Matcha Macarons

Happy Friday! It's really cold, and a big snowstorm might interfere with our office holiday party tonight, but all is well because it's Friday! And in 5 days, Tim and I will be on a plane embarking our big trip to Taiwan and Thailand. It feels a little weird calling it our honeymoon since it's already been 9 months since the date(!), so I've been calling it our "big trip."

Speaking of honeymoons and weddings, I made these matcha macarons to send off to Vane at Brooklyn Bride for her 2nd annual holiday card swap. Matcha because I know she loves green, so I wanted to share my main wedding inspiration with someone who also inspired the wedding. Hope they reached Brooklyn in good shape!


Matcha Macarons
adapted from previous recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons matcha
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line two baking sheets with Silpat liners and have a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip ready.
3. Using a blender of a food processor, grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and matcha so there are no lumps.
4. Using a standing electric mixer and at slow-medium speeds, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, gradually beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm.
5. Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.
6. Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1/2-inch circles, evenly spaced 1/2-inch apart.
7. Tap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Matcha Ganache

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces white chocolate
1 tablespoon matcha

Directions:
1. Bring heavy cream to a simmer.
2. Mix a bit of heavy cream with matcha to make a paste.
2. Remove from heat and stir in matcha paste and white chocolate. Stir until reaching consistent texture.
3. Let cool to room temperature.

Assembly Directions:
1. Find matching similar-sized counterpart for each macaron.
2. Depending on size of macarons, spread 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of ganache on one cookie's inside, and then gently press the matching cookie on top, forming a sandwich.
3. Store in an airtight container or in the fridge for at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors. Macarons can keep up to 5 days, after that they may be stored in the freezer.