Chamomile and caramelized Honey macarons

These chamomile and caramelized honey macarons are ideal for all of your spring get-togethers. The macaron shells are lightly salted caramelized honey buttercream and softly flavored with chamomile. It’s spring in a single bite.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup 2 ½ tablespoons (212 grams) Bob’s Red Mill almond flour

  • 1 ¾ cup 1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons (212 grams) powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup 1 ½ tablespoons (82 grams) egg whites
  • ¼ cup 2 tablespoons (90 grams) egg whites
  • 1 cup 3 tablespoons (236 grams) granulated sugar, plus a pinch for egg whites
  • ⅔ cup (158 grams) water
  • 1 tablespoon finely ground chamomile, plus more for decorating

For the Buttercream:

  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 – 2 ½ tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature

Special Equipment:

  • kitchen scale
  • kitchen thermometer
  • macaron mats

How To Cook

  1. Combine the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until the almond flour is finely ground and blended. Sift the mixture into a large mixing basin through a fine mesh sieve. In the almond flour mixture, make a well and pour in the 14 cup + 12 tablespoons (82 grams) of egg whites. Mix until everything is well incorporated and thick, sticky dough emerges. Remove from the equation.
  2. In a clean, dry mixing basin, combine the 14 cups plus 2 teaspoons (90 grams) egg whites. Add a pinch of sugar to the mix.
  3. Combine the granulated sugar, water, and chamomile in a small pot. Over medium heat, stir constantly. Allow it to come to a boil after the sugar has dissolved, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan as needed and wiping the sides of the saucepan with a damp pastry brush to remove any crystals. Cook the sugar until it reaches a temperature of 248 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees C). Keep an eye on the temperature because once it gets around 200 degrees F, start whisking the egg whites in the mixing bowl using a whisk attachment.
  4. Using an electric mixer, continue to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Mix on low if soft peaks appear before the sugar reaches its final temperature of 248°F.
  5. Remove the sugar from the fire as soon as it reaches 248 degrees F. Give it one more whisk to incorporate the chamomile. Raise the egg whites’ speed to medium-high and trickle the sugar in slowly between the bowl and the whisk. Keep beating until hard, glossy peaks form.
  6. Slowly pour the glossy egg whites into the almond flour mixture in the mixing bowl. Lift your spatula up from the batter and add a couple of spoonfuls at a time until the mixture forms ribbons. The ribbons should spread out slowly, like lava, and take many seconds to blend in. Continue mixing and adding a little more of the beaten egg whites if the ribbons build up and don’t mix in. If the ribbon comes together in a matter of seconds, it has been overbeaten and will break and become deformed when baked. Try not to beat yourself up too much. It’s possible that you won’t need all of the beaten egg whites.
  7. Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter and a round piping tip. Evenly pipe rounds onto a silicone baking mat or baking pans lined with parchment paper. To eliminate any bubbles, tap the baking sheets on a table a few times. Return with a toothpick and pop any remaining bubbles. On a corner of the macarons, sprinkle dried chamomile.
  8. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F while the macaron shells dry out. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Allow time for the shells to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets.
  9. Make the buttercream by combining the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat the honey in a small skillet over medium high heat until it turns black in colour and smells nutty, even slightly burned. Turn the heat off.
  10. While the honey cooks, cream the butter until it is completely smooth. Half a cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the salt and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
  11. While the buttercream is beating on low, drizzle two tablespoons of the caramelized honey into the buttercream.
  12. In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and the remaining honey until completely combined. While the buttercream is being blended on low, pour in the honey slowly. Taste frequently until you achieve the optimum level of flavour intensity. Keep in mind that the flavors will intensify as the macarons mature. After adding the honey, beat for approximately a minute on high, then cool for about 5 minutes.
  13. Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and a round tip. Half of the macarons should be covered in buttercream, and the remaining macaron shells should be on top.

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