Blue Corn Macarons are elegant and a great choice for an edible gift to give to hostesses and families alike during the holidays. These little sandwich cookies have a light, airy cookie with a sweet vanilla bean ganache between them. You’ll notice these cookies have a bit of a blue hue due to the addition of blue cornmeal for a satisfying and sweet crunch. If you’ve always wanted to make macarons but were worried about the complicated process, we break down this recipe to ensure complete understanding for all levels of bakers. That way you can bask in your finish product while feeling like a successful baker.
What is Blue Cornmeal?
Blue cornmeal is a type of cornmeal made from blue corn, a variety of maize with a distinctive blue kernel. It is often used in traditional Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Blue cornmeal has a slightly nutty flavor and a coarser texture than yellow cornmeal. It is a good source of fiber, protein, and essential nutrients. And yes, it will add a tint of blue to whatever you’re creating.
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Blue Corn Macarons
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
Description
Who knew blue cornmeal in a cookie could be so good?
Ingredients
For the Macaronage:
- 130 g confectioners’ sugar
- 140 g finely ground almond flour
- 100 g of egg whites at room temperature
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 25 g finely ground blue cornmeal
For the Vanilla Bean Ganache:
- 200 g good quality white chocolate
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream, to be heated
- 190 ml heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (you can substitute vanilla extract but paste is best)
Instructions
For the Macaronage:
- Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, whip egg whites to just foamy. Add 1/2 of the granulated sugar and all the cream of tartar. Whip another minute, then add remaining sugar. Whip to soft peaks.
- In a large mixing bowl, start to fold 1/2 of the dry sifted mixture to the meringue. Once incorporated, add the blue cornmeal. Fold until batter stretches easily into ribbons and can create a figure 8 without breaking. Don’t overmix or cookies will spread too much. Undermix and your cookies will crack.
- Fill a piping bag with a round tip. Chainé recommends a large 2A. Arrange silicon baking mats on a pair of baking sheets. You can purchase Silpat mats with a classic macaron size template; this will help you create a consistent size. Pipe macarons onto baking mats.
- Dry for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pans from front to back and top to bottom baking racks, and bake a final 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies are done when you gently push a shell and it doesn’t move.
- Allow macarons to cool fully before filling.
For the Vanilla Bean Ganache:
- Heat chocolate and 100 ml of cream in a bain marie until melted and fully combined. Use a spatula, rather than a whisk here, to avoid incorporating air while mixing. Take the pan off the heat and mix in the cold cream and vanilla. Chill overnight.
- Whip with a stand or handheld mixer until the ganache is stiff and pipeable. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a round tip.
- Fill half of the macarons and top with the remaining macarons. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipe by Chainé Peña / Styling by Julia Platt Leonard / Photography by Tira Howard
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