My past attempts at the perfect macaron have not all been met with success. Many of these cookies have suffered the fate of the trash can with their cracked shells and hollow centers. I’ve tried many online recipes and even tried going back to an original recipe I used back in my pastry chef days but all of them have yielded spotty results. In my vast online research I’ve been unable to find a consistent go-to recipe that works for most people. With frustration setting in, the eater has come to the recipe with a few reinforcements; French Macaron cookbooks.

Let me start with this disclaimer: I do not speak, read, or even really understand French. I’ve never been to France. I’ve never taken a French class. The closest to France I’ve ever been is Montreal where they speak French, but I still didn’t understand what people were saying. The cookbook I tried out was 30 Recette de Macarons; I’m pretty sure that means 30 recipes for Macarons.

This book is all macarons, all the time. It starts out with a two page primer on the correct way to make macarons and some pictures…at least that’s what I imagine it says. The following pages all follow a pattern: recipe on left page, picture of a macaron creation on right page. The recipes are all quite short and contain the macaron and the filling. With a little bit of help from google I picked out a macaron recipe to try out. The recipe went something like this:

100g almond powder
100g confectioners sugar
100g granulated sugar
100g (3) egg whites

There was a whole bunch of French directions that I glazed over after I saw the ingredients and, I confess, skipped one-hundred percent. I know I could have spent time typing everything into google to get a pretty bad usable translation of the recipe, but I was too excited about the new book, the simplicity of the recipe, and the excitement of trying yet another macaron recipe.

My haste, this time, did not produce any waste. My original method of making macarons, using the ingredient break-down listed, produced an almost perfect macaron. There were a few things I did pull out of the book while waiting for the little shells to dry out though:

The shells were a little bit larger than I normally make them
I cooked these at 320F.
I double-panned them while cooking.

As you can see, filled with a nice chocolate ganache, these macarons came out nicely. This recipe seemed to work, was easy to remember, and didn’t deviate from the techniques I’ve already learned. I think this book may be a keeper!

This month our daring assignment got a holiday themed recipe: Yule Log. This is one of those recipes that may make you cringe a little bit when you first look at it; a cake, frosting, and two garnishes. There isn’t a whole lot to worry about here if you take your time and plan accordingly. Both the cake and the buttercream use similar methods of heating the eggs and sugar over a bain-marie, if you get one right, you should be able to have success with both.

I have to admit that I got to see a few of these completed before I even started making my pastry and I took some inspiration from a few of you out there. I decided to fill my cake with vanilla scented pears and frost the whole thing with chocolate buttercream. I may have deviated a little bit from the recipe suggestions, but I’m not a huge fan of coffee and the color just didn’t seem dark enough for me. The pears and their juices soaked into the cake nicely so no additional soaking syrup was needed. The cake ended up nice and moist with just enough fruit in each bite while not being overpowered by the chocolate buttercream.

I was surprised by how much frosting this recipe yielded. There is probably enough frosting here for me to frost three of these cakes! I’m sure I can find a use for the massive amounts leftover, but I’d consider at least halving the recipe even if you are going to use the buttercream as a filling as well.

I skipped out on the meringue mushrooms and just went with marzipan decorations. The marzipan was quite easy to work with and the color worked nicely for some mushrooms, acorns, and a forest gnome (with axe!). I colored the marzipan brown with some cocoa powder which made it slightly chocolaty as well.

Yule Log
Plain Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour – spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
¼ cup cornstarch

one 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger – it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.

3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using).

5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.

8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.

10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.

11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

Meringue Mushrooms:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3-1/2 ounces/105 g.) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1-1/3 ounces/40 g.) icing sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1.Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip. In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the icing sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.

2.Scoop the mixture into the bag. On one baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each ½ inch (12 mm.) wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, ¾ inch (2 cm.) tall, and spaced about ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1-1/4 inches (3 cm.) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm.) high, also spaced ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

3.Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50-55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the sheets.

4.Garnish your Yule Log with the mushrooms.

Marzipan Mushrooms:

8 ounces almond paste
2 cups icing sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
Cocoa powder

1.To make the marzipan combine the almond paste and 1 cup of the icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until sugar is almost absorbed.

2.Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

3.Add half the corn syrup, then continue mixing until a bit of the marzipan holds together when squeezed, adding additional corn syrup a little at a time, as necessary: the marzipan in the bowl will still appear crumbly.

4.Transfer the marzipan to a work surface and knead until smooth.

5.Roll one-third of the marzipan into a 6 inches long cylinder and cut into 1-inch lengths.

6.Roll half the lengths into balls. Press the remaining cylindrical lengths (stems) into the balls (caps) to make mushrooms.

7.Smudge with cocoa powder.

This recipe just plain works. This recipe uses Italian meringue, don’t let it scare you. This one not so hard part is the reason why they work so well. You don’t have to mess around trying to get macaronage since the meringue is very stable. One of the nicest parts of this recipe is that you can double it, split it into two parts, color/flavor each separately, and get two flavors for the work of one recipe.

