Cranberry Cardamom White Chocolate Macarons by The White Whisk

Ingredients

Cardamom Macaron Shells

• 100 gm Egg Whites
• One pinch Cream of Tartar (optional)
• 150 gm Confectioner’s Sugar
• 90 gm Amoretti® Premium Blanched Almond Flour
• 80 gm Granulated White Sugar
• 2 tsp Cardamom
• 2 tbsp Chunky Sanding Sugar
• 10 Drops White Gel Food Coloring

Cranberry White Chocolate Cardamom Ganache

• 9 oz White Chocolate Chips
• 1.5 oz Heavy Cream
• 1/2 tablespoon Cardamom
• 3 tablespoons Amoretti® Cranberry Compound or Amoretti® Natural Cranberry Artisan Flavor
• 1 Pinch of Salt

Cranberry Filling

• 3/4 Cup Cranberries
• 3 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 2 teaspoons Orange Juice
• 1 Small Pinch of Cardamom
• 1.5 tsp Corn Starch
• 1 tsp Water

Sugared Cranberries

• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 ounces fresh cranberries, washed and pat dry

White Chocolate Decorative Stems

• 2 oz White Chocolate
• White Nonpareil Sprinkles

Directions

Cranberry White Chocolate Cardamom Ganache

1. In a medium size microwave safe bowl, stir together the white chocolate, heavy cream, and salt.
2. Microwave for 20 seconds, and stir.
3. Continue microwaving in 10 second intervals. Once the majority of the white chocolate is melted, stop heating in the microwave and stir, allowing the residual heat to melt the remaining solid bits as much as possible. If needed, do several second burst and stir to melt the remaining solid chocolate. Be careful not to overheat to avoid split ganache.
4. Add in Amoretti Cranberry Artisan and cardamom, and stir until incorporated.
5. Cover ganache with plastic wrap and set ganache aside to cool until set. This can take hours, so make the ganache far enough in advance to allow time for it to set.

Sugared Cranberries

1. In a medium sized saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
2. Gently stir in the cranberries until they’ve all been equally coated, and then use a slotted spoon to scoop them out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment (or a wire rack).
3. Allow cranberries to dry for an hour, and then roll in the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar until evenly coated.

Cranberry Filling

1. Combine cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice, and cardamom in a small sauce pan and cook over medium high heat until the berries have begun to burst.
2. Turn the stove down to medium heat, and use a wooden spoon to mash the berries while they simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and remaining water, and then pour in to the sauce pan with the filling while stirring. Cook until the filling has thickened.
4. Cool in fridge until chilled.

Cardamom Macaron Shells

1. Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar (optional).
2. Gradually drizzle in the granulated sugar and keep whisking until it reaches stiff peaks.
3. Sift together the confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) and almond flour together until it is fully combined.
4. Drop it into the egg whites, long with the Vanilla extract and fold the batter to bring it together. This process is called the macaronage.
5. Also, at this point add gel food color.
6. Keep folding in a figure of eight motion till your batter looks like lava or ribbons in a continues flow without breaking. Stop right there. Do not undermix or overmix.
7. Using a piping bag fitted with a round tip pipe the macarons on to a silicon mat lined baking tray, in ½ to 1-inch circles.
8. Tap the tray on the counter many times, until the air bubbles are released. If there are more bubbles, you can pop it with a toothpick.
9. Sprinkle the chunky granulated sugar on the shells.
10. Dry the macaron shells on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until there is a matte film on top and the batter doesn’t stick to your hand when you gently touch the top. Use a fan to speed up the process, rotating trays every few minutes to ensure each side receives even air flow.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 F for 18-25 minutes.
12. Cool the tray and only move the macarons from the tray when fully cooled down.
13. Sandwich shells with buttercream or ganache and enjoy!

White Chocolate Stems

1. Melt chocolate in a microwave bowl in short bursts of 10-20 seconds, stirring after each burst.
2. Place chocolate in a piping bag fitted with a size 4 piping tip, and pipe long straight lines onto a sheet of parchment.
3. Immediately, before chocolate sets, cover the white chocolate lines with nonpareil sprinkles and allow to set.

Assembly

1. Match each shell with a partner shell of equal size.
2. Wait to fill macarons until both the ganache and the cranberry filling are no longer warm and have set. Using a piping bag with a round piping tip (Wilton #32 size), pipe a border of ganache on one shell in each pair.
3. Fill the center of the ganache border with the cranberry filling. A quick way to do this is to place the filling in a ziploc bag, and then cut off a corner of the bag and use it to pipe the filling.
4. Gently sandwich the matched shell on top.
5. On the top, pipe a small “C” shape dollop of the cranberry ganache using a #(32) piping tip, and place a sugared cranberry on top within the curve of the “C”.
6. Break the white chocolate stems into 1.25” pieces, and carefully place onto the ganache next to the cranberry.
7. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture. Eat within 3-4 days. Enjoy!