Description
This Pistachio Macarons recipe features delicate and smooth almond and pistachio shells filled with a luscious Laduree-style pistachio creme. Perfectly baked and assembled, these elegant French treats are beautifully colored and have a rich, nutty flavor complemented by the creamy filling. Ideal for special occasions or as a sophisticated dessert.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pistachio Macaron Shells
- 60 g fine almond flour
- 40 g fine pistachio flour
- 65 g powdered sugar
- 70 g egg whites at room temperature
- 75 g fine granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon green gel food coloring (Wilton Kelly green)
Laduree Pistachio Creme Filling
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 egg yolks
- 55 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 20 g pure pistachio paste
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, Teflon sheets, or silicone mats.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Sift together almond flour, pistachio flour, and powdered sugar twice to ensure a smooth mixture. Discard any leftover chunky bits.
- Make Meringue: In a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 30-40 minutes.
- Add Food Coloring: Add a drop of green gel food coloring to the meringue and continue beating until hard peaks form. The meringue should hold sharp, pointy ribs when lifted.
- Fold Dry Ingredients: Sift the dry ingredients again into the meringue. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the dry ingredients carefully until fully incorporated and the batter flows smoothly in a figure eight pattern, testing every few folds. Avoid over-folding.
- Pipe Macarons: Transfer the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 1.5-inch rounds one inch apart on prepared baking sheets, using a template if desired.
- Remove Air Bubbles and Rest: Tap baking sheets firmly to remove air bubbles and use a toothpick to pop large bubbles. Let macarons rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake Macarons: Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack for 18 minutes. Place an empty sheet on the upper rack to prevent browning. Check doneness by lightly touching the macaron; it should be firm and not move.
- Cool Shells: Allow macarons to cool completely on the baking mats before peeling off.
- Prepare Pistachio Creme Filling: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until syrup reaches 250°F (120°C), about 5 minutes.
- Beat Egg Yolks: Simultaneously whisk egg yolks in a bowl until pale and doubled in size, about 2 minutes.
- Combine Syrup and Yolks: Slowly pour hot syrup into egg yolks while whisking on low speed, adding syrup to the bowl side to avoid splatter.
- Beat to Cool: Increase speed to medium-high and beat the mixture until it cools to 104°F (40°C) and becomes smooth and white.
- Add Butter and Pistachio Paste: Stir in butter, pistachio paste, and optional food coloring. Continue beating until smooth, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
- Assemble Macarons: Pair shells by size and arrange bottom shells upside down on a wire rack. Pipe a dollop of filling on each and press top shells gently over the filling to spread it to the edges.
- Mature Macarons: Store filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours to allow flavors to meld and the filling to soften shells.
- Serve: Bring macarons to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving for best texture and flavor.
Notes
- Use super fine almond flour for smooth macaron tops and weigh ingredients before sifting for accuracy.
- For pistachio flour, pulse shelled pistachios in a food processor and sift to collect fine flour, processing chunks again.
- Commercial powdered sugar with cornstarch is recommended over homemade for better texture.
- Fine granulated sugar or caster sugar dissolves faster and is best for meringue stability.
- Cream of tartar helps stabilize the meringue but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Refer to specialized tutorials for making homemade pistachio paste for best results.
- Store filled macarons refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze them after 24 hours of maturation for up to 3 months.
- Proper folding technique and batter consistency are critical to successful macarons; consider watching real-time macaronage videos for guidance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 filled macaron
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
