I’m always on the lookout for good macaron flavour combinations.
When I was in Pittsburgh last week, I stopped and got three new macarons: white chocolate basil, peach violet, and earl grey. The white chocolate basil was very interesting, but I’m not sure if I need to ever eat one again. Peach violet tasted too artificial, but the earl grey was perfect. I knew that I needed to veganize and recreate it for you.
Certain teas really come out when you bake with them — and earl grey is one of them. Chai is another great tea to use for baking projects. I encourage you to experiment and use organic teas when possible.
For this Vegan French macaron recipe, I put the earl grey in the meringue cookie while I made a lemon buttercream for the filling. If you want your tea leaves very fine, run them through a spice grinder before sifting them. The larger leaves didn’t bother me (and I like the way they look in the finished product), but some people might like a smoother texture.
Out of all of the egg-free and regular macarons I’ve made over the years, this has been one of the best and tastiest recipes. It tastes the most authentic out of my egg-free batches. You will love them!
I don’t plan on going into as much detail as I did in my first vegan macaron post; please read this one first before executing this Vegan French Macarons Earl Grey & Lemon recipe.
I will say this again: macarons are challenging cookies to make if you make them traditionally or with vegan ingredients. If at first, you don’t succeed, try again!
Vegan French Macarons: Earl Grey & Lemon
Course: Uncategorized4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalRecipe adapted from my original Chocolate & Amaretto Macarons
Ingredients
Liquid from one 15 Oz can of chickpeas; chickpeas saved for another use
Half a cup of organic cane sugar
One cup of almond flour, like Bob’s Red Mill
Half a cup of vegan powdered sugar
One-eight a cup of loose early grey tea, about 6-7 tea bags
One teaspoon of vanilla infused bourbon, plus more as needed
- For the icing
Two tablespoons of organic non-hydrogenated shortening, like Spectrum
Two and One-third cup of vegan powdered sugar
One tablespoon of lemon extract, or you can add more vanilla
A few tablespoons of almond milk, add as needed
Directions
- Bring the chickpea liquid to a boil in a small saucepan. When it heats, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer/reduce for 10 minutes – set a timer! This boiling liquid may have an odd odour so that you know. It should be reduced to around 1/3 cup.
- Sift the powdery mixture into the sifter. F or to several macaron recipes I’ve tried said to sift three times. This recipe only needed one sift. Some big chunks that don’t get into the sifter can be discarded.
- Take your cane sugar and measure it out. Keep it aside once done.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, mix the almond flour, powdered sugar, and tea leaves. Pulse a few times to mix, then run for a minute or two.
- Pour your chickpea liquid into your stand mixer tank and connect your whisk once it has decreased. Set a timer for 2 minutes and whisk on a medium-high setting (about a 5-6 setting) in the mixer. The mixture should foam up and get frothy.
- Toss in the cane sugar. Set a timer for 5 minutes to beat the mixture on high. This is when the real magic occurs. It’s awe-inspiring to watch! The final product should resemble a meringue with stiff, glossy peaks. After that, add your teaspoon of vanilla and beat for another minute on high.
- Fold in the sifted mixture in thirds until the meringue is over. (Pour in one-third of the liquid and fold.) (Do it again.) I discovered that my batter was a little dry at this stage. In the batter, I placed another teaspoon or two of vanilla extract. You want a dense, firm batter that is still a little shiny. Someone compared it to lava pouring down a cliff, but I’m not sure how accurate that comparison is. This is the point where you simply have to get a feel for it. This is why producing macarons is difficult!
- Using a spatula, transfer the batter to your piping bag. Snip a hole in the bag about a half-inch from the end. The batter could drip out steadily, most probably in tiny blobs, if I keep the bag upright at a 90-degree angle. You have a problem if it’s runny. If it’s rigid and won’t move without assistance, you’ve got a separate issue! This requires dexterity.
- Pipe quarter/half-dollar-sized cookies into your Silpat mats. I would suggest that you double the baking sheets. This has been stated in several macaron-making blogs. It prevents the bottoms from being charred. Pipe the batter before you run out of batter – or space to pipe it.
- Smack the cookie sheets on the counter a couple of times until you’re finished piping. You want to smooth out the macarons to get rid of the air bubbles inside. Whack them in the face – don’t be scared to injure them. My macarons started with tiny tips, but after a few smacks, the tops smoothed out. That’s how you can tell whether the batter is decent or not.
- Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for the macarons to dry on the counter. They should be fully dry to the touch – don’t poke them!
- Preheat the oven to 205° F as the drying period passes.
- Bake the macarons for 30 minutes in the oven. Turn the oven off after 30 minutes and leave the cookies in the closed oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the oven door and let the cookies cool for another 15 minutes before removing them from the oven.
- To make the icing
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the ingredients using a spatula. If you need a bit extra liquid to get the icing to come together, apply a tablespoon of almond milk at a time.
- Gently pipe icing onto one side of a macaron using a second piping bag. Take another macaron and sandwich it between the two. (I prefer to name it the Oreo process in reverse.) Do you remember how you used to “unscrew” the Oreo cookies when you were a kid? Ok, twist the macarons around to make them match!) If you have some leftovers, put them in the fridge to use later!
- These Vegan French Macarons are light and soft, with a flavour that reminds me of a nice tea party! As a side note, I baked these cookies on a rainy day, and humidity does affect them; my feet did not develop as well as they should have. They still taste amazing, though! Enjoy:-)
Cheers,
-Aileen
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