An adventure in French macarons

While we were in Paris, Greg bought a wonderful sampler of French macarons (although I don't think he meant to...but that is another story).  These cookies, not to be confused with coconut macaroons, are these little, melt-in-your-mouth wonder cookies made of meringue.  I had never had or seen cookies like them, but they were oh so tasty. Last weekend, I decided that I was going to try making them myself.

I consulted the Fount of Knowledge (a.k.a The Internet), and found a recipe by David Lebovitz on his blog. I decided to use his recipe for chocolate macarons, and vary it to try a couple of other flavors (plain and matcha green tea). The recipe is very simple: powdered sugar, cocoa, almond meal, and meringue.  However, I discovered that while the ingredients are simple, the execution to ideal macaron is not.

My green tea and chocolate cookies waiting for the oven. You are supposed to let the cookies sit for a bit before they cook.

The first batch I baked was the chocolate cookies. I thought I had beaten the meringue too much, and I was worried that they wouldn't turn out.  Although the tops aren't as smooth as the cookies we had in Paris, the cookies rose like they were supposed to, and developed a foot.  Woohoo! Mostly success on the first try!

It was then time for the matcha green tea cookies.  I was trying to match the pictures on the different recipes I saw where the cookie dough was smoother than what I had for the chocolate cookies. So   I didn't beat the eggs nearly as hard as I did for the chocolate cookies.  Halfway through the baking, I knew something was wrong. These cookies did not rise and develop a foot. They just kinda flattened out. Drat! Maybe I really needed to beat the meringue a lot more, just like I did for the chocolate ones. These maca-wrongs still smelled delicious though.

While the last batch of plain macarons was baking, I prepared the ganache for the cookie filling.  I sure miss Trader Joe's! (Good thing I have several of these chocolate bars stashed away).

I checked on the last batch of cookies, and egads! Maca-very very wrongs! I don't know what the heck happened here.  I guess that is what happens when I get cocky with success. These cookies didn't rise, they just sorta oozed together (although I did get really nice smooth tops).

I took the ganache and sandwiched cookies together.  The chocolate cookies look like French macarons are supposed to look--like little cookie hamburgers, and they melted in my mouth like the Paris cookies did. The matcha maca-wrongs don't look right, but they tasted wonderful and also melted in my mouth.  The maca-very very wrongs tasted very very good and were broken into pieces to be enjoyed (and dipped in the still warm ganache).

I read on one of the recipe blogs that the filling in macarons is never supposed to spill out the sides, but I just couldn't resist putting in extra ganache, so I got spillage.

It was a lot of fun to try to make something in my kitchen that I first tasted half a world away, even if it wasn't a complete success. I guess I will just have to try it again. And again. And again, until I get it right. Somehow perfecting cookies doesn't seem like the chore perfecting other things can be.