The recipe is from Ochikeron on YouTube--it did help a little that I could see each step before acting them out myself. Plus, I legitimately think that this recipe is ten times simpler, partly because there are less ingredients and partly because I managed to make them by myself. Since this recipe comes with step by step instructions, I'm just going to post little tid-bits on the side... 'Cause I made a lot of mistakes along the way.
Panda Macarons:
Necessary Equipment:
electric mixer
pastry bag with a 3/8-inch round tip
Ingredients:
((Macaron Shells))
55g (2oz.) egg whites
50g (1.8oz.) granulated sugar
60g (2.1oz.) ground almonds (without skin)
80g (2.8oz.) powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
((Buttercream Filling))
2 egg yolks
40g (1.4oz.) granulated sugar
100g (3.5oz.) unsalted butter *room temperature
vanilla extract
((Decoration))
brown and pink chocolate pens
Directions:
((Macaron Shells))
1. To draw panda face, you want to make large macarons. So, draw about an inch and a half wide circles (leaving about 2 inches between) on a piece of paper. To make perfect uniform circles, you wanted to place it under the parchment paper to trace. You can search for the template online.
2. Measure the egg whites in a large bowl, and keep in the fridge (to make them easier to whip). Sift in ground almonds and powdered sugar in a large bowl, then keep in the fridge (to let them stay dry).
3. Meringue: Whip egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar 1/3 at a time, then continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form when you lift the beaters.
4. Add the meringue into the dry ingredients, and mix with a silicone spatula until just incorporated.
5. Macaronnage: Punch down the spatula into the batter, then scrape batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. Repeat this for 10 or more times (depending on your arm strength) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl like a ribbon when you scoop it up with the spatula.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, place the template under the parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe out the batter in the circles (the batter will spread a little, so keep it smaller). Tap bottom of each baking sheet (or slam on the counter) to release any air bubbles in macarons.
7. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a skin forms on the tops, for about 30 minutes or more. Make sure the batter will not stick to your finger.
8. Preheat the oven to 150C (302F). Bake for 14-15 minutes. Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet.
((Buttercream Filling))
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they turn a lemon-yellow color and thick.
2. Add the butter and mix well. Then add vanilla extract to taste.
3. Pour the buttercream into a pastry bag.
((Decoration))
1. Pipe about 1 teaspoon buttercream on to the middle of one shell, then gently place another shell on top.
2. Set the chocolate pens in a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Cut the tip of the chocolate pens and draw panda faces on the macarons.
Rest the filled macarons for a day before eating them. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
electric mixer
pastry bag with a 3/8-inch round tip
Ingredients:
((Macaron Shells))
55g (2oz.) egg whites
50g (1.8oz.) granulated sugar
60g (2.1oz.) ground almonds (without skin)
80g (2.8oz.) powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
((Buttercream Filling))
2 egg yolks
40g (1.4oz.) granulated sugar
100g (3.5oz.) unsalted butter *room temperature
vanilla extract
((Decoration))
brown and pink chocolate pens
Directions:
((Macaron Shells))
1. To draw panda face, you want to make large macarons. So, draw about an inch and a half wide circles (leaving about 2 inches between) on a piece of paper. To make perfect uniform circles, you wanted to place it under the parchment paper to trace. You can search for the template online.
2. Measure the egg whites in a large bowl, and keep in the fridge (to make them easier to whip). Sift in ground almonds and powdered sugar in a large bowl, then keep in the fridge (to let them stay dry).
3. Meringue: Whip egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar 1/3 at a time, then continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form when you lift the beaters.
4. Add the meringue into the dry ingredients, and mix with a silicone spatula until just incorporated.
5. Macaronnage: Punch down the spatula into the batter, then scrape batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. Repeat this for 10 or more times (depending on your arm strength) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl like a ribbon when you scoop it up with the spatula.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, place the template under the parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe out the batter in the circles (the batter will spread a little, so keep it smaller). Tap bottom of each baking sheet (or slam on the counter) to release any air bubbles in macarons.
7. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a skin forms on the tops, for about 30 minutes or more. Make sure the batter will not stick to your finger.
8. Preheat the oven to 150C (302F). Bake for 14-15 minutes. Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet.
((Buttercream Filling))
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they turn a lemon-yellow color and thick.
2. Add the butter and mix well. Then add vanilla extract to taste.
3. Pour the buttercream into a pastry bag.
((Decoration))
1. Pipe about 1 teaspoon buttercream on to the middle of one shell, then gently place another shell on top.
2. Set the chocolate pens in a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Cut the tip of the chocolate pens and draw panda faces on the macarons.
Rest the filled macarons for a day before eating them. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Firstly, when she talks about a template, take her seriously! My macarons were all weirdly shaped and oval at best, so it really does help to have a template! Then, because I think Japan is more humid than western Canada, I also didn't re-refrigerate the egg whites nor the almond-icing sugar mix. With the almond flour, dispose of anything that doesn't sift through! You don't want chunks of almond in your macarons, after all.
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Then, unless you are experienced with making macarons (in which case you are probably just laughing at this post), take her seriously when she describes the macaronnage. Actually count out how many times you've done it. I didn't and was trying to gauge by comparing it to cake batter; the macarons did not crack and actually came out pretty well, but they fluffed up a lot because I over-thinned it. What happened was I had a very thin, crunchy layer of macaron, and then a lot of air before a chewy and dense bottom. At least the "feet" did actually come out!
Definitely use parchment paper as it helps a lot when you are trying to get the macarons off of the baking sheet. They should stick a bit to the paper--macarons are chewy inside!--and it's just much easier to be able to hold the sheet up and peel the macaron off. Don't forget to tap it on the table because if any air bubble remain in the macaron, it will crack!
My macarons only had to sit for about 15 minutes, but remember I also thinned it way too much. When I piped my mixture on the baking sheet, it spread like crazy (importance of counting!), and became very thin so it may have dried faster. I'm not too sure. What I do know is you can actually see a skin forming on top! It goes from being shiny--when you first pipe--to glossy.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR MACARONS OUT OF THE OVEN. I squished a perfect macaron shell with my thumb because I wasn't paying attention.
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Next, the buttercream icing is pretty straightforward. The only issue I had here was that my butter wasn't soft enough. I was able to cut through the butter easily, so I assumed it to be soft enough. What I ended up having was a lot of butter chunks and I wasn't able to mix it with a spatula. I beat it on medium with my mixer instead, but that just made little butter chunks. I ended up putting the mix in a small bowl and putting that into the microwave for ten seconds. After that, I used a spatula to flatten the bigger butter chunks, and then used one of the beaters from my electric mixer and just whisked quickly until the right consistency. It turned out really well! I then put it in a bag and refrigerated it (mostly because I had microwaved it I was scared of it being too runny). It was super easy to pipe and melted in your mouth.
Lastly, the chocolate pens. I can't buy chocolate pens where I live, so I dropped some dark chocolate chips into a Ziploc bag, tied off the end (like you would a piping bag), and placed it into a cup half full of hot water. every few minutes I took the bag out and "kneaded" it just to help it melt and see how far it's already melted. I repeated this until it was completely melted, and then cut a very small hole for piping.
