and the almond mixture together. Scrape batter from the sides of the bowl and smash it with the rubber scraper. Do this about 40-50 times until a thick ribbon falls off the spatula and disappears back into the batter within 30 seconds. If it doesn't, fold it a few more times.

5. Heat oven to 320 degrees F. Fit a piping bag with a plain tip and fill with batter. Pipe onto prepared baking sheets. Bang the sheets on the counter to release air bubbles. Rest 30 minutes to 1 hour on counter top until a skin forms. Bake 12-14 minutes. Cool on parchment then peel gently off the paper. Pair up shells. Store in airtight container at room temperature if not using right away.

6. To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft using an electric mixer in small bowl. Place the egg in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Heat water and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Start beating the egg with the stand mixer. Continue heating the syrup till it reaches the soft ball stage (235- 245 degrees F). Pour in a thin stream egg. Beat until mixture is white and heavy. Add the butter in three parts, beating after each addition. Beat at high speed until mixture is creamy. If it looks curdled, continue to beat it. Add ground pistachios and mix.

7. Pipe pistachio French buttercream onto flat sides of macarons and sandwich together. Refrigerate in airtight container if not eating right away.