Source: https://www.piesandtacos.com/vegan-vanilla-macarons-with-sprinkles/
Place 3/4 cups of chickpea water in a small saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let the mixture simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, until it measures 1/3 cup or a bit more. I always make more aquafaba than that, because I use it for many things (to replace egg in baked goods mainly).
Then, let the reduced aquafaba sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, and it will get really thick and slimy, resembling egg white consistency.
WHIP THAT AQUAFABA!
When should I stop whipping the aquafaba? Guys, it’s *almost* impossible to overwhip the aquafaba. So I say, keep whipping it until the peaks are really stiff! Underwhipping the aquafaba will cause for macarons that will not hold their shape at all.
I start whipping the aquafaba on low for about 1 minute with the cream of tartar.
After about 1 minute, once the aquafaba is starting to get white and foamy, raise the speed to medium. Whip on medium for another 2 minutes.
Once the aquafaba is white, and the whisk is leaving streak marks in the meringue, start adding the granulated sugar gradually, a little bit at a time, as you raise the speed to high.
Keep whipping on high for another 5-8 minutes. I usually whip for a total of 10 minutes from beginning to end. The peaks should be straight up, the meringue should be glossy.
Vegan Vanilla Macarons with Sprinkles
These Vegan Macarons are filled with a Vegan Vanilla Buttercream, topped with sprinkles. I made the filling multicolor to make these festive!
Vegan Macaron Shells
- 1/3 cup reduced aquafaba from 3/4 cup of chickpea brine*
- 110 grams almond flour
- 110 grams powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 66 grams granulated sugar
Vegan Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter 1 oz, 28 grams
- 2 tablespoons shortening 1 oz, 28 grams**
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted (6.61 oz, 187.5 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegan Macaron Shells
Start by placing 3/4 cup of chickpea brine (water drained from a chickpea can) in a small saucepan. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce to about 1/3 cup.
Place it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let it get thick. It will have egg white consistency.
Gather all of your ingredients before starting to make macarons. Measure out all ingredients. Line two baking sheets with silicon mats. And fit a large piping bag with a round tip. You want everything ready to go when you need it.
Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together. Set aside.
Place 1/3 cup of the reduced and cooled aquafaba in the bowl of a mixer.
Start whipping on low speed for about 1 minute, once it starts to foam up, add cream of tartar.
Whip for another 1 minute, until it starts getting white and thick like soup.
At this point, raise speed to high, start to add granulated sugar, slowly, a bit at a time.
Continue to whip until the aquafaba achieves stiff peaks.
The whole whipping, from beginning to end, should last about 10 minutes.
Add sifted dry ingredients to whipped aquafaba. Start folding with a spatula slowly.
Add food coloring at this point, if using any.
Fold forming a letter J with the spatula.
You will fold until the batter is flowing slowly but effortlessly off the spatula. To test it out, you can grab a teaspoon of batter and place it on a baking sheet, watch how it behaves for 1 minute. If the batter smooths out the top, it means you are ready to go. If batter forms a pointy tip, you have more folding to do. But be very careful. You also don’t want to overfold. Just fold a couple more times, and test again.
If the batter is too thick and not thinning out as you mix, add a teaspoon or so of aquafaba, until you find the perfect consistency.
You don’t want to over fold the batter, so always stop before that happens, and then keep folding and testing as you go.
Once you notice the batter starts to look glossy, start to test it out. You can also do the figure 8 test. Grab some batter with the spatula and start drawing a figure 8, if the batter doesn’t break up as you draw a few figure 8 shapes, could be another sign that it’s ready.
This is a very important part of making macarons, and telling if the batter is ready is a skill that comes with a lot of practice.
I grab a spatula full of batter and hold it over the bowl. And then, watch how the batter falls off the spatula. If it keeps falling non stop, but still slowly, I know the batter is ready. If the batter stops falling off the spatula while there is still quite a bit of batter in the spatula, I know it needs to be folded longer.
Transfer batter to the piping bag.
Pipe 1 1/2” circles on a baking sheet lined with silicon mat. I usually use 2 sheets. This will depend on how big you pipe your macarons.
Slam the trays against the counter to release air bubbles.
Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles.
If using sprinkles, make sure to sprinkle them before the macaron shells dry. Sprinkle them on half of the sprinkles, as you will want the other half to be used as the bottom of the macaron sandwich.
Let trays rest for 30-45 minutes until the shells are dry. Test this by touching a macaron gently with your finger. Depending on humidity levels and weather, it might take longer or less time for your macarons to dry.
Pre-heat oven to 310F.
Bake each tray separately.
Bake for a total of 20 minutes, or until the macarons are easily coming off the silicon mat.
Remember to rotate the tray every 5 minutes, to ensure even baking.
Baking time might vary depending on your oven.
Let macarons cool down before filling.
Vegan Vanilla Buttercream
Place butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Whip on medium for about 1 minute, until fluffy and combined.
Add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Raise speed and cream for another minute.
Add vanilla.
If you notice the buttercream is too stiff or dry, add a bit of non-dairy milk, or water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
If the buttercream is too runny, maybe the butter is too hot. If the butter is room temperature, then maybe you need to add more powdered sugar to the buttercream.
I divided my buttercream into 4 bowls and colored 3 of the bowls with blue, purple, and pink food coloring.
Then, I laid a piece of plastic on the counter, and made one strip of each different color buttercream lengthwise on the plastic. Rolled the plastic onto a log, and inserted it in a piping bag fitted with my tip of choice.
To assemble
Pipe a dollop of buttercream on each bottom shell. Top with a shell with sprinkles.
Make sure to let macarons mature in the fridge for 24-48 hours before serving. They will have a much better consistency and flavor.
Let macarons sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before enjoying.
To store
Keep macarons in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
*Make sure to reduce the aquafaba before starting this recipe. You will start with 3/4 cup of chickpea brine, drained from a chickpea can, preferably NO or low sodium chickpea. If you can find it, go for the no sodium. Reduce it by boiling it over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it becomes thick and reduced until it measures 1/3 of a cup, or slightly more. Let the aquafaba chill in the fridge before using. I use
Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans
.
*If the mixture is too thick and not coming together after adding the almond flour and powdered sugar, add a teaspoon or so of aquafaba to thin it out.
**You can use a combo of butter and shortening, like I am doing here, or use all butter, or all shortening, replacing the amount of one with the other.
