Gingerbread House Macarons
These Gingerbread House Macarons are a delightful twist on a holiday classic! Light and crisp macarons are paired with a rich, velvety chocolate ganache, all dressed up as charming mini gingerbread houses.
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Ingredients
For the Macarons
- 75g egg whites (about 2½ eggs or 5 tbsp)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- Brown food coloring for that classic gingerbread look
For Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate
- ½ cup cream
- 2 tbsp soft butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 140°C (280°F).
- Wipe your mixing bowl with a bit of vinegar to ensure it’s clean and free of any oils. This helps the egg whites whip up better.
- Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar. This step is crucial to get that smooth, even texture macarons are famous for!
- In a separate bowl, place the egg whites and white sugar over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently until the mixture reaches 50°C (120°F) and the sugar dissolves.
- Whip it! Using a hand or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, start beating the mixture on low for about 3 minutes, gradually increasing the speed. Continue whisking for another 4-5 minutes until you get glossy, stiff peaks. This is your meringue base.
- Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue. Be patient and fold in a J-motion with a spatula until the batter reaches a glossy, flowing consistency. You don’t want it too runny, so stop as soon as it flows like thick lava!
- Divide the batter into two small bowls. Add brown food coloring to one bowl for the main gingerbread house design. Leave the other batter plain for decorating.
- Transfer the batters to piping bags. Use a Wilton 10 tip for the brown batter and a smaller Wilton 002 or 003 tip for the white (undecorated) batter.
- Pipe the shapes: Using your template, pipe the gingerbread house shapes and some round macarons for the base. Use the white batter to add details to the gingerbread houses, like little windows, doors, and roof tiles. Get creative!
- Let them dry for about 1 hour. You’ll know they’re ready when the tops are dry to the touch.
- Bake the macarons for 17 minutes at 140°C (280°F). Once done, let them sit in the oven with the door slightly open for 15 minutes before removing them. This helps avoid cracking!
- Cool them completely on a wire rack.
- While your macarons are cooling, heat the cream in a small pot (but don’t let it boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter until smooth and glossy.
- Chill the ganache in the fridge until it thickens to a pipeable consistency.
- Pipe the ganache onto the round macarons using a star-shaped piping tip.
- Gently press a gingerbread house macaron onto each ganache-filled round. For an extra wintery touch, dust the tops with powdered sugar to give them a snowy look.