Nothing comes together like the beginning of summer and New Glarus' Strawberry Rhubarb. Although I pride myself on being a Chicagoan, I'll give credit where it's due. Wisconsin is home to New Glarus Brewing which us Illinoisans tend to smuggle over the border - in this case - this is exactly what I did. I bribed a coworker to bring in a few bottles from their stash so I could make macarons !
Macarons are extremely trying to make for numerous reasons. Aside from testing your patience , the upside to making these is that : A. You have beer to drink while doing so, and B. You have little buttercream sandwiches pillowed between two meringue cookies in the end.
Measurement is key with these - so I highly suggest getting a scale to measure out grams appropriately. I've put rough estimates of what they calculate to for reference so you know if you have enough ingredients before starting.
Additionally, I will say after making these multiple times , if your cookies crack or have stiffed peaks , they will entirely taste fine. These fluffy sandwiches are very tricky at first but practice makes perfect ! Be sure to tag me on your attempts and/or leave comments below! Happy almost summer!
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
150 g (~1 cup) almond flour
150 g (~1 ¾ cup) powdered sugar
110 g egg whites separated (55g goes into meringue/55g mixed with dry ingredients) (roughly 4 eggs depending on size)
4 drops red gel food coloring
150 grams granulated sugar (just under 1 cup)
35 grams water
Strawberry Buttercream
2 cups butter (softened - 4 sticks)
6 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. Strawberry Puree
6-8 tbsp. New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb Wild Fruit Ale*
Equipment
2 pastry bags with round tip
Some sort of mixer (Stand or hand held - for beating egg whites primarily)
Food Processor or Sifter
Candy Thermometer
Macaron templates or Macaron Silpat (I got a silpat off amazon for ~$10)
Directions:
Measure out the almond flour and powdered sugar and run through a sifter into a bowl together. Mix with a fork until loosely combined.
Add your gel food coloring to the 55g. of egg whites measured out - also whisking together lightly with a fork before adding to your dry mixture.
Combine together (it will look like there's not enough liquid, but as you keep folding it will make a paste-like consistency.) Set aside.
In your kitchenaid/mixing bowl, whisk the remaining egg whites until stiff peaks form (~ 1 minute).
Combine sugar and water in a pot over medium heat and put your candy thermometer in. Let the mixture slowly come to a boil until it reaches 245 ° .
From there - pour a slow thin stream into your whipped egg whites while the mixer is at full speed. This will help it incorporate as well as let the heat escape the meringue quicker.
Add in thirds to your almond flour/paste mixture - fully mixing before adding the next measurement. (IE: Section in thirds, fold in completely, fold next section in, etc.). The batter should be much looser than initially.
Spoon this mixture into your piping bag and pipe onto your silpat/stencils - make sure you hold your piping bag vertically while piping ! If you go off to the side - you could end up with some odd shaping after baking.
Preheat oven to 300°. Once all your macarons are piped - tap your baking sheet firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles while they rest before going into the oven.
They should rest on the mat for 25-30 mins., or until dry to the touch. Lightly brush a finger over one and if nothing sticks, you'll be in good shape to bake.
Bake for 16 minutes - you can try to nudge one with a finger and if it doesn't move - that's a good signal they're done. You'll also want to look for "feet" at the bottom of the cookie . Remove and let them cool before removing/assembling with your filling.
Buttercream Frosting (The easy part)
Whisk your butter until fluffy (this is where being room temperature helps).
Add your powdered sugar slowly - I generally tap in 1 cup at a time.
Once mixed, mix in strawberry puree, following with your Strawberry Rhubarb Beer.*
If you want to go rogue - I kind of kept adding beer until I had a little more loose consistency for the buttercream. Add in 1 tbsp. increments so you can make it as boozy/not as you'd like.
Scoop into a piping bag, remove cookies from cooling and put a dollop on each one before sandwiching together. Enjoy !
