Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Easter Bunny Macarons

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EASTER BUNNY MACARONS. OH EM GEE.

Okay *deep breath* trying to stay calm here. The extreme cuteness of this post may send me into a large bout of squeeing at any second. I finally got off my arse and started my Easter baking and this idea has been growing in my baking brain for a long time now. Slowly I've been adding and subtracting little details. These Bunny Macarons are the companion to my Piggy Macarons which I love oh so much. AREN'T THEY FREAKIN ADORABLE?! Sorry, I'm getting very carried away. But really, I don't think I've ever baked anything this cute before.
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So what comes to mind when I think of Easter baking? Bunnies. Chocolate. Marshmallows. And hot cross buns, but let's save that for another post. So after successfully making piggies, I knew the only logical next step was Easter Bunnies. With fat white tails piped onto their cute macaron bums. And chocolate marshmallow icing. Look at that cute little bunny butt!
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The decorating turned out to be pretty easy. I piped some regular small rounds and then piped two longer skinnier lines attached to them for the ears. White sugar balls for the nose (about the size of regular size cachous). Chocolate sprinkles for the whiskers, painstakingly lined up using tweezers. I set aside some plain white macaron mixture to pipe on for the tails. The eyes were drawn on after baking using black food colouring, the same as I did for my piggies.
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I know the method below looks a bit lengthy but I was just trying to include as much detail as possible to avoid too much confusion. If you've made macarons before then these are not much harder. And so worth the effort! (If it is your first time...I would recommend trying some plain macs and reading up the advice on macarons from other blogs) I think I would make these even if it wasn't Easter. They are almost too cute though, I can't bring myself to eat them so I've given all of them away. I did eat plenty of the leftover chocolate marshmallow icing though, it was so gooey and moreish. It tasted like a Mars bar!
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Yeah...So I may have gotten a bit carried away with the photos. It tends to happen when there are little cute things with faces. I start making up stories for each photo...
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Bunny in the sun.
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Easter bunnies like to gossip about other bunnies. Poor lonely bunny :(
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Bunnies in love! ...Okay I'll stop now.
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Bunny Macarons with Chocolate Marshmallow Icing
(makes 10-12 macarons, depending on size)
100g aged egg whites (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)
110g almond meal, dried in a cool (100 degrees C or less) oven for 5 minutes and sifted
200g icing sugar
50g caster sugar
Optional: 1 tsp powdered egg whites (available from The Essential Ingredient)
pink powdered food colouring

For the Chocolate Marshmallow icing:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
100g dark chocolate, melted

To decorate: liquid black food colouring (available from the supermarket) or edible ink pens, chocolate sprinkles, sugar balls/cachous

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 for about 30 seconds to combine. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, 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 sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks.

Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix, quickly at first to break down the bubbles in the egg white (you really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, be rough!), then mix carefully as the dry mixture becomes incorporated and it starts to become shiny again. IMPORTANT: Just as the mixture has become incorporated, place about 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate bowl and set aside (to be used for the white bunny tails). Add pink food colouring to the remaining mixture and mix until the correct consistency. 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 about 30 seconds. Place in a piping bag and pipe rounds of about 3cm diameter on baking sheets, about 5-6 on each sheet or silicon baking mats. Make sure you leave enough space above each round so you can pipe the two ears for each bunny face (remember to only pipe ears on half the rounds, leaving the rest for the backs of the bunnies). Gently rap your baking sheets on your bench top to remove any extra bubbles from your piped shells.
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It is up to you what you use to decorate your bunnies, and this will decide when they are added. I added the white sugar balls (you could use silver cachous) for the noses and long chocolate sprinkles as the whiskers right after piping, using tweezers. If you prefer to draw the whiskers on, do this after baking. Leave your shells to dry for about 30 minutes, then mix the remaining white macaron batter to the correct consistency and place in a small piping bag and pipe the tails on the centre of the piped rounds that do not have ears. Leave this to dry again for at least half an hour, so that when you press the surface of one gently it does not break. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs. Preheat your oven to 140-150 degrees C. Place on top of an overturned roasting tray or another baking sheet if your sheets are not professional grade, for better heat distribution. Bake for 15-18 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. Use a skewer dipped in black food colouring or edible ink pens to draw on eyes (and whiskers if you choose).

