Strawberry Cream Cheese Macarons

I had leftover cream cheese filling from the carrot cake macarons I made so I decided to make more macarons! This time, I kept the shell simple and used a basic recipe with gel coloring. I added some pureed strawberries to my filling and it gave it a nice subtle strawberry taste! Yum!

Again, I apologize for the lack of photos, but I whipped this up pretty quickly.

*Tip: Since the batter tends to ooze easily, I highly suggest that after you fit a pastry bag with a round tip, twist the pastry bag right above where the tip starts and tuck it into the tip so that the batter does not flow out until you are ready for it to!

Happy baking!!! 

Yields: 20 - 35 macarons depending on size

Ingredients:

Shell
120 grams almond flour
200 grams powdered sugar
100 grams egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar, optional but it is supposed to help stabilize the meringue
30 grams granulated sugar
2-4 drops of pink/red gel food coloring

Filling
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
About 4 fresh or thawed frozen strawberries, pureed
A dash of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Cut parchment paper to fit 2 baking sheets. Outline a 1 1/2 inch circle cutter on the parchment paper 1 inch apart from one another, flip the paper over, and place it on the baking sheets.

Put a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (I used an Ateco 808 tip) in a large cup and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together and mix with a whisk until combined. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until it is foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and whip until the mixture becomes a glossy meringue with soft peaks. Add the gel coloring at this point and mix a little to see if it is the desired color. Always add more because the color will fade as you bake. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. You will know it is ready when you pull the whisk attachment out and the peak stands up straight. Be careful not to overbeat the meringue!

Great example found off the internet!

4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the egg whites and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold just until the ingredients are combined and no lumps or streaks remain. The batter should not be runny; it should be more like molten lava. It should not take more than 50 strokes. Test the batter by putting a small amount on a plate: if there is a small beak that does not fall down, give the batter a couple of turns.

5. Transfer the mixture to the pastry bag. Pipe batter right in the center of the circles on the parchment paper and do not fill all the way as it will spread out. Pipe the batter by holding the bag completely vertical perpendicular to the baking tray. Tap the baking sheets on the counter well to remove any air bubbles. If there are stubborn bubbles, be sure to pop them using a toothpick. Allow the cookies to rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes - 1 hour. You know it is ready to be placed in the oven when you touch it with your finger and it is not sticky.

6. In the meantime, preheat oven to 290 degrees F (it is best to invest in an oven thermometer if your oven is older) and set oven racks in the lower half of the oven. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the macarons appear set but are not browned, about 20 - 22 minutes. *You can also just cook one tray at a time to allow one to harden more.* Take the shells out to cool on the counter. Once cooled, carefully remove them from the parchment paper and transfer to a wire rack, matching them up in pairs by size. You can place unused shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.

7. Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla extract and beat on medium just until incorporated. Add the puree and continue beating until the mixture is completely mixed and smooth. For a more intense strawberry flavor, you can add more strawberry puree.

8. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with the filling. Take one of the shells of a pair and pipe about a tablespoon mound of filling into the center of the flat side of the shell. Top the shell with its other half  and gently push down until the filling reaches the edge. Repeat for the rest of the shells.

9. You can now eat them right away if you cannot wait, or you can store them in an airtight container and allow them to mature in the refrigerator overnight or for 48 hours before serving. Enjoy!