Recipe

Almond-Halvah Macaroons

Almond-Halvah Macaroons

Photo by gluttonforlife

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Almond Macaroons
  • Chef

    gluttonforlife's Notes: I felt a little like Walt (or maybe Jessie) from Breaking Bad as I measured and weighed and piped for my first-ever attempt at making macaroons. I'm more of a guess-&-toss kind of cook, so...

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Serves 2 dozen (without accidents)

  1. Push almond flour and confectioner’s sugar through a tamis. Mix together in a bowl and set aside. Mixture should be dry; if not, spread on a baking sheet and heat in your oven at its lowest setting for a few minutes.

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  2. Pass the egg whites through a fine sieve and into a large, clean stainless steel bowl. Whip until foamy, then add salt and cream of tartar. Increase speed to high, gradually adding sugar. Whip until peaks are stiff and shiny.

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  3. Using a flexible spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture in 3 increments. Stir in 2 teaspoons of beet liquid, if using. When small peaks dissolve to a flat surface, stop mixing. Resulting batter should be thick but flowy.

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  4. Fit a piping bag with a 3/8-inch round tip or cut the corner off a Ziploc bag and fill with batter. Starting in the middle and working outward, pipe 1 ½” circles 2” apart onto double-stacked baking sheets lined with Silpats. Tap firmly on the underside of the baking sheets to remove any air bubbles. Dry at room temperature for 1-2 hours so a thin skin forms.

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  5. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake macarons for about 12 minutes, propping the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon, and rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Remove macarons from oven and transfer Silpats to a cooling rack. When fully cooled, slide macarons off, gingerly, one at a time, with a metal offset spatula.

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  6. Pair macarons of similar size, and pipe or spread about 1/2-1 teaspoon of the filling (recipe follows) onto half of them. Sandwich with the other halves and refrigerate to allow flavors to meld. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

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  1. Whisk tahini and honey together until well blended. Whisk in pomegranate molasses and set aside.

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  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites and sugar. Set mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture, whisking often, until it feels warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 3-5 minutes.

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  3. Transfer bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until mixture is stiff and shiny, 3-5 minutes. Add tahini mixture, in 3 increments, each time mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Can be kept, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.

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6 Comments on Almond-Halvah Macaroons

Picture_11 Reply

Nice job on the first attempt, and I like the Passover flavors. I've been humbled by the copious macaron blog posts as well, which is why I'm holding off for now! ; )

N501413281_1273671_4870 Reply

lovely! really, really lovely!

Newliztoqueicon-2 Reply

most impressive - I need to sign up for lessons in macaroon'making!

Ls Reply

I have to say, I spent hours researching recipes. As you'll see online, there are people whose entire blogs are devoted to perfecting macarons! I was inspired (and humbled!) by them.

Ls Reply

Thanks, AC. I'm kind of amazed it came together!

Henrykiss Reply

beautiful! and what lovely frosting! congrats on your first macaroons :)

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