Experiment Report: Peach Macarons aka Almost Epic Fail
Hi friends! As promised, I'm back to share the results of my experimentation with making Peach Macarons yesterday. First we start with a pretty photo, so as not to scare any of you away.
Now let me just begin by saying that you should probably never cook anything that you plan to actually eat if you are rushing the clock. In this instance I was two steps into my macaron cookies when I suddenly remembered that in just 20 minutes I'd need to drive my daughter to her math tutoring. I don't think I've ever measured and mixed so quickly (in the process I added in 1/2 cup more powdered sugar than I was supposed to). My sister was sitting in my living room with a deer-in-the-headlights expression watching the whole thing go down. Because of the sudden rush I also didn't have the chance to think through my flavor adaptations. I ended up adding in 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ginger paste on a whim (good decision) but was stuck when it came to adding in the peach (raw peach chunks seemed ill-advised). So with no time to think I quickly piped the cookies onto their pans, gave them a few good whacks on the counter top (to get the air bubbles out), and ran out the door. Fortunately macarons are supposed to be left to rest for at least 30 minutes before baking, so they can form nice crisp tops...unfortunately I wasn't home again until an hour and a half later and boy had they ever crisped up! I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, so I stuck them in the oven anyway...what did I have to loose at this point, right?!
While the cookies baked I started melting down some white chocolate for the filling. I found a tasty looking white chocolate peach ganache filling recipe on Tartelette, but since I'm no pro at adapting from metric measurements somewhere along the way everything went south.
The sauce was too runny...even after chilling. I tried melting down some more white chocolate thinking that if I could add that in, it might thicken things up a bit...but then genius that I am, I used the spoon from the chilling chocolate/fruit mixture to stir the melting chocolate and it instantly turned into crusty globs of something closely resembling cottage cheese (I've decided to spare you all by not showing a photo of that). Nine dollars of chocolate ruined! Ugh!
This morning I did about 50,000 google searches for a new macaron filling that would incorporate fresh peaches, but nothing emerged other than a handful of recipes that involve more steps than I could possibly follow. I was about to dump the whole container of plain macaron cookies into the trash in a fit of frustration when I remembered the vanilla ice cream in my freezer! And that is how I turned lemons into lemonade...or naked ginger macarons into dessert for breakfast in this case!
To keep true to my original peachy plan I served the cookie with a few quickly stewed and peeled peaches only to discover that the peaches are horrifyingly bitter (a bit wary about buying from that farmer's market vendor again). Sans peaches...the macaron ice cream sandwich was delicious (messy but tasty)! I'm thinking of picking up a few different ice cream and gelato flavors at the store later today to fill the rest of my wayward batch of macarons with. Disaster somewhat averted!
Final thoughts...I used this macaron cookie recipe (the same one that I used for my Clementine Macarons) and other than being kind of dry because I unwittingly added in too much powdered sugar, they taste awesome. They are easy to adapt and add interesting flavors to (i.e. instead of the citrus zest in the recipe, I just added in a smidge of ginger paste). I still don't have a good peach filling recipe...any tips? Have you ever made macaron cookies before? Do you have a favorite recipe worth passing along? Please do let us know! xo Ez
30 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in About Me / My Shops, Food / Recipes, Musings Print Article | Share This | 
| by Ez Friday, July 13, 2012 
Reader Comments (30)
Well I'm glad it turned out in the end. It's always a frightening moment when you realize a recipe is going sideways... which makes a successful save that much more enjoyable. I've never had the guts to take on macaroons, so good on ya for trying to mix it up and saving the treat!
So sorry to hear about your culinary frustration. Glad you turned it into something super yummy!
I've never attempted making them before... so even with the mishaps I am impressed!
Hi Ez! I've never made macarons before, but I own the book I <3 Macarons by Hisako Ogita. I seem to remember that the book suggested using a jam or preserve as the filling so I'm sure you could make some with the peaches. Why not try that?
Your Macarons look great! Awhile back, I tried my hand at making them and had to laugh about your bad timing. I did mine on the morning I was packing up for a 4 hour car trip...hahaha..I'm crazy. Anyway, they didn't turn out. I knew it would be a true miracle if they did turn out as I didn't really know what to look for in that 'just the right consistency' thing.
