Guava & Cream Cheese Macarons
If you’re going to make macarons for the first time, purchase you go to the master. And the master of almost all things food is inarguably Thomas Keller. Another Thomas I know – my very own husband – gave me the Bouchon Bakery cookbook for Valentine’s Day because nothing says love in our house more than cookies, prothesis cakes, population health pies and tarts. (Though I would argue that this present is as much for him as it is for me. He’s the sweet tooth around here.)
As I was saying. This was my first time making macarons. And I’m not going to lie – I was pretty much convinced they would be a disaster. Especially after reading the recipe and seeing that egg whites were listed in GRAMS. However, rest assured that this recipe is not as complicated as it seems. Not to say that it’s as easy as throwing some cookie dough together, but if you’re looking for a special (and beautiful) treat, these are definitely doable as long as you have a mixer.
I based these off of Keller’s Raspberry macaron recipe and subbed Cream Cheese icing for the French Buttercream and guava jam for raspberries because if you’re from Miami, you always pair cream cheese with guava. It’s a magical combination. See here and here. The macarons were so much better than I was expecting. Crispy, crackling crust with a sweet and chewy interior. Keller recommends wrapping them individually and freezing them for a couple of days, which allows for the flavors to develop. I can attest that these were quite magical out of the freezer. My only complaint is that they are fairly large, especially for a macaron. I would make them 1-inch in diameter next time and reduce the baking time by 2 minutes or so. But they are almost perfect just the way they are.