It’s one of the hugest compliments when someone asks you to bring the same dish for a holiday, year after year. When it comes to my coworkers, they always just expect that I’m bringing a cheesecake again. Cheesecakes are easy, so I have no problem with making them for work potlucks.
However, with my family, I decided to take a leap last year and make eggnog macarons. Little did I know that these would be a hit. I was intimidated by these cookies, and there was a great reason. When you live in humid place like Louisiana, you can’t help but be intimidated by something that relies heavily on egg whites. So, fast forward to November. I asked my mom if my husband and I should bring something for Thanksgiving, and at first, she said that nothing was necessary. Then, three days before, she, along with my aunt, requested macarons. Guess they’re spoiled now!
I didn’t want to repeat eggnog macarons, since it’s Thanksgiving. So, I looked through a few sites until I decided on this idea: pecan pie macarons. Living in the South, pecan pies are a staple in the Thanksgiving feast, so this was going to be absolutely perfect!
So, the day I start to make the macarons, I go to look for my round piping tip. Uhhh…turns out it was another victim of the move since it’s gone. 🙁 So, I tried the star piping tip. I figured it would flatten out within the hour that the macarons had to sit out before baking, but they didn’t. I’m sort of happy they didn’t flatten out though…the star shaped macarons turned out pretty darn cute!
Instead of doing both the caramel sauce and pecan brittle for the filling, I ended up using the caramel sauce with chopped pecans in the filling. These were definitely a popular item on Thanksgiving Day, since by the time I was picking up leftovers, they were pretty much all gone. Yay!
I guess that means I should start thinking about what macarons to make for the next holiday get together with my family, eh? 🙂
Pecan Pie Macarons
Source: TarteletteIngredients:
Note: With macarons, it’s definitely important that your ingredients are weighed, so all measurements are in grams. 🙂
For the macarons:
- 3 egg whites (about 90 grams)
- 40 grams granulated sugar
- 200 grams powdered sugar
- 55 grams almonds
- 55 grams pecans
For the filling:
- chopped pecans
- one recipe of salted butter caramel sauce, well chilled in the fridge
Directions:
- For the egg whites, 2-3 days before separate your eggs and store the whites in a covered container in the fridge.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they foam, gradually adding granulated sugar until you reach a glossy meringue. Be careful not to overbeat, since the meringue can easily dry out.
- Place the almonds, pecans and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse the mixture until the nuts are finely ground.
- Add the mixture to the meringue, give it a quick couple of folds to break down some of the air and then, slow down and fold the mass gently until the batter flows like magma or thick ribbon. The whole folding process shouldn’t take more than 50 strokes.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (or star one if you’re crazy like me) with the macaron batter and pipe small cookies (about 1.5 inches in diameter) onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes – 1 hour to allow the shells to harden a bit. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Once the shells have hardened, bake the macarons for 15-20 minutes.
- Allow the macarons to cool a bit (until the pan is warm) before removing the macarons. If your macarons are stuck to the pan, pour a couple of drops of water under your Silpat or parchment. This should help the macarons lift off the pan more easily, due to the moisture. However, don’t let the macarons sit with the water for too long or you’ll risk the macarons becoming soggy.
- Once the macarons are fully cooled, spread some of the caramel sauce on the bottom of each of your macarons, add chopped pecans on top of the caramel on one of the macarons and sandwich the two macarons together. If you want to be super fun, brush some pearl dust on the top of the macarons.
Just a small side note….Did you win the Butterball giveaway? You have to email me to claim your prize and you have until tonight! Neither of the winners have emailed me. 🙁 You want free turkeys, don’t you?
Shawnda says
Lovely cookies – I think the star tip worked out nicely!
The Nifty Foodie says
Thanks! I think I’m going to make some Christmas macarons with the star tip. I’m so glad they held their shape a little bit. 🙂
bridget {bake at 350} says
Wow….I’ve been to scared to attempt macarons! Yours sounds delicious!!!
The Nifty Foodie says
Thanks!! You should totally try to make them, though…when it’s cold like this, it’s the perfect weather to attempt them. 🙂
Lauren says
They look so good!!
Nicole, RD says
As a pecan pie lover, these sound like the best of many things rolled into one little macaron!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Those look beautiful! I love that the star tip turned out so pretty! And the pecan pie flavor sounds wonderful. I’ve never tried making macaroons but I’m fascinated by them. I’m scared to try, but they look so amazing. I really have to try them one day.
kelsey says
Oh my gosh, those sound so amazing!! And they look so delicious!
Melissa says
If I had to pick one flavor of macarons, I think this would be it! They look so good, and I love the photo!
ashley says
oh yum!! i love pecan pie! these look absolutely fantastic!