White Chocolate + Crunchie Macarons

This is definitely a new favourite flavour combination, and dare I say new favourite macaron recipe.

White chocolate is one of my favourite ingredients to bake with, so it was only a matter of time before I incorporated it into one of my most loved treats – the macaron! Initially I set out baking some simple white chocolate macarons… however, inspiration came in the form of left over Christmas chocolate in the kitchen, et voilà – the White Chocolate Crunchie Macaron ❤

These macarons are filled with a silky white chocolate and vanilla buttercream, half dipped into melted white chocolate, and covered in crushed crunchie chunks 🙂 The chocolate-honeycomb flavour combination of these macarons works so well, because duhhhh.. who doesn’t like chocolate?!

But also, the texture of these macarons is ideal – often I find macarons can be lacking in texture and are sometimes too soft, especially a few days after baking. BUT, the crunchie chunks give the macarons a slightly brittle texture, which I believe is key!

I use the basic macaron shell recipe from Indulge with Mimi, as always!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and don’t forget to comment below any questions 🙂 Sofia xxx

Ingredients: (This recipe makes 12 macarons)

• 65g ground almonds
• 65g icing sugar
• 45g caster sugar
• 50g aged egg whites, ideally separated and left in the fridge over night
• pinch of salt
• 125 icing sugar
• 80g white chocolate, melted (buttercream)
• 55g butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 120g white chocolate, melted (decoration)
• 3 crunchie bars

Method: 

1. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
2. Sift together your ground almonds and icing sugar together into a bowl, discarding large lumps and replace with some more ground almond! I also like to give my ground almonds and icing sugar a whizz in the food processor – so the consistency is super fine.
3. In a clean glass bowl, whisk your egg whites until foamy and frothy. Add you salt and continue to whisk until ‘soft peaks’ – this is when the egg whites are starting to get thicker, but don’t yet retain their shape. Add your caster sugar in 3 stages and continue to whisk until you get a nice glossy meringue – I would say for another 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 of the almond mix into the egg whites and fold with a spatula. With your spatula make figures of 8 patterns, scooping the ground almond mix around and down in the meringue. You don’t have to be too delicate at this stage!
5. Add the rest of the almond mix and continue to fold gently. This stage is called ‘Macaronage’, and is so critical!
   1. Stop folding when your macaronage has a ‘lava-like’ or honey consistency – this consistency is thinner than I had ever been achieving before I started using Mimi’s recipe. Another great tip is to draw out a figure of 8 into the macaronage with your spatula – if the trails of the macaronage mix stay in place then it is ready (see pic below). Check this if you’re at all worried! 
6. Next, fill up your piping bag, and pipe the macaron mixture into equal sized circles.
7. After piping, bang your tray on top of your work surface… by tap I mean actually hit your baking tray down onto the surface with quite a force. This is to get rid of any air bubbles in your shells which cause cracking when baking. I tap my tray about 3 or 4 times, but try not to get carried away..!
8. If there are any visible air bubbles on the surface of your macarons, pop them with a toothpick.
9. Next, turn on your oven to 160°C.
10. Leave your macaron shells to rest on a work surface for around 30 mins. This is so your shell’s develop a ‘skin’, which allows little macaron ‘feet’ to form when baking. I have always rested my macarons, although some cookery books will miss out this step. You’re looking for the appearance of your shells to become matte and not shiny at all, this could take 15 mins, or even 45!
11. Place one baking tray into the oven at a time, and bake for 12-14mins. Your macarons should have little feet forming, and turn a very pale golden colour 🙂
12. Gently remove the shells from your baking parchment, and leave to cool.
13. Next its time to make the buttercream! Melt your white chocolate in the microwave on a high setting. Heat in 20 second intervals, stirring in between until its completely melted. Leave to one side.
14. Beat together the softened butter and half of the sifted icing sugar in a large bowl. Once consistent, sift in the remaining icing sugar and beat again.
15. Add in your cooled, melted white chocolate and the vanilla, and beat once again until smooth and glossy.
16. Place your buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
17. Melt the remaining white chocolate in the microwave, as instructed above.
18. Next, place your crunchie bars in a sandwich bag and crush up into small crumb size pieces.
19. To assemble your macarons, pipe a blob of buttercream (roughly covering 3/4 of the surface of the shell) into the centre of half of the shells.
    • Note – this is optional, but as I had so many crunchies spare, at this point a sprinkled some extra crunchie crumbs ontop of a few buttercream covered shells, before a sandwiched another shell on top. This gives an extra crunchy surprise!
20. Place a macaron shell of the same shape on-top of each buttercream-topped shell.
21. Half dip your assembled macarons into the melted white chocolate, and then place the white chocolate dipped half into your crunchie crumbs
22. Place on a piece of parchment paper to allow the white chocolate to firm up.
23. EAT 🙂