With the holidays upon us it is time to get baking. I love giving baked goods for gifts, especially to the people in my life that are so hard to buy for. I was so excited to come across this fun Santa Macaron recipe from Lovebites.com that I can make with my boys. I have adapted it, of course, to include Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread which makes it even yummier. For all of you novice bakers like myself this recipe is not to hard and she even posted a video. *This recipe does reiterate our tip yesterday about the importance of cleaning as you go when baking. Enjoy! 🎅

Yields: About 40 cookies

Ingredients:

Macaron shell

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 cup (50g) of white sugar

2 cups (200g) of powdered sugar

1 cup (150g) of almond flour

1/4 tsp (.8g) of cream of tartar

1/8 tsp (pinch) of salt

4-5 drops of red gel food coloring

Fig Cheesecake Filling:

1/3 cup (75g) of cream cheese

1/4 cup (50g) of sugar

3 Tbsp of Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread

1/2 tbsp (8g) of sour cream

1/2 tsp (5mL) of vanilla extract

Decoration Ingredients

1/4 cup yellow Wilton melts

1/2 cup black Wilton melts or black edible marker

silver sprinkles for buttons (or white chocolate)

Macaron Directions:

TIP 1: Wipe the bowl you are using with white vinegar and a paper towel to get off any grease that might be left over from a previous recipe.

TIP 2: Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature. You can always put your eggs in some warm water to bring them up in temperature if they are cold.

Beat your egg whites for 8-10 minutes, on medium speed, until they become thick and have peaks. 4 minutes into beating your egg whites, slowly add in your sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.

TIP 3: Make sure to sift your powdered sugar and almond flour/meal

While you wait for your egg whites to beat, sift your powdered sugar and almond flour into a separate bowl. Make sure to toss any thick pieces.

Once your egg whites have finished beating, add in your food coloring and give it another quick mix.

TIP 4: Use food coloring paste, not liquid, because macarons are very sensitive to moisture.

Add the powdered sugar mixture, in 3 batches. Slowly fold in your dry ingredients into your egg whites.

TIP 5: Count how many times you fold in your dry ingredients. You will want to do it about 50-55 times. Your batter should be thick, but still have movement, and slide off your spatula.

Place your batter into a piping bag, fitted with a medium round tip.

Pipe your batter onto parchment paper. (I suggest parchment paper over anything else, including a rubber mat.)

TIP 6: Bang your macarons on the table, after you have piped them to release any air bubbles that may have formed.

TIP 7: Let them sit for AT LEAST 30 minutes, before baking them. I highly suggest an hour if you have the time -You know they have sat long enough, if you can touch them, and nothing sticks to your finger. Cook at 300F (I actually do 290F just to make sure they don't crack, but see what works for you and your oven) for 20 minutes. Then, let them cool completely before pulling them off the parchment paper.

TIP 8: Thoroughly clean the mixer and add the room temperature cream cheese and sugar on medium speed. Once that is well mixed add the sour cream, vanilla and fig until everything is combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixer and and mix one more time before putting it into a piping bag.

TIP 9: Use the black Wilton melts or black edible marker to make Santa’s belt and a fine tip to make Santa’s buckle with yellow Wilton melts. Create the buttons with the fine tip and white chocolate or candy pearls.