Birthday Cake Macarons

Ingredients

• 55 g aged egg whites, room temperature - about 2 large eggs
• pinch cream of tartar - optional
• 55 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tsp)
• 70 g superfine almond flour - blanched (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
• 63 g powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
• gel food coloring - optional
• 36 g nonpareil sprinkles (3 Tbsp)
• 28 g unsalted butter, room temperature (2 Tbsp)
• 28 g cream cheese, room temperature (2 Tbsp)
• 4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (1 tsp)
• 2 g almond extract (1/2 tsp)
• 1 g fine salt (1/8 tsp)
• 125 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
• 10 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature (2 tsp)
• 12 g nonpareil sprinkles (1 Tbsp)
• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)
• 2 Large Piping Bags (18-inch)
• Round Piping Tip - Ateco 805

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Birthday Cake Macarons ---

2. 2

   Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.

3. 3

   Pour 55g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage.

4. 4

   Add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.

5. 5

   Sift 70g superfine almond flour and 63g powdered sugar into the meringue and add a squirt of pink gel food coloring.

6. 6

   Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.

7. 7

   Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4 inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

8. 8

   Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.

9. 9

   Sprinkle nonpareil sprinkles over the piped macarons while they're still wet.

10. 10

    Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 157 C.

11. 11

    Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 15-18 minutes and rotate the the pan halfway through.

12. 12

    Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

13. 13

    --- Sprinkle Buttercream Frosting ---

14. 14

    Beat 28g room-temperature butter and 28g room-temperature cream cheese on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until smooth.

15. 15

    Mix in 4g vanilla extract, 2g almond extract and 1g salt on a low speed.

16. 16

    Slowly add in 125g of powdered sugar. Half way through add 10g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix.

17. 17

    Mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.

18. 18

    If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).

19. 19

    Once the frosting is the right consistency, fold in 1 Tbsp nonpareil sprinkles.

20. 20

    Place in a piping bag with a round tip and set aside.

21. 21

    --- Assembling These Birthday Cake Macarons ---

22. 22

    Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a thick dollop of buttercream frosting of your choice around one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.

23. 23

    Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!