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Toasted Sugar Vanilla Macarons

April 5, 2022 By Ashley Leave a Comment

A truly classic flavor, vanilla is complex, deep in flavor and anything but simple or boring. Perhaps it’s so common, that some have forgotten how truly amazing the flavor of vanilla really is. My toasted sugar vanilla macarons are anything but boring, highlighting the woodsy, floral, marshmallowy flavor of vanilla with the addition of a subtly toasty, caramelized flavor from toasted sugar. This is one of my family’s favorite macarons to date. And I’m sure you and yours will love it too.

Toasted Sugar

Toasting sugar is a simple way to add more depth and caramelized flavor to baked goods. I like to use toasted sugar in vanilla based recipes to emphasize flavor. Bake the sugar for about an hour, and stir every 15 minutes until the sugar has turned a light golden color. You will see the color gradually turn to ivory to a light golden color. If the sugar forms any clumps, run it through the food processor to pulverize it and break up the lumps. Toasted sugar is totally worth the time and can be used interchangeably in recipes that call for regular granulated sugar.

Macaron Shells

Follow my recipe directions for these macarons to a T and you will have perfect macarons every time. The primary flavors of these macaron shells is toasted sugar and vanilla from vanilla bean paste.

Before you begin making the macarons, prepare the ingredients. Have everything ready to go before starting the recipe. Leave the egg whites out to sit at room temperature in the bowl of a stand mixer for 30 minutes. Place the granulated sugar, salt and cream of tartar in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Sift, and if any large pieces remain, pulverize them in a food processor and sift again.

In a separate bowl, sift together the almond flour, and powdered sugar. If any large pieces remain, pulverize them in a food processor and sift again.

Beat with the whisk attachment until the eggs are foamy, then whisk in the sugar/salt/cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks form. This means that the egg whites will stick straight up when you pull the whisk out of the whites. They will be thick and glossy.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it “ribbons”, which means it falls off the batter in a thick but steady stream. You should be able to make a “8” with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You’re looking for about 55-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds. You don’t want to over mix. Once the batter ribbons, they’re ready to pipe.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

This buttercream is a scaled down version of my go-to American style buttercream. It’s light, whipped smooth, and creamy. This recipe requires whipping the buttercream in total for 12 or so minutes. Don’t skimp on the whipping time – this ensures a light, fluffy and not grainy buttercream.

If you make my toasted sugar vanilla macarons, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more macaron recipes, check out these posts:

Red Velvet Macarons

Crème Brûlée Macarons

Salted Honey Coffee Macarons

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Toasted Sugar Vanilla Macarons

Toasted sugar vanilla macarons with vanilla bean buttercream

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Cool30 mins

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: easter macarons, macarons, toasted sugar, vanilla buttercream, vanilla macarons

Servings: macarons

Equipment

Ingredients

Toasted Sugar Macaron Shells

3 large (90g) egg whites
60 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
150 grams powdered sugar
120 grams almond flour
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (114g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Toasted Sugar Macaron Shells

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Evenly pour the granulated sugar into a glass or ceramic baking dish.
Toast the sugar until lightly golden, for about 45-60 minutes, stirring after every 15.
Let the sugar cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.
While the sugar cools, place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Once cool, place the sugar into the bowl of a food processor to break up any clumps that formed during baking.
In medium size bowl, sift together the toasted sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl aside.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour. Process the remaining large pieces in a food processor to pulverize them, then sift. Set the bowl aside.
Line half baking sheets with parchment paper, or macaron guide silicone mats. Or place templates under the parchment, if using.
Beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
Beat in the toasted sugar, cream of tartar and salt mixture.
Whip the egg white mixture until stiff peaks form. The meringue will stand up straight when the whisk is removed. The egg white mixture will be thick and glossy.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and folding in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it "ribbons", which means it falls off the batter in a stream. You should be able to make a "8" with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You're looking for about 50-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton 1A or 2A) and pipe 1 1/2" rounds on the parchment paper.
Firmly tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times to remove air bubbles. Let the macarons sit until just slightly tacky, but no batter comes off on your fingers, about 30 minutes.
Bake the macarons for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 6-8 minutes on medium speed. Butter will become very pale and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla bean paste and salt. Mix on low speed for 1 minute to incorporate the ingredients.
Increase the speed to medium and whip for and additional 5-7 minutes. Frosting will be light, creamy and fluffy.

Assemble the Macarons

Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip ( I used a Wilton #12).
Flip half of the macaron shells over, flat side up. Pipe a mound of buttercream in the centers of the flipped shells.
Place the remaining macaron shells on top of the cookies with filling and squeeze gently, until the filling just reaches the edges.

Notes

Toasted sugar vanilla macarons can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Crème Brûlée Macarons

September 16, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Oh, these macarons. These are definitely a must add to your baking list. They’re the best of two amazing French desserts – macarons and crème brûlée. My crème brûlée macarons are filled with rich and silky vanilla bean pastry cream and custardy German buttercream sandwiched inside crisp and chewy vanilla bean macaron shells. Then they’re topped with sugar and torched until crispy and caramelized. Seriously, these are so, so good.

