INGREDIENTS

• French Macaron Shells
• • 106 grams of almond meal
• • 106 grams powdered sugar
• • 41 and 45 grams of egg whites divided
• • 115 grams of granulated sugar
• • 79 grams of water
• • 1/8 tsp Aiya Matcha Culinary Grade Matcha
• • dash of cream of tartar or lemon juice for stabilizing
• • green and brown gel or powdered food coloring
• Matcha Frosting
• • ½ cup organic shortening
• • 1¼ cups powdered sugar
• • 1 tsp alternative milk
• • ½ to ¾ tsp Aiya Matcha Culinary Grade Matcha
• • seeds from ½ vanilla bean pod
• • pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any built up residue. This will ensure that the egg whites whisk up properly.
• 2. Prep and measure all of the ingredients using a kitchen scale.
• 3. Prep a piping bag with a round tip. I use Wilton tip 12.
• 4. Line 2 baking sheets with silpat (or parchment).
• 5. Combine measured almond meal & powdered sugar together in a bowl. Sift one time to remove any lumps, discarding of them, then whisk together to create a homogeneous mixture.
• 6. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour the 41 grams of measured egg whites into the center of the dry mixture. Fold together until blended . The finished mix will be paste-like. Set aside.
• 7. To make the sugar syrup, heat granulated sugar and water in a pot on medium heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side. **Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot**.
• 8. Once the thermometer’s temperature reaches approximately 200°F, place the 45 grams of measured egg whites in the stand mixer and whisk on medium speed, to soft peaks.
• 9. Add a drop of lemon juice or dash of cream of tartar to stabilize then continue whisking.
• 10. If the egg whites are at soft peaks before the syrup reaches 248°F, turn the mixer down to low speed to keep the egg whites moving.
• 11. Watch the sugar syrup closely. As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 248°F, remove from heat.
• 12. Quickly increase mixer speed to medium and begin slowly pouring the sugar syrup down the side of your mixing bowl into the meringue until thoroughly combined.
• 13. Then increase the mixing speed to high and whisk sugar and meringue together until glossy and medium stiff peaks form.
• 14. Add food coloring and Matcha powder until desired color is achieved, whisking in between.
• 15. Gently transfer finished meringue into the almond/powdered sugar mixture in thirds, making sure that it’s fully incorporated before adding the additional 3rd of meringue.
• 16. Start the macaronage process by folding the batter in a circular motion, going around the edges of the bowl, then once through the center. Repeat these steps until smooth and thick ribbons of batter run off the spatula.
• 17. Be careful not to over-mix! You want the batter to be slightly thick, but not so thin that it does not hold the ribbon shape. Err on the side of caution.
• 18. To create two tone green macarons, split the batter in half and simply add more green coloring to one half of the batter, folding until combined.
• 19. Transfer batter to the prepped piping bag(s).
• 20. Pipe 1½ inch rounds about one inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
• 21. Be sure to hold the piping bag about ½ inch directly above the baking sheet when piping the rounds holding the bag steadily. Continue to pipe until you’ve filled an entire baking sheet.
• 22. Tap the macarons on the counter three times to release air bubbles. Pop any air bubbles that might’ve come to the surface, using a scribe or even a toothpick.
• 23. Before placing the macarons in the oven, let them to rest until a proper skin has formed on the outside of the shell. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Test by touching the piped rounds to make sure they’re dry to touch and that no batter comes off on fingers.
• 24. Preheat oven to 300°F.
• 25. Once dry to touch, place the macarons in the middle rack of the oven.. Feet will form halfway through the baking process.
• 26. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
• 27. Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before removing the shells from the silpat/parchment paper.
• 28. Once macarons are completely cool, gently remove from parchment paper/silpat.
• 29. Repeat the same steps to bake the remaining macaron batter.
• 30. They’re ready to fill.
• Matcha Frosting
• 1. Place all of the ingredients including the Culinary Grade Matcha into the mixer and mix on medium for 1-2 minutes or until well incorporated.
• 2. Transfer the Matcha frosting to a piping bag fitted with the start tip.
• 3. Set aside until ready to assemble.
• Assembly
• 1. Evenly pipe swirls of frosting into the center of the bottom of each macaron shell. Top with second shell to create a sandwich.
• 2. Transfer the finished macarons into the fridge and allow at least two hours to mature. 12 hours or overnight preferred.
• 3. Serve and enjoy!