The last time I made macarons was too long ago. They are such a process to make, and after all my trial and error (you can check out this post if you want to know my whole macaron story or if you want tips on making macs), I was a little macaron-ed out.
Not to mention that even though I’ve been successful with macarons before, there’s always the fear that they won’t turn out, which is why I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I pulled these little beauties out of the oven and I saw their pretty feet and domed tops. And I had to agree with Mike when he said (with surprise in his voice), “Wow, they turned out great!” (What are husbands for if not “compliments” like this, right? :) )
I actually made these macs for Mother’s Day and they were a huge hit with my mom. She loved the balance of flavors between the white tea and the cherry preserves…and she thought they were just so pretty.
A Note on the White Tea: I used Celestial Seasonings Decaf White Tea in these; I just cut open a bag, poured its contents into a mortar, and gave it a nice fine grind with a pestle. (Just be aware that white tea is still green in color – this is what caused the very small pretty green flecks in my macs.) You can use any kind of white tea you like though.
Celestial Seasonings Decaf White Tea: Isn’t this box gorgeous? I hate to admit that I buy products just because of the packaging (and I usually don’t!), but look, it’s just so pretty…and I needed white tea anyway… ;)
White Tea Macarons with Cherry Preserves (Adapted from my recipe for Pistachio Macarons with Rose Buttercream)
(Yield: About 20 filled macarons)
2 1/2 oz (70.9 gm or about 2 large) egg whites (ounces measured by weight, not volume)
4 oz (113.4 gm or 1 cup) powdered sugar (also called confectioner’s, icing, or 10X sugar)
2 oz (56.7 gm or 1/2 cup) almond meal/flour
1 teaspoon powdered white tea
Pinch fine salt
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 oz (42.5 gm or 3 tablespoons) superfine (castor) sugar
Cherry preserves, for filling (or any kind of preserves you like)
Equipment:
Handheld electric mixer
Rubber spatula
Piping bag fitted with 1/2-inch round tip
Baking pans
Parchment paper or silpat liners
Step 1: Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat liners.
Step 2: Fill a bowl with hot water from the faucet (it should be about 105F); put the eggs in the water and let them sit until they come to room temperature. (Turn them over every few minutes so they can come up to temperature on both sides. They’re ready when they don’t feel hot or cold to the touch. You may need to add more hot water if they’re not warming up fast enough.) Once the eggs are the right temperature, remove them from the water and dry them off. Separate the yolks from the whites, measuring 2 1/2 oz egg whites for this recipe (you don’t need the yolks for this recipe).
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the powdered sugar, almond meal, powdered white tea, and salt (or you can pulse it together a few times in a food processor).
Step 4: Put the egg whites in a medium bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to whip. When the egg whites are foamy (this should only take a few seconds), gradually add the superfine sugar while still beating. When you have stiff, glossy peaks, beat in the almond extract.
Step 5: Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the almond meal mixture into the egg whites. Only fold the batter in one direction by sliding the spatula into the center of the batter, then lifting it up and letting the batter fall back onto itself. It generally takes about 50 strokes to work the batter, but this number isn’t as important as how the batter looks. The batter is ready to pipe when it has a smooth, shiny surface and flows like lava in one large ribbon off the spatula. Here is an easy way to see if the batter is ready: use a rubber spatula to lift and drop the batter onto itself; if the ribbon gradually disappears into the batter within 30 seconds, it’s ready to go.
Step 6: Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (1/2 inch in diameter); hold the piping bag straight (i.e., at a 90 degree angle) above baking sheet and pipe 1-inch circles onto the prepared sheet. (You should get about 40 macarons.) Leave about 1 inch between each macaron. Tap each tray a couple times on the countertop to help flatten out the macarons and get rid of any air bubbles. The macarons should not have points on top.
Step 7: Let the macarons sit at room temperature until they form a shell that’s dry to the touch (this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more, depending on the weather).
Step 8: Once the macarons are dry to the touch, preheat oven to 300F; once up to temperature, bake both trays at the same time for 10 to 20 minutes, rotating trays once. Let the macarons cool completely on parchment paper or silpat liner before removing.
Step 9: To fill the macarons, pair up similar sized cookies. Spoon preserves onto the bottom of one macaron, then place the matching macaron on top of filling. (Just a heads up, I usually fill my macarons with a bit less preserves than I would buttercream for 2 reasons: preserves have more liquid than buttercream and I don’t want to make the cookies soggy; and, preserves tend to be much sweeter than buttercream.)
Step 10: Line an airtight lidded container with parchment paper and carefully arrange the macarons inside; let them sit in the fridge for a day or 2 (or up to a couple weeks) before eating. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before serving.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Such a lovely recipe! I like your styling in these photos, too.
your macarons are splendid! So perfect.
Cheers,
Rosa
They look perfect! Light and delicious! I think I could eat a hundred of them :)
Can I tell you how irrationally petrified I am of making macarons? So petrified. But these little beauties make me think I just NEED to give it a go! I love the contrast of white on red in the colors…it’s so captivating!
Wow, very impressive! Such an elegant presentation. Thanks for visiting me & your kind comment :)
These really are beautiful…I can imagine how wonderful the white tea flavor is!
Your photos make these look fantastic, I cannot remember the last time I had macaroons!! Diane
Those look so pretty! The color is perfect for Mother’s day. I’ve actually never attempted macaroons. I think I will have to take the dive one day soon!
These are eye candy for sure – Incredible looking macaroons! Hats off dear :)
US Masala
They look lovely and love the flavor. I decided to not care about mastering macarons lol, will live with that one.
