Vietnamese Coffee Macarons

This week I decided to take on a REAL challenge – the macaron. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved these sweets. The different colors and flavors. The yummy creamy fillings. Everything about them makes it one of the best desserts of all time. But behind this small cookie is a world of technique and precision. Making macarons has always intimidated me. I actually did try to make them once, but they were as hard as rocks. It was an experience that scarred me for a bit, and I never wanted to try again until this week. I thought quarantine would be the perfect time to truly understand and successfully make a batch. It was definitely a journey, but I am definitely proud of these Vietnamese coffee macarons. The first of many macaron recipes to come on this blog!

What is a macaron?

Macarons are a French sweet that include 2 cookies with some sort of filling sandwiched between them. The cookie has a smooth slightly round top made with almond flour, powdered sugar, and meringue. The filling is usually some sort of buttercream, jam or ganache. These cookies are TRICKY to make. It requires the utmost precision combined with a whimsical flair. Every part of the process from the oven temp to the measurement of ingredients matters. But despite the difficulty, I love them because when done right, they’re magical to look at and to eat.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

There are almost no substitutions for this recipe because macarons are very finicky. You really have to follow the recipe exactly to get the desired result.

Macaron Cookie

• Egg whites – Whipped egg whites give the meringue volume. Make sure to use room temperature egg whites for the best results.
• Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the meringue.
• Cream of tartar – Cream of tartar provides structure to the meringue and helps it maintain its stiff peaks.
• Powdered sugar – The is the main dry ingredient of the macaron. It also adds sweetness to the cookie. Make sure to sift the powdered sugar.
• Almond flour – Make sure to use extra fine almond flour for these macarons. If you can’t find fine almond flour, run the almond flour through the food processor a few times before using.
• Coffee grounds – These provide the coffee flavor to these macarons. You can use any kind of coffee you wish. I used Cafe Du Monde’s French roast coffee to make these macarons. Make sure to grind it into powder before using it.

Condensed Milk Buttercream

• Butter – I used unsalted, room temperature butter for this recipe. I would highly recommend unsalted butter to help control for the amount of salt.
• Powdered sugar – This is the main dry ingredient of the buttercream.
• Condensed milk – Adds the condensed milk flavor to the buttercream.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the buttercream. Substitute with 1 vanilla bean or an equal amount of vanilla paste.

Making my Vietnamese coffee macarons

Making the macaron batter

The first step is to make your macaron cookies. Use a spice grinder to break your coffee grounds into powder. Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and powdered coffee grounds into a bowl. Mix until combined and set aside. Next make your meringue. Use a hand mixer to whisk your eggs until soft peaks and small bubbles appear. Add the cream of tartar and 1/3 of the granulated sugar. Continue whisking and adding the sugar little by little. Whisk the eggs until you get a meringue with stiff peaks and a shiny white color. The best way to know if your meringue is done is to invert the bowl. If it doesn’t fall out, the meringue is done.

Sift the almond flour mixture into the meringue. Use a spatula to fold the almond mixture into the meringue. Be careful not to deflate the meringue too much or over mix. The mixture is adequately combined once it has the consistency of molten lava. The best way to test if the mixture is done is to draw an 8 with the mixture.

Piping and baking the macaron cookies

Fill a piping bag with the mixture. Place a silicone mat on a baking sheet. Pipe circular discs that are ~1 inch in diameter. It’s best to use a silicone mat with a macaron template to guide your piping. After piping, smack your baking sheet on a flat surface 2 or 3 times to get rid of air bubbles. Let the macarons rest for 40 minutes at room temperature. Resting will allow the macarons to form a skin, so when you touch it, no batter comes off. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Once the macarons have rested and formed that skin on the outside, bake them for 13 minutes in the center of the oven.

Putting these Vietnamese coffee macarons together

Cool macarons for at least 30 minutes after baking. While the macarons are resting, making the filling. Combine butter, condensed milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Use a hand mixer to whisk until a fluffy, smooth mixture forms. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until combined. Now it’s time to put together your macarons! Use a piping bag or Ziploc bag to pipe the filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie. Put another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Repeat this process until the cookies or the filling is used up.

Tips on the how to make the perfect Vietnamese coffee macarons

Ingredient measurement and oven temperature

1. Use an oven thermometer – Temperature is CRUCIAL in this recipe. I would highly recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of your oven is exactly 300 degrees F. Variation in temperature will mess with your macaron cookie.
2. Use a kitchen scale and measure your ingredients in grams – I chose to weigh all my measurements for this recipe because you definitely want to be precise in your measurements. The more precise you are, the better your results will be. I’ve definitely tried using cups/US measurements for macarons, and it simply doesn’t work.
3. Measure all your ingredients before you start mixing and baking – For me, getting organized and measuring out all my ingredients ahead of time helped me better focus on each step of the process. I wasn’t going back and forth trying to weigh things, then mixing, then going back to weighing.

Making these Vietnamese coffee macarons

1. Sift your dry ingredients twice for the macaron cookies – The key to getting that smooth cookie surface is to sift your dry ingredients thoroughly. I found the best way to ensure that is to sift my dry ingredients twice. Once before I mix them together, and once before I combine my wet and dry ingredients.
2. Make sure your meringue is STIFF – This is absolutely crucial to good macaron cookies. A stiff meringue gives your macarons the necessary lift and airiness. A good test for “stiffness” is to invert your bowl and see if the meringue falls out. If it stays put, you’re good to go.
3. Do not over mix your macaron batter – If you over mix your batter, you risk deflating your meringue. Mix the batter until it looks like molten lava. A good test for the batter is to scoop some up and try to draw an 8 with the batter. If you can draw an 8 without it breaking, it’s good to go.
4. Pipe your batter vertically – The key to getting a perfect circular disc is to hold your piping bag vertically as you are piping your macarons.
5. Use a silicone mat with a macaron template – Since I am new to piping macarons, having a silicone mat was so helpful for me. It helped with keeping each macaron size consistent. It also help provides a good surface to bake the macarons on. If you’re pretty good at piping, you can also use parchment paper instead of a silicone mat.
6. Use a Ziploc bag if you don’t have a piping bag – I did not have piping bags on hand, so I just used Ziploc bags with a pastry tip to pipe my macarons.

Storing your macarons

The best way to store your macarons is to store the macaron cookies and filling separately. Moisture from the filling will cause the cookie to become mushy. Macaron cookies can be stored at room temperature, and the filling should be stored in the fridge.

Did you make these macarons?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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