To prepare the marshmallow icing, place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk with an electric mixer, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla and melted chocolate, and mix until combined. Place in a piping bag and pipe on to rounds, pairing each bunny face with a bunny bum :) Store in the fridge overnight in an airtight container. Serve at room temperature.
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81 comments:

  1. oh em gee!! SOOO CUTE thetI wan to pinch them :)

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  2. So darned cute!! OMG, I wouldn't want to eat the little darlings :-) Can I adopt one??

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  3. Steph!!! These are so insanely cute. I love brainstorming baking ideas with you so see how your crazy ideas actually come out even more awesome than I imagined!

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  4. Genius as per usual!! they are very very cute!!

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  5. Ha ha, I love your bunny stories (bit like the movie "dinner for schmucks" if you've seen it, but your macarons are so much nicer than dead mice)! I don't think the bunnies should be gossiping about the lonely bunny tho - they should be eaten as punishment. VERY cute. Well done.

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  6. Bunnehs lined up in a row! EEEEEE! Bunnehs under umbrella! EEEEEE! Bunneh tail! EEEEE!

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  7. teeheeee these are so cute! and I love your little bunny stories. the macaron queen strikes again!

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  8. Oh Em Gee indeed!! I want to see more bunny scenes, so cute!! Love the idea and the execution! Gorgeous little things and pics! 

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  9. AHHHH!!! Oh my gosh! These are too cute. I want to take them home and name them! Haha

    I love all the story-filled photos, too!

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  10. Oh my God! The Macarons are the cutest thing!!! I love how they have their little tail on the back!!! Absolutely adorable.

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  11. Oh my God x a million!!

    Can we put these in next year's GourmetRabbit Issue 3??

    You're incredible

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  12. OMG! I think my head is about to explode from all the cuteness!

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  13. Do they breed as fast as their live counterparts? Because if they do I think you'll be giving Zumbo a run for his money

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  14. Hahaha check out all the squealage! But OH MAH GAAAASHHHHH! The tail! The wee little tail!

    Can you PLEASE do an animal range of macarons?

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  15. Wow! These are works of art! Bravo! Really love these pinkish, bunny macarons! =)

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  16. They are so adorable, my daughter would love me so much if we baked them :) I'm just worried they wouldn't quite look the same!

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  17. I think you've set a new record for the number of comments with the word 'cute'. lol. These are adorable, and so very clever! I think the question is whether you ate the cotton tail first or last!

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  18. Oh yes oh yes oh yes! I was so looking forward to this post after seeing your little teaser tweet yestrday :D

    Super squeee worthy, you could totally make a mini series of the lives of the bunnies! You must you must!

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  19. Oh my god! No wonder you are freaking out...these are adorable! What a smart idea! I wish I'd thought of this! I must make them!

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  20. OH!!!!!!!!!!! what a wonderful idea!
    Simply adorable
    Thanks for sharing
    regards from Tuscany
    Cata

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  21. These are so unbelievably cute! LOVE them and the photo stories. I am in awe of your mac skills. I have tried making egg shaped ones twice now and failed.

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  22. ZOMG i'm going to die from bunny cuteness...just to send it over the top, how about carrot shaped carrot cake macarons to go with? :D

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  23. cuteness overload!! Thanks for sharing the recipe! gotta give it a try this easter break! :D

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  24. You're just so good with macarons..
    They're really adorable :)

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  25. I just squeeked at the cuteness and woke up the dog. I really want to cuddle all of your little bunnies...and then cram them in my mouth! Bunny bunny, om nom nom.

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  26. Oh my god, the cuteness of these is completely KILLING me!!! I haven't made macarons in over a year, I should really get back into it!

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  27. this is the cutest!! Gonna post on facebook and stumble!

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  28. These are ADORABLE! The cutest Easter treat around!

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  29. love it, im trying my hand at macarons this weekend, if im any good these are next on the list!!

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  30. Very cute little bunny butts, I adore them as well. Off to check out your piggies now.

