Description
Festive and delicate French macarons flavored with cranberry and filled with a spiced gingerbread buttercream, decorated to look like holiday ornaments.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 100g egg whites, aged
- 110g almond flour
- 200g powdered sugar
- 50g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp dried cranberry powder
- Red gel food coloring
- 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 230g powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
1. Prepare the Crust:
- Sift together almond flour, 200g powdered sugar, and cranberry powder. Set aside.
- Whip egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add granulated sugar, and whip to stiff, glossy peaks. Add a drop of red food coloring.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in three batches until the batter flows like lava.
- Pipe 1.5-inch circles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Tap the tray firmly to release air bubbles. Let rest for 30 minutes until a skin forms.
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely on the tray.
- For the buttercream, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add 230g powdered sugar, then the molasses, spices, and heavy cream. Beat until smooth.
- Pipe a circle of buttercream onto the flat side of a macaron shell and sandwich with another. Decorate with white icing for ornament details.
Notes
You can customize the seasonings to taste.