Vanilla Bean Macarons
 
Makes about 20 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ cups (128 grams) blanched almond flour
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (127 grams) confectioners’ sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large egg whites (90 grams), room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean*, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) vanilla extract*
  • Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: vanilla sugar
Instructions
  1. Using a permanent marker, draw 1½-inch circles 1 inch apart on 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place parchment on 2 rimmed baking sheets; top with nonstick baking mats.
  2. In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt; process until well combined. Sift flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in flour mixture in thirds until a loose batter forms. Fold in vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract.
  4. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip (Ateco #804). Pipe batter onto drawn circles underneath mats, holding piping tip perpendicular to pans. Apply pressure, leaving tip stationary, until batter reaches drawn circle. Move and lift tip in a quick circular motion as you finish piping each macaron to prevent points from forming on top of the macaron. Slam pans vigorously on counter 5 to 7 times to release air bubbles. Let stand at room temperature until a skin forms on top of cookies, about 1 hour. (The batter should feel dry to the touch and should not stick to the finger.)
  5. Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C).
  6. Bake, one pan at a time, until firm to the touch, about 15 minutes, rotating pan every 5 minutes. Let cool completely on pans. (If you have trouble removing macarons from baking sheets, place pans in freezer for about 15 minutes.)
  7. Place Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (Ateco #802). Pipe buttercream onto flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat side down, on top of buttercream. Roll edges in vanilla sugar, if desired.
Notes
*We used Heilala Vanilla Beans and Heilala Pure Vanilla Extract.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://bakefromscratch.com/vanilla-bean-macarons/