Description
Culinary purists consider the very idea of a nut free macaron heresy. But for anyone who is allergic to nuts, this recipe is a literal life-saver.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 ounces (115g) toasted pumpkin seeds
- 8 ounces (230g) powdered sugar
- 3/4 ounce (21g) malt powder
- 1/4 ounce (7 g) cocoa powder
- 5 ounces egg whites (144g)
- 2 1/2 ounces (72g) sugar
- the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 tsp (2g) salt
Filling
- 8 ounces (230g) of your favorite vanilla buttercream
- 1 ounce (28g) barley malt syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300° F (148° C).
- Fit a large pastry bag with a plain tip, set aside.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside as well. (If your oven has a particularly strong bottom-level heating element, consider double panning.)
- In the bowl of a food processor, grind the pumpkin seeds, powdered sugar, malt powder and cocoa for one minute.
- Sift this mixture, reserving whatever bits don’t pass through.
- Repeat processing and sifting until all of the mixture passes through a sieve, then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar, vanilla bean and salt. Turn the mixer to medium (4 on a Kitchen Aid) and whip for 3 minutes.
- Increase the speed to medium-high (7 on a Kitchen Aid) and whip another 3 minutes.
- Increase the speed to 8 for go another 3 minutes.
- Whip for a final minute on the highest speed. At the end of this minute you should have an exceedingly stiff, dry meringue.
- Now dump in the dry ingredients all at once and fold them in with a rubber spatula; mix until a cake batter-esque consistency is achieved.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
- After piping the macarons, rap the sheet pan firmly against the counter two or three times.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, or until you can cleanly peel the macarons away from the parchment paper. This may take longer than 18 minutes depending on your oven.
- Cool thoroughly before removing them from the parchment.
- Whip the buttercream and barley malt syrup together and use as a filling for the cookies; sandwiching approximately 1/2 Tablespoon buttercream between every cookie pair.
- Store the macarons, refrigerated, overnight before consuming.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins