Raspberry Macarons
Sweet and pretty raspberry macarons are an amazing treat.
The pretty, red meringue cookies are filled with whipped cream cheese and fresh raspberries. They are an impressive and delicious dessert for events, holidays, or any day when you need a special treat.
Macarons are not difficult to make if you keep a few things in mind:
The bowl the egg whites are whipped in must be completely clean. Any kind of residue, oil, etc. can prevent them from whipping into very stiff peaks.
The flour and sweetener need to be thoroughly sifted for a smooth top to each macaron.
A macron baking liner with printed circles can help keep the macrons all the same size.
See the tips below for more help achieving the best results.
These macarons are gluten-free, sugar-free, and perfect for ovo-lacto vegetarians.
TIP: It's very important to fully sift the flour and sweetener to remove every clump. Do not force hard clumps through the sieve, discard them. The more sifted the flour and sweetener mixture, the smoother the tops of the macarons will be. Run the mixture through a food processor between siftings if possible.
TIP: When piping the meringue onto the sheet pan, pipe from directly straight above, not at an angle. If piped at an angle, the macarons can come out deformed.
TIP: To get a smooth, round macaron top, Pipe the macaron onto the liner then stop squeezing the piping bag. Move the piping tip in a quick circular motion before pulling it away and moving onto the next.
Ingredients
(Makes 30 servings)
macarons:
3 egg whites, room temperature (from large eggs - about 3.5oz/100g)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated sugar)
red gel food colouring (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1, 1/2 cups super fine almond flour, sifted
1 cup baking monk fruit sweetener (or confectioners' sugar)
filling:
1 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup baking monk fruit sweetener (or powdered sugar)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups small raspberries
Directions
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the room temperature eggs to a very clean mixer bowl. Begin beating the eggs on medium speed. Once they start to become foamy, sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Next, very slowly begin adding the sweetener a little at a time. Once the sweetener is incorporated and the egg whites begin to form soft peaks, add the pure vanilla extract and, if using, the red gel food colouring. (The amount of food colouring you use will depend on the colour you want to achieve. With gel food colouring, a little goes a long way. Try a little first, then add more if you want the colour to be more vibrant.) Continue beating the eggs until they form very stiff peaks. Even when you think the meringue is fully stiff, give it another minute or two of whipping.
As the mixer works, sift the almond flour and powdered sweetener together into a small mixing bowl. Once the stiff peaks form, stop the mixer and switch to a spatula then gently fold in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Once incorporated, fold in the remaining flour. Once incorporated, the mixture should be lava-like in its viscosity. As it pours off the spatula, it should ribbon without breaking.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe 1-inch blobs of batter onto a lined sheet pan (use a macaron baking mat to create consistent sized blobs). Slap the sheet pan down onto the countertop a few times to force the air bubbles upward and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes before baking.
As the sheet pans sit, preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C. Once it is heated, bake the macarons for about 14 minutes, rotating the sheet pans halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and let the macarons cool to room temperature before removing them from the sheet pan.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, and using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Sprinkle in the powdered sweetener and continue blending until fully incorporated. Sprinkle in the salt, lemon juice, and pure vanilla extract and continue blending. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and blend on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture becomes thick, yet light and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fit with a star tip.
Arrange half of the macarons flat side up. Alternate dollops of piped filling with small raspberries (approximately 4 small raspberries per macaron). Once filled, place the remaining macarons flat side down on top to create a sandwich. This recipe should result in about 30 sandwiched macarons.
For best results, store filled macarons into an airtight container and refrigerate for a few days to allow the filling to moisten the meringue. This is also helpful if the macarons came out too crisp. If refrigerating, reserve leftover filling in the refrigerator for further decorating prior to serving.
Before serving, decorate the tops of each with another dollop of cream cheese filling and top with an additional raspberry.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 81.5 | total fat = 6.35g | saturated fat = 2.8g | cholesterol = 14.93mg | sodium = 47.68mg | net carbohydrates = 13.72g | dietary fibre = 0.93g | sugars = 1.29g | protein = 2.29g
