Spiderman Macarons
Spiderman Macarons
Macarons are an intimidating dessert, but hopefully this fool-proof recipe will have them much more akin to Spiderman's "interrogation mode" than actually intimidating!
These red and blue vanilla macarons are sandwiched together with a delicious vanilla buttercream. They're topped with a sketch of the Spidey suit's webs and a royal icing outline of the Spidey suit's eyes.
They're sure to be an impressive blockbuster hit during your next MCU movie marathon!
Servings: 24 Macarons
Prep Time: 1.5 Hours
Total Time: 2.5 Hours
Ingredients
Vanilla Macarons
1 + 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites, room temperature
Blue food coloring
Red food coloring
Vanilla Buttercream
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pasteurized egg whites
Water, as needed
Decorations
Black edible marker
Wax paper
Instructions
Macarons: In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup of almond flour, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Move the mixture to a food processor and process until extra-fine.
Macarons: Repeat step #1 so that you have two bowls of dry ingredients.
Macarons: In a separate large bowl, combine egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Beat with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar in several increments, beating in-between. You do not want to add all the sugar at once or it may be difficult to achieve the correct consistency for the egg whites. Once all the sugar is incorporated, beat with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out when you have the correct consistency.
Macarons: Separate the egg whites into two bowls in equal portions. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to each bowl. Add blue food coloring to one bowl and red food coloring to the other bowl. Gel food coloring is the best option here to ensure bright colors that do not fade and that do not affect the consistency of the egg whites.
Macarons: Add one bowl of the dry ingredients to one bowl of the dyed egg whites, about 1/3 at a time. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the mixture. After the last addition of the dry ingredients, continue to fold the batter slowly. Fold the batter until you can make a figure 8 with the batter without it breaking. Repeat this step for the other bowl of dry ingredients and dyed egg whites.
Macarons: Fit two piping bags with round tips (we used Wilton's 12A). Transfer the batter into the two piping bags, one for the red batter and one for the blue batter.
Macarons: Place a silicone mat onto two cookie sheets if you have one (if not, proceed just without the mat). Place four dots of the batter on each corner of the mat and top with parchment paper. Pipe the macrons onto the parchment paper. Fill to the inside of the center ring if you are using a guided mat. If not, pipe into circle that are 1 + 1/2 inch wide. Tap the baking sheet against a counter 5 times, rotating the pan, to release any air bubbles. Repeat with the other color in the other piping bag.
Macarons: Let the macarons sit at room temperature for one hour. At the end of the hour, you should be able to swipe your finger across the surface of the macron without indenting it.
Macarons: Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Bake one sheet of macrons for 17 minutes, and then bake the other sheet of macrons for 17 minutes. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes on the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of unsalted butter for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Sift in 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat until well-combined. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Beat until well combined. Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and set aside.
Royal Icing: Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/8 cup of pasteurized egg whites into one side of the bowl. Using an electric hand mixture, slowly beat the wet ingredients into the powdered sugar starting in the side of the bowl with the wet ingredients. Slowly incorporate beating in more of dry ingredients until well-combined. Repeat these steps in a different bowl.
Royal Icing: In one bowl of royal icing, add a small amount of water (2-3 teaspoons) and beat until combined. In the other bowl of royal icing, add black food coloring until the royal icing is completely black. Fill two piping bags with the royal icing, one for each color. Set aside.
Decorations: Cut out a circle in wax paper that's the size of your macarons. Draw Spiderman's eyes onto the center of the circle, and then cut them out so you are left with a stencil. Place the stencil on top of one of the cooled red macrons. Using an edible marker, trace the outline of Spiderman's eyes. Draw a cross across the center of the macarons and then an 'X'. Connect the lines with small, wide 'U's to form the spiderweb.
Decorations: Trace the outline of the eyes with the black royal icing. Allow time to harden. Place a dot of the thinner, white royal icing into the center of the eyes. Using a toothpick, spread the icing until it fills the entire socket. Allow time to harden. Repeat for all red macarons.
Assembly: On the bottom of one of the blue macarons, add a dollop of buttercream leaving room on the sides. Top with one of the red macarons to form a sandwich. Repeat for all remaining macarons.
Enjoy! * It's recommended that you place completed macarons in an air-tight container for 24 hours prior to consumption.
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