Sunday, May 2, 2010

Doughnut Macarons

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Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. I've had doughnuts on the brain. I blame you Lisa! I've been in a macaron-making mood. And then I had one of those *ding* lightbulb above the head moments. Doughnuts...macarons...dougharons...macanuts?! I'm not sure what to call them but I made them. Doughnut macarons, flavoured with a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar, with strawberry jam buttercream. I have to tell you, these are the BEST tasting macarons I've ever made.
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They were probably not my best/prettiest batch technique-wise, my oven temperature was low which meant they had a big ugly space under the shell, and I forgot to add an extra baking sheet so they overcooked slightly, but ohhh my god the strawberry jam buttercream is so good. How have I never thought of adding strawberry jam to buttercream before?
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Yes, I did pipe them so they had little holes in the middle. And yes, trying to do this was a total pain in the a**. I did it by hand, piping spirals/circles with a slightly narrower piping tip than usual, but even then, most of them spread out and the holes in the middle disappeared. I eventually gave up halfway and settled for piping mini macaron shells. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to top them with sprinkles or cinnamon. So I did both!
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To be honest, even though the ones covered with sprinkles were so cute that they made me squee as I saw them rising in the oven, the cinnamon ones tasted more awesome. I think it was just that extra bit of baked cinnamon on top that made them taste just like jam filled doughnuts. Even my brother, who really doesn't like macarons, said that he could eat more of them and they were his favourite macaron flavour so far. I usually can't handle eating more than one or two of my own macarons, but I kept sneaking back to the kitchen to have another one of these little babies.
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I'm not going to lie, I had SO much fun making these. I love ideas like these that randomly come to me and it's so satisfying when they are actually edible, haha! And though it was messy and difficult to pipe them so they looked like doughnuts, I think it was worth it, and it looks better coming out of the oven than it did going in. But I totally don't blame you if you just wanna try regular macaron shells, I still thought the mini round ones looked just as cute. I'm still a semi-beginner when it comes to macarons, and I have a long way to go in terms of improving my technique, so I'm just happy when my shells have feet.
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It was my first time trying brown sugar in my macarons, I was worried about the moisture in the sugar so I dried it out in the oven the same way I dry out my almond meal, which I think helped a lot. Plus it was one of those perfectly dry days when you just have that feeling that your macarons are not going to fail completely. I've gotta tell you, if you don't even like eating macarons, but you feel like making them, just try these without the silly piping and they might be enough to make you like them. They are so cute and yummy!
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I feel like a repeat myself a lot with the little tips and tricks in my macaron recipes (and I tend to forget to write down a lot of the little things I do), so I'm thinking of just writing up a list of things that I always try to remember when making macarons. But I feel a bit lame trying to give out advice about macaron making when I am still a total amateur. So for the moment, if you have issues or questions about the recipe below, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email :)
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Doughnut Macarons with Strawberry Jam Buttercream
(Makes approximately 35 small macarons)
110g almond meal, dried in a cool (100 degrees C) oven for 10 minutes and sifted
200g icing sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
25g brown sugar, dried in a cool (100 degrees C) oven for 5 minutes and sifted
25g caster sugar
100g egg whites (frozen+defrosted to room temp or aged for 48 hours) (you can use fresh eggs too, just make sure they are room temperature. I always use fresh these days, and zap it in the microwave on defrost for 10 seconds)
Optional: 1 tsp egg white powder
Extra cinnamon or sprinkles for topping

For the buttercream:

100g unsalted butter
120g icing sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tbsp strawberry jam
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Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Place icing sugar in food processor and pulse for a minute to remove any lumps. Stir in almond meal and pulse a few times to combine. Place in a large mixing bowl and sift in powdered cinnamon.