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  31. these the cutest thing. Love them.

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  32. These are the cutest thing I have ever seen! I actually wanted to squee when I saw it to haha! Well done on the creativity :) they look adorable!!

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  33. Awww!!! I want to make these for Easter now :)

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  34. Words cannot express how wonderful these are! Love the photoshoot type images.

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  35. LOVEEE!!!! <3

    Seriously, I want your baking brain! =D

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  36. OMG! These are super cute.. absolutely adorable!

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  37. These are the cutest macarons in history. So creative and fabulous! And I love the gossiping bunnies.

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  38. HOW ADORABLE!! first piggie macarons, now bunnie omgggg!! you are amazing!

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  39. These are soooo cute! I just love your blog :)

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  40. These are adorable. I love the one with the umbrella!

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  41. Aww.. they are so cute! I wonder if i try and make this for my niece if she'll go for the tail first or the ears. Hahah. These are great treats!! :)

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  42. Okay that is the cutest macarons that I've ever seen. And your photos are so cute! Great imagination with the little umbrella.

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  43. OMGG these are TOO cute. Such a brilliant idea! Loving the bunnies in love photo. :)

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  44. OH EM GEE indeed!! These are beyond ridiculous!! So cute! I can't even stand it. I'm going to start squealing any minute. You are brilliant!!

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  45. OH EM GEE!!! I'm squeeing like a banshee, cuz these are sooooo cute!

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  46. I'm not sure the word "cute" do these bunnies justice - they're just adorable! And even more so than your piggy macarons on account of those fluffy tails. Or it could be just me with my obsession with tails.

    Ahem.

    *squeeeeeeeeeee!*

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  47. This has got to be the most creative Easter Bunny dessert I have seen this year. I love these!

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  48. Oh my god SO cute!!!

    These would be perfect for a baby shower too, ANY excuse to make them beyond the Easter season.

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  49. incredible idea. the flavour sounds delicious as well which is a bonus but not necessary considering how adorable they are.

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  50. these are sooo adorable!!! love the idea!

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  51. Oh my goodness.... These are fabulous. Very cute. Well done

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  52. we made them! we made them! They are so cute. Thanks steph.

    http://t.co/REZUjUr

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  53. pigflyin - I saw!! :D:D That is just brilliant, you are my heroes right now!!

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  54. OMG! These are the most adorable things I've seen in a long time :)

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  55. Oh goodness. Oh dear. This is the cutest Easter idea I've seen yet - and Easter is ALL ABOUT the cuteness. Bravo, seriously!

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  56. These look so tasty. I wish I could pop one in my mouth right now!

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  57. Nice link on PioneerWomen - Go Aussie! :)

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  58. Can I substitute something for the powdered egg whites ? help..

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  59. moose - As the recipe states, the powdered egg whites are optional. I use them to help ensure my meringue is stable but they are definitely not necessary so long as you whip you egg whites to the right stiffness.

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  60. How clever! I bet they are just as yummy as they are cute! Maybe even too cute to eat. :)

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  61. How Adorable! I want to make these right now!

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  62. SÃ¥ sweet!! really lovely ;))

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  63. It's so beautiful ! I put a link to your article on my french blog.

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  64. Hi!! I just discover your blog!!! It is so beautiful!!! I love this post!!! Congrats!!! xxx

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  65. I just made those for my daughter's Easter party (my own macarons recipe, but the shape of yours) and they were so cute!!! I'm definitely going to try a lot of your recipes... thanks for sharing!!!

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  66. I found these on Pinterest and I died. Absolutely adorable!!

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  67. Way cool! I had to post on my own bunny treat site www.bunfectionary.com as a treat for humans! And of course post it to the House Rabbit Society FB page.

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  68. These are brilliant! Having taken a course in making macarons I know how hard it is to make just the cookies, let alone sculpting them into shapes!

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  69. This is the cuest food blog of all time. I'm ready to start baking all these adorable, delicious things!

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  70. First time I see your blog and you've already delighted me! Wonderful site!

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  71. I failed miserably at these. A good point to remember is Icing Mixture is NOT the same as Icing sugar. You must use Icing Sugar.

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