These are gorgeous!! Great post!
xo
Beautiful! And you picked such appropriately delicate flavors to match the elegance of these treats.
What a perfect Mother’s Day gift, Faith! No wonder you’re Mom was so pleased. :-) I love that you ground up the tea to flavor these. :-)
I’m sure that your mom loved these beauties. An imaginative pairing of flavors, styled with flair. Great post.
Your macarons are so elegant and the delicate flavor of white tea with the cherry preserves so sophisticated! Kudos to you – macarons are one thing that I’m not even going to try making :)
Wow, great job on these macarons Faith! They look so sweet, delicate and delicious. Absolute perfection. Thanks for sharing and stopping by my blog. :)
Faith,
Lovely, delicate and flavorful macarons. Fantastic job well done.
Faith, your macs turned out beautifully! Love the flavors you used….perfect for mother’s day! I have not made them in a while for the same reasons you write about above…it is a bit of “leap of faith”! :) Well done!
They look so elegant!
Those are so adorable! You did a really fabulous job…
And white tea…delicious.
I agree this are so elegant looking. You did such a beautiful job!!
Same thing happened to me, I got macaroned out, and kind of disgusted with all my failed attempts. This post almost inspires me to try again… almost.
*kisses* HH
I am on this kick lately of loving anything with almond extract. It is so fragrant! They look like they turned out PERFECT! See, I would make a great hubby, right? :) The pearls in the photo are the perfect touch – such great shots!
You style your food so beautifully. I’m sure these are delicious but they are so pretty to look at that I’m not sure I could fairly gauge their taste. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Faith these little macarons are so pretty & absolutely perfect! Would love some with my tea this afternoon :)
Soo cute and fabulous looking macarons..very attractive..
These macaroons or cookies whatever you want to call them looks super delish!!
Beautiful. I love your flavor combination.
Mimi
Those look wonderful, Faith! I think I may have to try them soon,but I am a bad baker!!!!!!
Faith, your macs are perfect, beautiful and so elegant. Love the cherry preserve. Still have to the courage to make macs…one of this days. Hope you are having a great week :-)
Those would be perfect for Valentines Day too! They are so pretty!
These are just darling Faith! :D And when you wrote about your fear of them not turning out I was nodding my head. That’s why it’s so long between macaron making for me too! :P
wow! what a perfect thing to enjoy anytime of day! great photos as well!
lovely combo…i’d love cherry macarons!
These macarons are so perfect and to think you made them for your mom! I am envious! Well, there is hope my daughter will make me something from the kitchen when she marries and turns into a cook! Well, the flavors are delicate and refined. Great work!
These look so pro and pretty Faith.Awesome job with this dream babies !I so love your blue cookie box.Lovely pictures!Happy feet!!
haha, love compliments like that! They really did turn out great, but I’m not surprised! You are a whiz in the kitchen, girlie!
Anyone who successfully makes macarons turn out that beautiful is my hero. I luv luv luv macarons! So sweet that you made these for Mother’s Day! These look amazingly delicious, Faith.
They look sooo pretty!
Your macarons look perfect. I like the delicate combination of white tea and cherries! And the link to your beautiful rose & pistachios gave me a real boost for baking my own macarons… I have already tried 5 times unsuccessfully! Looks like perserverance is the key ;-)
Too cute!
What a lovely cookie, Faith. Years ago, my mother used to make a summer dessert where she layered almond macaroons in vanilla ice cream, rather like a frozen trifle, sans berries. Would that be extra delicious layered with these?
Hi, Faith! Your food is beautiful and photography fantastic! So happy for your friendship request at TK. So glad to have found you my new friend! Looking forward to getting to know you better. :)
They really are beautiful macs! What a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.
Oh these macarons definitely came out perfectly! I am sure your mom was very pleased by these beauties and I imagine the white tea adds such a lovely aroma as well…Gorgeous!
These came out perfect and look beautiful and delicious. I have always wanted to try and make macarons but have been a little intimidated. I will have to check out your post with tips. I love the flavors you have used.
Oh just perfect looking – very nice!
I have never made macaroons and I’ve seen so many beautiful ones including yours that it is a project I have to undertake very soon!
I bet those are divine..
Tasty Appetite
Event: Letz Relishh Ice Creams
I agree with your mom – those macarons are beautiful!
I haven’t made macarons in such a long time also. I know exactly what you mean about the relief in seeing those beautiful ‘feet’ come out of the oven. These sound wonderful with the white tea!
Brilliant! What mom wouldn’t love these as a gift from her daughter?
Your macarons are gorgeous Faith! I love the flavors you used! Such a special treat for Mother’s Day.
LOVE these. First of all, I can attest to how scary it can be to make macarons and wonder if they’ll actually turn out. It’s a serious fear. These are perfection. Second of all, I am a tea fiend. When people drink tea, let alone cook with it, I get all kinds of excited!! I hosted a Tea Week last year on my blog with a contest for recipes using tea. It was a lot of fun. I’m hoping to find a fun tea-related giveaway so I can host another one this summer :)
These are so pretty!! They make me feel like I want to host a tea party LOL
these little beauties make me want to host a tea party, which is interesting considering that i’ve never hosted a party in my life AND i don’t even like tea! lovely work, faith. :)
These look a bit complex to make so I’m glad they were a success. It’s funny that you write packaging influences you. I’m the same and I suppose lots of marketing people all over the world are grateful for it.
I bet your mom loved these beauties!