Macarons {Earl Grey Edition}

This past weekend my boyfriend was out of town for work, aka I had nothing to do because I'm a lame cat lady that stays in my apartment, bakes and watches Netflix. But on Friday I decided to try my hand at making macarons. Ooooooo.

I headed to Whole Foods after I got off work to pick up some almond meal, but they were out. Ugh. PLAN B. I bought a pound of raw almonds and made my own almond meal. Take that! However, I highly recommend that you buy almond meal/flour instead of making it. It will make the texture of your macarons WAY better than mine how mine came out.

Anywho.

I found this lovely recipe for Earl Grey macarons a few weeks ago and being the Earl Grey lover I am {ALL THINGS EARL GREY ALL THE TIME EVERY TIME} It seemed only logical. 

*Earl Grey Macarons*

Shell Ingredients:

*2 egg whites at room temperature (some sources say to "age" the egg whites for a day or 2 before using them. I did not do this for mine, but I will probably try it next time)

* 3/4 c. almond flour * 1 c. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) * 1/4 c. granulated sugar * Approximately 1 to 1/2 tbsp. loose earl grey tea leaves.
* (at least) 2oz. White chocolate
* 4 tbsp. butter room temperature.
* 1/4 cup (approximate) confectioners sugar
* at least 1/4-1/2 tsp. leftover finely ground tea leaves.

Filling:

Instructions:

* Preheat oven to 325

*Mix together almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, and a large pinch or two of the     loose tea leaves. Pulse until flour mixture is blended together (about 4-5 4 second pulses is my preference.)

*Sift flour mixture into a separate bowl with a fine wire mesh strainer making sure that any large pieces of tea leaves fall back through the strainer. Set aside any leftover ground tea leaves.

*Place granulated sugar and leftover ground tea leaves or another large pinch in the food processor and pulse until most of the tea leaves are finely ground into the sugar.

*Sift this mix into a separate bowl making sure that no large tea pieces end up in the sifted sugar.

*Place egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until frothy. (I noticed that doing this first does make a difference.)

* Using a mixer with at least 3 speeds, whip eggs until they hold soft peaks.

* Slowly add granulated sugar and tea mixture into the blender and beat until eggs and sugar become glossy and holds stiff peaks.

*Using a large flat (preferably no wood) spatula gently fold almond flour and sugar mixture into the meringue until it creates a smooth batter.

* Carefully pour batter into a pastry bag with a plain large tip and pipe desired size circles onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

* Rap baking sheet against work surface to release any air bubbles in piped shells and also helps form the pied (foot) on the bottom of the cooked shells.

* Let stand for at least 25-30 min. (This is crucial as it creates a smooth stiffened crust on the top of the uncooked shells.)

* Bake for 10-15 minutes in preheated oven checking every 5 min. If browning begins to occur early on reduce oven temp slightly. Large temperature fluctuations can cause shells to not turn out properly so be sure it is only by 1-2 degrees. Believe me it will make a difference.

* Remove shells from oven and allow to cool completely (for about 10 min.) before gently peeling them off of the parchment paper.

Filling Instructions:

* Add softened butter and confectioners sugar in a blender and beat together until pale and fluffy.

* In a double boiler or microwave melt white chocolate until it is smooth and liquid like.

* Remove chocolate from heat and allow to cool for a few seconds (until you can easily dip your finger in without being burned), and add to butter and sugar mixture.

*Add any finely ground leftover tea leaves into mixture and blend until smooth. (or just make more)

* Pipe filling onto one macaron shell and add a lid.

* I have read countless times that it is best to allow your macarons to age before you eat them. If you have the patience to I highly recommend that you do this before eating them. It allows the shells to become chewier and marry with the flavor of the filling.

Here are some photos of how mine turned out. As you can see, the shell's texture is a little rough and grainy since I couldn't get my food processor to grind my almonds as finely as I would have liked.

Enjoy!

Amour, Le Petit Oiseau XO