Champagne Macarons
Champagne macarons–they’re an elegant way to ring in the New Year. Boozy and festive, these macs are a textural adventure and a delight for the tastebuds as well!
Equipment
- pastry brush
- 1" circle cutter
- large circular piping tip
- piping bag
- 2 silicone mat or parchment paper
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 24" x 16" x 2" baking pan for the jellies, see note
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Macarons
- 68 g egg whites room temperature, preferably aged
- 68 g granulated or caster sugar
- 75 g powdered sugar 10x sifted
- 80 g almond flour superfine
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Champagne Jelly Center
- 2 bottles champagne
- 6 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cup agave nectar
- 1 tsp unflavored oil (vegetable, avocado, etc.) cooking spray can substitute
For the Decor
- 3 Tbsp gold sprinkles, glitter or coarse sugar
- 1 tsp edible gold luster dust
- 1/8 tsp vodka or lemon juice may need to increase amount to get the right consistency, increase by 1/8 tsp increments
Instructions
For the Champagne Jelly Center
- The first step is to make the champagne jelly center because it needs time to chill in the refrigerator.
- Start by pouring yourself a glass of bubbly, if you wish. Then add roughly 1/2 the bottle of Champagne, Prosecco or Sparkling Rosé to a medium saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium/low heat and bring to a simmer, this should take no more than 5 minutes.
- While the champagne is warming on the stovetop, pour the other half of the bottle into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle 6 envelopes of unflavored gelatin in an even layer over the champagne that is in the bowl. Leave and allow it to bloom for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the champagne in the saucepan from the heat once it has been brought to a simmer. Add the softened gelatin and champagne mixture into the heated champagne.
- Stir until all of the gelatin has dissolved. Return the mixture to the large bowl.
- Add the second full bottle of champagne to the bowl as well as 3/4 cup of agave. Set aside.
- Add 1 tsp of unflavored oil to a 24" x 16" x 2" baking pan* (see note) and spread in an even layer with a pastry brush or paper towel. You can also use cooking spray for this.
- Use a spoon to scrape any excess foam off the top of the bowl of champagne mixture.
- Carefully pour the champagne mixture into the greased tray. Place in the refrigerator to set for a minimum of 5 hours.
For the Vanilla Macarons
- Line two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
- Place a sieve over a medium bowl and measure 75g of powdered sugar and 80g of almond flour directly into the sieve. Sift the two ingredients into the medium bowl using a spatula to gently help break up some of the larger piece in the sieve. Discard any bits that won't sift through. Set aside.
- Measure 68g of room temperature (preferably aged) egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. A large bowl and a hand mixer will work fine, but they will take longer. If unsure that the bowl has no grease residue, wipe out the bowl with a tiny splash of vinegar and a paper towel before adding the egg whites.
- Add 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar to the egg whites begin to whip on medium speed. While mixing, measure out 68g of granulated sugar into a bowl.
- Once the egg whites look like a very foamy bubble bath, begin to slowly and in a steady stream, add the 68g of granulated sugar. Do not add all the sugar in at once. Another good method is to add spoonfuls of the sugar in a steady stream.
- Whip until soft peaks form. Then add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Whip again until stiff peaks form. Keep a close eye, you do not want to over or under whip the meringue.
- In small batches, add the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture and use a spatula to carefully fold the dry mixture into the meringue. This is called the macaronage. You want to scrape around the outside of the bowl a few times, then a few times down the middle. The idea is to achieve the correct texture to pipe the macarons.
- Continue this process until all of the dry mixture has been added and the batter falls in a continuous "ribbon" off of the spatula. A good test is if you can draw a figure eight with the batter.
- Fit a piping bag with a large round tip and place that bag into a tall cup.
- Scrape the macaron batter into the piping bag and seal with a rubber band or clip.
- Pipe equal (roughly 1 1/2 inch in diameter) circles of batter onto the lined baking sheets. Tap the baking sheet onto the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Allow the macarons to rest for 30 minutes, or until the outer shell has dried a bit. In total you should have 24 macaron shells.
- Towards the end of the drying process, preheat the oven to 310°F (roughly 154°C). If you can lightly touch your finger to the macaron and it feels dry, they are ready to bake. Bake the macarons for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the process.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before carefully removing them from the parchment paper.
For the Assembly
- Remove the pan (or pans) with the champagne jello from the refrigerator and cut out 12 1" circles using the 1" circle cutter. There will be a lot of leftover champagne jello. Cut it up into any shape you'd like and serve or snack on them!
- Place about 3 Tbsp of gold sprinkles, glitter or coarse sugar onto a plate.
- Roll each 1" circle of champagne jello in the sprinkles so that the outer edge is coated in them.
- Place each jelly in the center of two macaron shells. You may stop here or add the gold design on top. For the best results, do not add the jellies between the macaron cookies until you serve to your guests, the moisture from the champagne jellies can seep into the macarons when they sit for too long.
- For the gold design mix together 1 tsp of gold luster dish with 1/8 tsp of vodka or lemon juice. You may need to add another 1/8 tsp or two of liquid to achieve the right consistency. Brush the gold onto each macaron however you want!
- Serve, enjoy, and happy new year!
Notes
*This is the size pan I recommend for the right ratio of jelly to macaron shell. However I don't think it's necessary to buy this size pan if you don't already have it. Instead, you can just pour the jellies into two or three pans, as long as in the end your champagne jellies will be about 1/2 inch thick.