Here’s the recipe with details and photos:

For the Macarons:
120g egg whites, divided
35g sugar
150g finely ground almonds
150g powdered sugar

For the sugar syrup:
150g sugar and 50g water

Process the ground almonds and powdered sugar in the work bowl of a food processor. Most recipes call for sifting, but I think this works better and gets everything combined.

In a stand mixer, whip 60g egg whites to soft peaks, add 35g sugar.

In the meantime, in a saucepan on high heat bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 230 F. on a candy thermometer.

Slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium – high speed until they are completely cooled and you have a shiny meringue (10-15 minutes).

Mix the remaining 60g of egg whites and the sifted almond/sugar and carefully fold into the meringue.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the mixture and pipe macarons about 3 inches in diameter on silpat lined baking sheet.

Bake at 320 for 15-25 minutes.

Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension.

That’s about all that is to it. I think I’m finally done with macarons for a while. I’m sure the next time I try to make them I will encounter problems again, but until then…

I admit, macaron madness has fully infected the foodgeek household. I must have made at least 7 batches of macarons trying to get a recipe to come out. I’d have entire pans of cracked cookies, pans that only half of them cracked, and others that were perfect.

What did I learn from all of this?

• Do not fold the ingredients like you would a cake. The batter needs to be deflated a good deal to get that ‘flows like magma’ consistency.
• Drying the macarons out before they are cooked provides insurance. While it may not be necessary, I found that the dried batches I made almost never cracked and always formed a proper foot.
• I tried several oven temperatures, for the most part, they all worked. I settled on 335°F because it was what worked the best in the end
• If you add coloring, do so to the egg whites at the end of beating and before folding in the dry ingredients.

With all of the mistakes I made, there was a good deal of success. At the end of all of my experiments, I was able to produce four sheets of uncracked macarons. With those four sheets, I managed to come up with four separate flavors: chocolate, lemon, raspberry, and banana caramel.

This recipe has evolved a little bit, here’s what I’m using now:

Basic Macaron Batter

65g almond powder
85g powdered sugar
2 egg whites
30g granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 335°F

Place almond powder and powdered sugar in a food processor. Process with metal blade until thoroughly combined.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed. As the whites begin to foam, add sugar in a slow stream while mixing. Continue mixing at high speed until whites reach stiff peaks.

Fold almond mixture into egg whites in two additions. The mixture will deflate quite a bit. Continue folding until mixture is fully combined and shiny. (and flows like MAGMA)

Immediately fill a pastry bag fitted with an 11mm round tip and pipe into rounds onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat baking mat.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the countertop to flatten the macaron.

Leave macarons out to dry for about 30 minutes or until they do not stick to your finger when touched.

When macarons are sufficiently dry, place in the oven to bake. After about five minutes, a ruffled skirt should develop around the bottom edge of each macaron. Rotate the baking sheet by 180 degrees, and bake for another five to seven minutes.

Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension.

Move silpat to a cooling rack. After macarons have cooled enough to touch, remove them from silpat and place upside down on rack. If they do not easily come off silpat, place in freezer for a few minutes and try again.

Last week Jef (aka the geek) made the very rich Sarah Bernhardt pastries which he posted about. Something that was not mentioned there was that the almond macaroons that make the base of the pastry are wonderful cookies in their own right. I happen to be an enormous fan of anything flavored with almonds, so this simple almond cookie is one of my very favorites.

The texture of the cookies is light, airy and smooth, with a crisp outside and a slight chewiness on the inside. They have lots of almond-y goodness inside and out. These are the sort of cookie that it is very easy to lose track of exactly how many you’ve eaten!

Almond Macaroon
(makes about 60)

400g almond paste
200g sugar
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375°F

Beat almond paste and sugar in an electric mixer

Add egg whites, one at a time, and mix until smooth

Pipe small mounds (about 2cm) on silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet

Bake at 375°F for 10 min or until lightly browned

Let cool on silpat/baking paper

Turn paper over and peel off the back of cookies

A friend of mine on IRC commented on the macarons I made a few weeks ago. He was saying they reminded him of a Swedish almond cookie, the biskvit. I did a little bit of research, and learned that these cookies are more commonly known as Sarah Bernhardts.

These pastries were invented by a Danish pastry chef who wanted to honor the actress. The classic recipe consists of a chewy almond macaroon with a chocolate mousse filling, all dipped in a chocolate glaze. I strayed a little bit from the classic recipe; I used chocolate French buttercream for the filling and tempered chocolate for the coating instead of the glaze that is suggested. Here is my interpretation of the pastry.

Sarah Bernhardts

Almond Macaroon
(makes about 60)

Cookies will keep in the refrigerator for about a week or the freezer for a few months.