Cranberry Macarons

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I love a great collaboration. A few fellow food bloggers and I decided to do a Christmas Collaboration post this year. Someone came up with a theme, A Cranberry Christmas, and I thought it was perfect because I was in the process of working on a Cranberry Post. So, it was a perfect fit!

I decided to make Cranberry Macarons with a Cranberry Lime Curd. I had to throw in the Lime because I love a good Curd that has a hint of citrus. There’s something about that sweet and tart combination that gets me every time.

Macarons can definitely be tricky to make. And to be honest, they’re not always perfect each time I make them. Sometimes they don’t have enough feet, or a couple crack. You never know. Macarons are the most unpredictable dessert! So frustrating!

But these came out just the way I wanted them too.

Start the night before by making the Curd. Cook down the cranberries with a little sugar and water. Then purée them in a food processor or blender and strain. You don’t want any bits of the skin or tiny seeds in your Curd.

Then make the actual Curd. Combine the cranberry purée with eggs, sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and heavy cream in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water, and whisk until the mixture has thickened.

Take the bowl off of the water and whisk in butter. Then strain it in case there are any little pieces of egg in it. Refrigerate it overnight. This will make the Curd really thicken up.

The next day, make your Macaron shells. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar and set aside. Use a whisk attachment on a standing mixer and whisk egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla and sugar. When they start to get really fluffy add the red food gel color. Continue to whisk until thick and fluffy. Add the almond flour mixture and fold it together about 45-48 times. Counting the folds really helps to get right for me. When it flows like lava it’s done. Pour into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe circles into a silicon mat. Bang the pans and use a toothpick to get rid of the air bubbles.

Let them dry until they are no longer sticky. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to even 3 hours depending on the weather, the humidity, or any factor.

Bake in a 275 oven for 17 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t go over. Let them cool completely before removing them.

Pipe the Curd onto half of the cookies and sandwich them together with the others. It’s best to place them in the refrigerator overnight. They taste better after sitting for several hours.

To make the Santa detail, roll out black fondant and cut into strips the width of the Macaron for the belt. Cut out a little white square the same height of the black belt. “Glue” it on the belt with pastry gel. Mix gold luster dust with a tiny bit of vanilla extract or vodka to make a “paint.” With a paint brush, paint the white square gold. Cut out a square with the black fondant slightly smaller than the gold square. Stick it on top of the gold square with pastry gel.

Use white confetti sprinkles for the buttons and glue 3 with the pastry gel down the center of the Macaron.

And that’s it. There you have the Santa Cranberry Macarons! They tasted amazing! So worth it all. Can’t wait for our next collaboration!

Cranberry Macarons

Macaron

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • red food gel
  • 1 drop brown food gel

Cranberry Lime Curd

  • 1 whole egg
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 cup cranberry puree
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp butter

Cranberry Puree

  • 1 cup cranberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp water

Cranberry Puree

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Cool.  Place mixture in a blender or food processor.  Puree.  Strain mixture.

Cranberry Curd

  1. In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, cranberry puree and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 10-15 minutes. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
  2. Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.  

Macarons

  1. Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together, discarding any bits of almond flour that are too large to pass through the strainer.
  2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on high speed until foamy, then with the mixer running, slowly add the sugar. When the mixture reaches soft peaks, add vanilla and color. Continue whipping just until mixture forms stiff peaks.
  3. Gently pour the almond mixture over the whipped egg whites so they don’t deflate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the mixture holds a 10 count, meaning when batter falls from the spatula to the bowl it takes about 10 seconds until it fully blends into the rest of the bowl in the batter. This way, the almond mixture is fully hydrated but egg whites still retain some air. The mixture is thick enough to pipe without running everywhere, but the peak at the top of each piped cookie will fall on its own, making a perfectly smooth cookie. This takes about 45 turns, but depending on how aggressively you fold, it can be more or less.
  4. Transfer the batter to a decorating pastry bag with a 1A tip. Pipe 1 inch rounds of batter onto the parchment lined pans, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Tap the pans hard on the countertop 4-5 times to release trapped air, and then let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or until the unbaked macaron form a skin and do not stick to your finger when touched. Allowing the macaron to crust over is what leads to their signature “feet,” the holey ring that arises during baking at the base of each cookie.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.
  6. Bake for 17 minutes on a shelf in the center of the oven. Set a timer.
  7. Cool the macaron completely on a cooling grid before sandwiching with the cranberry lime curd. Makes 36 to 48 sandwiched cookies.