Recipe: This macaron is monstrously good, make no bones about it

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I love Halloween! Why? It’s the only time of year I get to bake ghoulish treats.

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I’m not talking about those cute Halloween cookies with orange and purple frosting. Rather, I’m referring to treats that look realistic enough that they momentarily turn your stomach.

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I know, it does sound a little strange to want to make treats that are not appealing to the eyes. But that’s the part I love about Halloween.

Halloween allows us to face our fears. It’s the one day in the year we get to turn what we dread most into a celebration of sorts.

A couple of years ago, I happened to be at Michael’s, the craft store, and saw a finger-shaped silicone mold. It was like a candy mold, but instead of cute hedgehogs or jewelled shapes it had eight human-size fingers on it.

I couldn’t believe my luck to have stumbled upon such an awesome yet gruesome mold.

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For Halloween that year, I created white-chocolate severed fingers as a treat. After creating a mold of the fingers with chocolate, I proceeded to fill the hollow fingers with raspberry jam for blood and marzipan for bone. To create that freshly dug-up effect, I aged them with a little cocoa powder.

The effect was so realistic I had difficulty biting into those chocolate fingers myself. I love that aspect of Halloween where the visual doesn’t line up with how delicious they taste. Friends still talk about those ghastly fingers to this day.

This year, I wanted to do something a little less creepy and since I was on a macaron kick, I decided to make old macaron bones.

I realize that macarons are one of the more difficult French pastry techniques to master. They are very finicky; if you fold the batter one too many times or if the meringue is over- or under-whipped, it can create less than ideal macarons. There are YouTube videos that explain step by step how to achieve that perfect macaron. If you have time, I highly recommend you watch them.

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But even if you’ve never attempted macarons before, this recipe is still a fun one to make. That’s because you’re going to age the macaron bones with activated charcoal, which means their imperfections will be less obvious. Furthermore, if they come up hollow, you can always explain that the bones’ owner didn’t drink their milk and therefore, has hollow bones. And if they really don’t quite turn out the way they’re supposed to look, they’ll still taste yummy. Trust me, I speak from experience: My family has had to eat a lot of failed macaron due to poor techniques and they’ve never once complained.

I recommend making your macarons at least two days before serving them. I like to make and fill the macarons the first day and then let them rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours before adding the aging effect. Not only will this allow the activated charcoal to better adhere to the macarons, but the rest will also give them that crisp, yet chewy texture.

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Here are a few tools you’ll need:

• Kitchen scale — making macarons require precise measurements. A kitchen scale is the only way of achieving accurate measurements.

• Stand mixer or hand mixer — makes for easier whisking.

• Fine mesh sifter — required to sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together. Helps remove lumps.

• Silicone spatula — works better than a wooden spoon for folding the batter.

• Piping bag — required for making macarons. Impossible to do so without one.

• Flat cookie sheets — helps prevent macarons with sloped edges.

• Parchment paper — prevents macarons from sticking to the pan.

• Printed bone template — helps with piping identical size macarons. (Templates may be printed off Canva.com.)

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• Gel food colouring — recommend gel over liquid as it provides colour without excess liquid.

• Activated charcoal — helps give your macaron bones that old, aged look. In a pinch, Dutch cocoa powder will produce a similar effect.

Old Macaron Bones

Recipe adapted from Broma Bakery Foolproof Macaron Recipe

Ingredients:

Macaron

150g egg whites

150g granulated sugar, divided

150g confectioners’ sugar

150g almond flour

pinch of salt

black gel food colouring

activated charcoal

London Fog Buttercream

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teabag Earl Grey tea leaves

1 tablespoon dried lavender (optional)

2 cups (250g) confectioners’ sugar

1-2 tbsp cream or milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

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Heat a small pot of water over medium heat. Add egg whites and one-third of the granulated sugar to bowl of stand mixer. Place bowl over the pot and whisk the egg white mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Return bowl to the stand mixer, outfitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the egg white mixture on high, gradually adding the remainder of the granulated sugar. Once the mixture forms soft peaks, add a little food colouring at a time until a light grey shade is achieved. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, whisk the confectioner sugar, almond flour and salt together. Then sift mixture twice to get rid of any lumps. Add the sifted almond flour mixture to the meringue mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the almond flour into the meringue until the mixture is the consistency of slow-moving lava and you’re able to make a figure 8 from the batter flowing off the spatula.

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Once the batter is of the right consistency, transfer to a piping bag outfitted with a half-inch round tip. Using a bone template, pipe the macaron batter onto a piece of parchment paper. Allow macarons to air dry for about an hour before baking.

While macarons are air drying, preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is preheated, bake the macarons for 14 to 16 minutes, or until they are dry and firm to the touch.

Allow macarons to cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper.

To make London Fog Buttercream:

Add tea leaves and lavender (if using) to a mini grinder and grind until very fine.

In a stand mixer outfitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, finely ground tea leaves mixture, cream, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag outfitted with a half-inch, round tip.

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Pipe the filling onto the bone shaped macaron and top with another bone shaped macaron. Repeat for balance of the macarons. Allow the filling to set overnight before aging with activated charcoal.

To age the macaron bones:

Using a pastry brush, brush macaron with a light dusting of activated charcoal. Do not add too much charcoal to start. It’s easier to build the colour than it is to remove. Dust with a light hand. For finer details, like accentuating crevices, dip your finger in the activated charcoal and rub over specific areas. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!

Makes 10 five-inch macaron bones.

For macaron bones piping and assembly video, please check out Karen’s Pinterest account.

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Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com, on Instagram at @karen.t.ology, and on Pinterest @karentologyblog.

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