Beat egg whites and egg white powder in a medium mixing bowl until the egg white powder dissolves and it reaches soft peaks. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add brown and caster sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks. This mixture will be slightly darker than your usual macaron meringue.
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Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix, quickly at first to break down the bubbles in the egg white, then fold carefully as the dry mixture becomes incorporated. Take care not to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should disappear after 30 seconds to a minute. Place in a piping bag and pipe small 2cm rounds for mini macarons. If you are attempting to create the doughnut shaped shells, use a smaller round tip and pipe in a circle (3cm diameter), leaving a 0.5cm diameter hole in the centre of each. Gently rap your baking sheets on your bench top to remove any extra bubbles from your piped shells. Dust tops with cinnamon or sprinkles.
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Preheat your oven to 140-150 degrees C (temperature varies depending on your oven). Leave shells on bench to dry for about an hour, so that when you press the surface of one gently it does not break. Place on top of an overturned roasting tray or another baking sheet if they are not professional grade. Bake for 13-15 minutes, depending on the size of your shells. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
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Remove the butter 30 minutes before you prepare the buttercream. Beat butter until smooth in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer and then add icing sugar and beat until combined. Add strawberry jam and beat until combined, you can adjust to taste. When smooth, it can be spooned on to shells and sandwiched. Refrigerate in an airtight container to store, serve at room temperature.
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So I still can't decide...dougharons or macanuts? I think macanuts has a catchy ring to it but it also sounds kinda wrong...
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68 comments:

  1. These are great looking macarons. Very creative. I am currently at failed macaron attempt 2, lets see how many it takes to get success.

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  2. Oh jeez, how I adore these macanuts! The donut shells are just head-explodingly cute and oh! I reckon these tasted so much better 'cause it was in miniature form! So freaking adorable I could cry.

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  3. *snorts* macanuts hahaha but squeee so cute! i vote sprinkles next time!

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  4. You never failed to impress me with your baking talent! This one is no exception!

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  5. These are the cutest ever ever ever!!!!!! I'm giving these a go!!

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  6. these are so awesomely cool. i want them for my next birthday cake! :-)

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  7. I call them awesome.

    You're one crazy, crazy woman. In a good way of course.

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  8. Oh this is so cute Steph! Good work and love the creativity.

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  9. Awesome! What a great idea. Lovely photography, too.

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  10. Steph, they are adorable! Yes, why didn't anyone think of jam and buttercream before?!

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  11. These are so cute!! And I'm happy to have partly inspired them! :D Wish I could have tried one, I'm sure they would have tasted fabulous. Nicely done Steph!

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  12. Steph they are so darn cute. I love novelty macs. You have inspired me to get in the kitchen and start making macs again.

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  13. I think I just heard a really loud squeee go up! Great combination of flavours you've got there, Steph. It must taste amazing.

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  14. *squee* so so so cute!! love these! you're a macaron pro in my opinion! great work! :)

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  15. These giggle-inducing macarons are awesome! I might even qualify these as "healthy" since laughing is so good for us. ;)

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  16. Oh they are way too cute to eat!!! I love the idea - so going to give this a try but everyone will be warned off for a day before they can be eaten. They need to be admired first ;0)

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  17. Oh my, these are so adorable! I'm still learning my way through macs & I know I would like to give these a try. So awesome! :)

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  18. These are the best macarons I have ever seen! So totally original!!! Great job!

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  19. I don't know which name to go with, but I do know that these are super cute!

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  20. Adorable! Clicked over from Tastespotting and I love your blog. I am too intimidated to try my hand at macaroons, but these look so irresistible!

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  21. omg these are soooo cute, what made it better was the fact that they tasted so good too. Yummo to cinnamon doughnut macarons.

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  22. oh my goodness me oh my, beyond cute. I posted a link on my column to your site/recipe (ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com). Thank you for sharing!

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  23. These are just too cuuttee! Hee hee macanuts. Mmmmm baked cinnamon sounds absolutely delightful but the sprinkles just brings out the inner child hee hee

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  24. I love these! Adorable, and they sound delicious, too. So glad you have the patience to make things like this... because I probably never will. ;) Great job!

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  25. What a cute idea! They look so precious with the colorful nonpareils. The shells themselves look so shiny, almost like you glazed them! How perfect.