What makes these macarons taste like crème brûlée?

Créme brûlée is a creamy baked custard topped with sugar and brûléed, or torched until caramelized. This creates a crispy caramel top to the silky custard. For this recipe, both the pastry cream filling and German buttercream take place of the baked custard, and the tops of the macarons are also brûléed.

What is German buttercream?

German buttercream is a custard based buttercream made with pastry cream, butter, a little bit of confectioner’s sugar and flavoring. Prepared pastry cream is added to whipped butter to create a rich and silky buttercream that’s not too sweet, with a texture that is similar to a meringue style buttercream. I love this buttercream for these macarons but it also makes a fantastic cake filling.

What is pastry cream?

Pastry creme, or crème pâtissière, is similar to custard, but is typically thicker, like a pudding. Egg yolks, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and milk are cooked until thickened. Butter and vanilla bean paste are added and then set aside to cool to room temperature. One batch of the pastry cream will be used for both the macaron center filling and also the German buttercream. Too warm and the pastry cream will be runny, ooze out the centers and melt the butter for the buttercream. Too cold and the German buttercream will split when the pastry cream is added.

How to make crème brûlée macarons

Make the pastry cream first as it will need to have time to cool. Before you begin making the macarons, prepare the ingredients. Leave the egg whites out to sit at room temperature in the bowl of a stand mixer for 30 minutes. Place the granulated sugar, salt and cream of tartar in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Sift and discard any large pieces.

In a separate bowl, sift together the almond flour, and confectioner’s sugar. Discard the large pieces.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it “ribbons”, which means it falls off the batter in a stream. You should be able to make a “8” with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You’re looking for about 55-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds. You don’t want to over mix.

Firmly tap the pans 2-3 times on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Let the macs sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to set. They’re ready to baked when the tops are slightly tacky and you can touch them without batter sticking to your fingers. Sitting out helps to create the macaron feet so that the macarons bake upwards and don’t spread outwards.

Bake for 20 minutes. The macs will be set, risen and have little ruffly feet around the bottom. Let the macs dry before removing them from the parchment. Fully baked, they will be easy to remove from the parchment.

While the macaron shells cool, make the buttercream. Beat the softened butter until thick, pale and fluffy on high speed for about 5 minutes. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Add the pastry cream a tablespoon at a time. After the pastry cream has been added, beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Pipe a ring of buttercream around the outside of half the baked and cooled mac shells. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of pastry cream into the center. Place a shell on top of the filling, pushing down gently to push the filling to the edges.

If you make these crème brûlée macarons, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more French inspired recipes, check out these posts:

Red Velvet Macarons

Mimosa Madeleines

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Crème Brûlée Macarons

Chewy and delicate vanilla bean macarons filled with vanilla bean pastry cream and silky German buttercream topped with sugar and caramelized.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: macarons

Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Macaron Shells

90 grams large egg whites, about 3 egg whites
60 grams superfine, caster or granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
150 grams confectioner's sugar
120 grams finely ground almond flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Pastry Cream

⅔ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste

German Buttercream

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 of the prepared pastry cream

Instructions

Pastry Cream

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, salt and sugar and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until thickened, for about a minute.
When the milk mixture is simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat. Carefully and slowly, whisk the milk into the egg mixture.
Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking continuously until the pastry cream thickens and slow bubbles pop on the surface.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any curdled bits, and to smooth out the cream.
Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste.
Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap so that a skin doesn't form. Allow the pastry cream to cool to room temperature.

Macaron Shells

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in medium size bowl, sift together the superfine sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Discard any large pieces of sugar left. Set bowl aside.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the confectioner's sugar and almond flour. Discard any large pieces of almond remaining. Set the bowl aside.
Line half baking sheets with parchment paper. Place templates under the parchment, if using.
Beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about 8 minutes.
Beat in the granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt mixture.
Whip the egg white mixture until stiff peaks form. The meringue will stand up straight when the whisk is removed. The egg white mixture will be thick and glossy.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and folding in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it "ribbons", which means it falls off the batter in a stream. You should be able to make a "8" with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You're looking for about 50-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton 1A or 2A) and pipe 1 1/2" rounds on the parchment paper.
Firmly tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times to remove air bubbles. Let the macarons sit until just slightly tacky, but no batter comes off on your fingers, about 30-60 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 300F. Bake the macarons for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

German Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and confectioner's sugar on high for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Decrease the speed to medium-low and beat in half of the prepared and cooled pastry cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Increase the speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Spoon the German buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip( I used a Wilton 2A).
Flip half of the macaron shells over, flat side up. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the perimeter of flipped shells.
Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of pastry cream into the center of the buttercream ring.
Place the remaining macaron shells on top of the cookies with filling and squeeze gently, until the filling just reaches the edges.
Brush the tops of the macarons with very little water. You just need a tiny bit to get the sugar to stick.
Chill the macarons for 2-3 hours to firm up the buttercream before torching the tops.
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar on top of the macarons.
Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar on top.

