matcha macarons
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While I’m lucky enough to live in the vicinity of both Ladurée and Pierre Hermé (which is my personal favorite) here in New York, I still love taking the time to make my own macarons. There’s a certain joy in clearing an afternoon and embarking on a challenging baking project. It can take some time to figure out the technique but after all that work, you’re left with these incredibly light meringue treats which are the perfect vehicle for any flavor.
The flavor from the matcha white chocolate ganache imparts a lovely bitter undertone to the inherent sweetness of macarons and the adzuki beans add an earthiness to complement the matcha. The flavor combination of green tea + adzuki beans is commonly found in Asian desserts, but if you can’t locate any, feel free to omit and stick with the green tea white chocolate ganache.
The recipe below calls for the french macaron method, which is typically my go-to as I sometimes get annoyed by the extra steps and clean up of making the sugar syrup for the italian method. I’m always looking for ways to minimize the number of dishes I have to wash!
Matcha Green Tea Macarons
makes 12 macarons
ingredients
for the macaron shells:
50 g almond meal
50 g powdered sugar
5 g matcha green tea powder, plus extra to sprinkle
40 g egg whites (1 egg), room temp
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
40 g sugar
for the matcha white chocolate ganache filling:
50 g white chocolate, preferably Valrhona
50 g heavy cream
1 tablespoon matcha powder
for the adzuki bean filling (optional):
1/4 cup adzuki beans
boiling water
1/4 cup sugar
steps
1. Mix dry ingredients: in a medium sized bowl, sift the almond meal, powdered sugar, and green tea powder together.
2. Make the meringue: Using the whisk attachment of a stand, start beating the egg whites and vinegar, which helps stabilize the egg whites. Once large bubbles start to form, slowly pour in the sugar as you continue beating the egg whites until the meringue is glossy with medium peaks.
3. Combine: Using a spatula, fold 1/3 of the meringue into the almond mixture until well mixed. Continue 1/3 at a time until all the meringue is incorporated. In the initial stages of mixing the meringue, you don’t have to be as gentle.
4. Macronage: This is where you have to take your time. Gently fold the mixture, making sure scrape from the edge of the bowls. As you continue folding the mixture and the meringue deflates, you will see the meringue become glossy and form ribbons when you lift the spatula. Stop mixing when the ribbons last for around 20 seconds before sinking back into the batter. I personally like to stop mixing one or two folds short, knowing i’ll deflate the mixture a bit more when I go to fill the piping bag and as I’m piping out the macarons.
5. Piping the macarons: Pipe the macarons on a half sheet lined with silpat/parchment paper using a piping bag with a piping tip similar to the Wilton 2A tip. If using parchment paper, use a little of the meringue in each corner to stick the paper in place. Let the macarons rest until a dull skin forms on top (this can take anywhere between 15 min - 1 hour depending on the humidity). Preheat the oven to 350 F as the macarons rest.
Optional: Sprinkle some more matcha powder over the macarons using a sieve.
6. Baking: Slip an empty baking sheet in the rack below to help moderate the temperature. Bake the macarons for 5 minutes, or until you see the feet start to form around the edges. Bring the temperature down to 300 F, and rotate the pan to avoid lopsided macarons from uneven heat zones in the oven. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until the macarons no longer move when gently nudged. If you’re unsure, it’s safer to err on the side of slightly overbaking as it’ll self correct once you add the filling and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Let macrons cool completely before filling.
7. Ganache: Melt white chocolate over double broiler. Simultaneously, heat heavy cream until almost boiling. Pour a little bit of the heavy cream into the matcha powder and mix to create a paste. Once you have an even paste with no lumps of matcha powder, stir in the rest of the heavy cream. Combine with the melted white chocolate, and let it cool until it reaches a pipable consistency.
8. Adzuki bean filling: In a sauce pan, add the adzuki beans with just enough boiling water to cover the beans. Bring water to a boil again, and simmer until beans are tender and start to lose their shape. Mix the sugar, adjust to taste. Make sure all the liquid has cooked off (or else it’ll make the shells soggy) and let it cool.
9. Construction: Pipe the white chocolate ganache in a circle on one macaron shell, with some of the adzuki beans in the middle if using. Top with second macaron shell. Best served at room temp after refrigerating overnight in airtight container.