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  26. I cant even get normal macarons to work and you got donut ones!!! How freakin awesome!! this is by far the best thing I've seen this month....ok its only the start of may, but I reckon it will be hard to top!!

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  27. These are amazing. I have never had any interest in making Macrons, but after seeing these I think I have changed my mind. How cute!

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  28. I don't like eating macarons, but I think I would want to eat one of these just because they are too cute!

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  29. Oh my gosh I've been looking for the perfect Macaron recipe to try out at my office cake club, and this is it - doughnut shaped AND sprinkles?! Thanks so much, jam buttercream sounds awesome :D

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  30. I think adorable has been said but once more won't hurt!

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  31. sooo cute!! you get the creative award for the day!! :)

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  32. What a cute idea! They look so cute and tasty! When I finally learn how to make macarons, I want to try this.

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  33. WOW! These look amazing! What a treat. Very beautiful and creative!

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  34. These are SUPER cute. You're a winner in my book. =)

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  35. They are adorable! Great idea! Love them!! :)

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  36. You're hilarious - these are fantastic! Super cute which means you can eat at least five times as many.

    So cool to have a funny little idea like this work out so damn well, I agree! Well done :D

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  37. soo cute!! you come up with some really great ideas.

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  38. No waaaay! These are so creative and adorable. Love it :)

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  39. Macanuts. I'd copyright/trademark that name right now because I can envisage some sort of salted snack product from the golden arches with that name! Very creative & great photos!

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  40. Aww, no way! These are so, so cute! I'm in love! And I would love to link to these if you didn't mind.

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  41. Mark - Thanks! Good luck, it took me a lot of failures :)

    Karen @ Citrus and Candy - Aww thanks babe! I'm only making little macs from now on, they are so cute!

    chocolatesuze - Haha it just makes you laugh right?

    Ellie (Almost Bourdain) - Aww thank you Ellie :)

    Trisha - Good luck! Let me know how they go for you :)

    Simon Food Favourites - Haha awesome, thanks!\

    The Ninja - :D Thanks, as long as I'm the good crazy!

    Phuoc'n Delicious - Thanks Phuoc!

    Poires au Chocolat - Thanks so much :)

    Trissa - Haha I know! They go so well together!

    Lisa - :D You were definitely the person who helped me brainstorm my way there!THanks!

    A cupcake or two - :) Yay! Can't wait to see what macs you come up with

    OohLookBel - SQUEE! :D Thanks! They were rather tasty :)

    Betty @ The Hungry Girl - Aww thanks hun, nahh I wouldn't call myself a pro lol

    Patty - haha ok, they're healthy if you say so :)

    Chele - OH haha mine didn't even last a day! They were so tasty!

    Caroline - Oh good luck :) Maybe try the none hole ones first?

    Kristy Sayer - Thanks!

    Brenda - Haha thanks so much!

    whisk-kid - :D thanks! haha i don't know what name to go with either!

    Robin - Twentysomething Test Dummies - Thanks for visiting :)

    linda - Yay so glad you liked them! Hehe the cinnamons were definitely the best

    Chic Cookies - Aww thank you so much for linking to me! Appreciate it muchly :D

    FFichiban - Catchy name rigght? Love sprinkles :D

    Betty - thanks!

    Dawn (KitchenTravels) - Aww you never know! I'm usually a very impatient baker, but these were worth it :)

    Amy Kelly - Thank you! Haha that was by accident i swear :)

    Maria@TheGourmetChallenge - Aww you'll get them to work! Just takes some practice, and I still fail!

    Nicole - Aww thanks! You should give them a go ;)

    Memória - I'm not a huge fan of them either but I kept going back for more of these!

    Bean Sprout's Cafe - haha thanks!

    Amy - Ooh let me know if you try them out :)

    Fiona - Haha agreed! thanks!

    Wanna Be Chef Mysti! - Wheee! Thanks :)

    kirbie - I hope you give them a go!

    Joudie's Mood Food - Thank you so much :)

    Piee - Aww thank you <3

    i bake for you :) - Thanks!

    missklicious - Squee! Thanks!