Funfetti Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

August 12, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

It’s my birthday! So I’m celebrating with funfetti vanilla cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting. Yellow cake and chocolate frosting is the quintessential birthday cake I grew up with, as so many of us have, and it’s a nostalgic combination I make for birthdays year after year. These funfetti vanilla cupcakes are deliciously soft, moist and full of vanilla flavor. The chocolate fudge frosting is light but rich, super chocolatey and creamy delicious. And we can’t forget, it’s not a true birthday cupcake unless there are lots and lots of sprinkles!

How to make funfetti cupcakes

These funfetti vanilla cupcakes are tender, buttery, and moist with a tight, delicate crumb. I’ve loaded these cupcakes with vanilla bean paste, but these are also great with almond extract. They’re the perfect go-to vanilla cupcake. Pop in some sprinkles and they’re the perfect funfetti cupcake.

These cupcakes are quick and easy to prepare. They use my favorite mixing methods, the reverse creaming method. Check out my Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake for more information on the reverse creaming method. Room temperature ingredients are key to a perfect cupcake. The egg, egg white, oil and vanilla bean paste are combined together in bowl and lightly beaten, to mix. The dry ingredients – cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt – are mixed together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Room temperature butter is mixed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. The milk is added just until the flour mixture is moistened, then the batter is whipped for a full 90 seconds. This aerates and stabilizes the batter for fluffy cupcakes.

The remaining milk is mixed in with the egg/oil mixture. The egg/oil mixture is added to the batter in two additions, scraping the bowl after each addition. Be sure to scrape the bowl when noted to make sure the ingredients are being thoroughly incorporated. Fold in the sprinkles of your choice. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full. The cupcakes are baked a slightly lower temperature at 325F, so that bottoms and sides of the cupcakes don’t get over baked while the middle is still baking. Do not over bake.

This cupcake recipe is super versatile. They’re soft and fluffy, but still stable enough for a variety of fillings and frostings. The baked cupcakes will keep for 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. I do not recommend refrigerating these, as I don’ t recommend refrigerating scratch cupcakes in general. Unless they’re individually wrapped, I find that they dry out a bit to much.

How to make the chocolate fudge frosting

This super chocolatey frosting is super light and creamy. There’s lots of chocolate in it, but whipping the butter and the confectioner’s sugar first, then whipping the buttercream after the chocolate is added ensures a light and creamy frosting, rather than a dense and cloying frosting. It’s so good, it’s hard to not just eat it out of the bowl with spoon.

I like to use bittersweet chocolate in my frosting to offset the sweetness from the confectioner’s sugar. Choose a quality bittersweet chocolate that you like, because the chocolate flavor is front and center. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler until the chocolate is melted and smooth, and let it cool to room temperature. While the chocolate is cooling, whip the butter and the confectioner’s sugar until super light and creamy. Add in the cooled chocolate, and beat again until combined. Add in the vanilla, milk and salt and beat on medium speed until light, creamy and thoroughly mixed. I like to whip the frosting for 3-5 minutes or so to get it really light and fluffy. Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and top with your favorite sprinkles. Enjoy!

For more cake and cupcake recipes, check out these posts:

Black Forest Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Stout Cake with Irish Cream Buttercream

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Funfetti Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Buttery, tender and moist vanilla bean funfetti cupcakes topped with creamy, and decadent chocolate fudge frosting

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Black Forest Cupcakes, brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream, chocolate frosting, fudge frosting, funfetti cupcakes

Servings: cupcakes

Equipment

Ingredients

Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes

1/2 cup (119g) whole milk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg white, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons (26g) canola oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (175g) cake flour
3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup sprinkles

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 cup (170g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1 3/4 cup (210g) confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Instructions

Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes

Heat the oven to 325F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
In a measuring cup, combine the egg, egg white, vanilla and oil. Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed for a minute to combine.
With the mixer still running, add in the softened butter pieces. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You should be able to gather a bit in your hand, squeeze and you have a solid piece. This means the butter is evenly distributed.
With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in the milk, mixing JUST until the flour mixture is moistened. You will not use all the milk at this time. Pour the remaining milk into the bowl with the eggs and oil, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Turn the mixer speed to medium and whip for a full 90 seconds. The mixture should be whipped up, thick, and lighter in color.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is properly mixed.
With the mixer speed on low, add the egg/oil/remaining milk mixture in two additions, scraping down the bowl after each addition has been mixed in.
Once all the wet ingredients have been added, give the bowl a final scrape and mix with a spatula.
Fold in the sprinkles. Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners, 2/3 full.
Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a crumb or two when inserted in the center of the cupcake. Don't over bake.
Place the baked cupcakes on wire racks to cool for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the hot cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Return the chocolate to the microwave and heat for another 15 seconds and stir again.
Continue heating the chocolate for 15 seconds, stirring after each increment, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let the chocolate cool to room temperature.
Combine the softened butter and confectioner's sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on low speed for one minute. Turn the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl every so often.
On low speed, add the cooled, melted chocolate. Mix for a minute, until everything is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the salt, vanilla and milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and whip for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles.

Notes

Baked and frosted cupcakes can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.