    Conor @ HoldtheBeef - haha thanks! i like that logic ;)

    Sara - Thank you :)


    Emma @CakeMistress - Heehee thank you!

    Forager - LOL you're so right! Thanks!

    Rachel@oneprettything.com - Haha thank you! Thanks so much for linking to me :)

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  42. wow...these look amazing! You're taking my two favorite desserts and putting them together. How can that be anything but yummy?

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  43. Lisa - Haha I seem to have a bad habit of mashing together desserts ;) But yes, it is yummy! Thanks!

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  44. Hey~ I came past this site and i was wondering... because my grocery place doesn't sell the almond meal, what other alternatives are there?

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  45. Gg_Obaachan - if you have a food processor or some sort of grinder you can use whole or blanched almonds and process until fine. However I don't think this will be quite as fine as the almond meal you can buy in the store.

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  46. Wow wow wow, those are super cute.
    Macarons are like my baking nemesis :( I'm up to attempt 5 or 6 now. I age the egg whites, sift the almond meal and icing sugar, count my folds as I mix it all together and leave them to dry before baking... all the tips and tricks I've read about but those little feet just continue to elude me *sigh*

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  47. katbrown - awww I'm so sorry you've had so much trouble with them, it's so frustrating when something just doesn't work out no matter what you do :( Usually a lack of feet is due to undermixing the final mixture. I think drying out your almond meal in a low temp oven might possibly help a bit too

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  48. Diabetes, here I come... Seriously, though. These look amazing!

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  49. This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen (macaron wise) !!!

    I will be attempting these, no doubt about it!!!

    What size piping tip do you recommend for piping the doughnut shapes? :D

    Thanks!

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  50. Yen - Oh good luck!! The piping is pretty tricky, it took me a few practices to get it right. I think I used a 0.5cm piping tip but I'd just recommend a bit of trial and error to see what works for you!

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  51. Great, thanks! :D Try and try again I will :)
    Just another question - where do you buy egg white powder from? I think you linked where in another post but my mind went blank as soon as I saw these babies ^^ thanks!

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  52. Yen - I bought mine from the essential ingredient, not sure if you're in sydney or melb. You should be able to find it at gourmet supermarkets or baking stores

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  53. I'm in Brisbane so I'll look around :) if not I'll source from down south ;D

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  54. These are so cute that they are convincing me to try making macarons tonight!

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  55. Rachel - Yay! That's definitely a good thing :)

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  56. Woww.. these are awesome, I think you've got the technique down pretty well :)

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  57. wow that impressive, I made macarons just now but it cracked n stick to the paper...what kind of baking paper should I use n why is it cracked?

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  58. nipan - You should always use good quality baking paper, never the cheap no-frills stuff. If your macarons are sticking to the paper they might have been undercooked. If they are cracking it could be due to a number of a different reasons. I find cracking occurs if I don't leave my macarons to dry for long enough after piping, or if I bake them at too high a temperature. You might want to check out Syrup and Tang's Macaron tutorial, there are lots of great tips to help with troubleshooting any issues you have: http://www.syrupandtang.com/200712/la-macaronicite-2-basic-technique-and-simple-macaron-recipe/

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  59. Thank you for your quick reply Steph. Do you have any recommendation in any brand of baking paper? Is Glad ok? I ordered "If You Care Baking Paper" but unfortunately its unavailable for the time being.I heard to avoid overcooking of the macarons, we can put double baking trays/sheets, is that true? By the way I'm from Malaysia too...if I am interested in one of your sweet on your blog, do you accept any order?

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    1. nipan - Glad is fine. If you look at this recipe and most of my other macaron recipes, I mention that you should double up your baking tray to help with the heat distribution. I'm not in Malaysia, I currently live in Sydney, Australia and do not do orders, this blog is a baking blog which I do as a hobby in my spare time.

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  60. wooooow this it my first time reading through your blog, and i am so glad to have come across it. this is such an original idea! I LOVE IT!!

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  61. these are so precious! I'll definitely have to try these out for myself!

    http://diary.johannajohnston.com/

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