I will try again and next time use your recipe.
Thanks for sharing!!
I'm no baker whatsoever and this may sound simple and boring, but how about just stewing up the peaches with some sugar then puree and strain it. Add the strained peachy liquid to some simple buttercream frosting? I followed your experiment on Instagram, it was quite entertaining and nerve wrecking. I'm still trying to muster up the courage to make macarons.
Have a peachy weekend!
I'm glad your macarons turned out even if they were a little different than expected. They are so pretty too!
Not sure which local peaches you bought at the farmer's market, but I've been buying Porter peaches at the grocery store and so far they have all been delicious! I've found them at Reasor's and the discount grocery store by my house. I'm guessing they carry them at a lot of stores around Tulsa.
well it looks amazing! I have to admit I love when bloggers do share mishaps, it keeps it real. I also haven't been brave enough to try macarons but then again, the craze hasn't hit Germany full force just yet. But a recipe that still works although you change things and do it in a hurry sounds like a very good place to start! Love how you saved them. Yum.
I don't think you've ever truly baked macarons until you've had:
a) a complete disaster
b) a near disaster (like yours)
c) a disastrous looking yet still tasty result
Such is the way of the fickle macaron!
(I've had many a, b, and c instances!)
the day was saves in the end right? that's what counts :) The end result definitely looks delicious! I never tried baking macarons, although I love them so much, well maybe I'll still give it a go...I love to bake, but somehow I find these little treats so preciously complicated :)
They sure are pretty Ez and they call this serendipity in science when your original experiment doesn't turn out quite like you envisioned but is actually BETTER.
Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.
Congrats!
Your empty plate image at the end was a nice touch to end your post :)
yummm! i love the idea of swapping the filling out for frozen yoghurt or ice cream...what a great idea (/mistake, in this case, haha). :)
This post is why I love reading your blog. You followed through even though things did not turn out as planned. Happy accidents are still happy! Have a sweet weekend!
looks good enough for me. i've made curd (lemon, lime, rhubarb) that i think would fill a macaron nicely. peach curd should be easy enough to adapt from a basic lemon curd recipe.
Hey, I call it a success if you got the cookies themselves to come out that beautifully... Filling, schmilling--that's just the proverbial icing on the cake. Kudos on some tres bien macarons!
You could make a quick peach jam. My favorite macaron shop in NYC uses jam for the filling--delicious homemade jam!
OH GIRLFRIEND. You have my utmost admiration for making the attempt!!!!! And they looked lovely! I love baking but I just am too intimidated to try my hand at homemade macarons, they just seems so fiddly. Until such a day as Laduree opens a shop in Seattle, I will just get the frozen ones from Trader Joe's. They're pretty good! :)
You could try a peach buttercream. Reduce peaches (no skins) and sugar on the stove and then add it to a buttercream frosting mixture. I do it with raspberries and strawberries all the time so it should work for peaches right? Plus it would be a very pretty color.
Beautiful post...everything looks so great!
www.eatblogpray.blogspot.com
xo
Nice save Ez! Your shells are just perfect, and I bet they taste amazing with the ginger.
I made peach-coloured macarons and had almost exactly the same results. I didn't flavour mine - just added food colouring for the peach colour. I thought I would make my own white chocolate ganache for the middle too - how hard could it be? I made 3 batches and the first 2 looked like yellow, oily cottage cheese. Ack! The third batch, I used very little cream with the white chocolate and took it off the heat early, and it seemed to work... just. It was still quite thin and I had to pop it in the fridge until it was spreadable consistency. Pics (scroll to bottom): http://blog.stephbond.com/2012/04/easy-easter-goodies-to-bake-with-kids.html
You could definitely make a straight up butter cream frosting for the middle and flavour with peach as per the other comments. I wonder if you could use peach schnapps? Ooooh!
Hi Ez,
I just wanted to tell you how much you brighten my days. I enjoy reading your daily posts and seeing what yummy recipe you are trying, where you are visiting and things that inspire you. Yesterday I made a garland from the popsicle template and it just says summer. Have a wonderful weekend!
I have tried making macaroons twice before and can't seem to get it right. I find mine stick to the baking parchment and when I finally manage to prise them apart, the yummy centre is still stuck and I'm left with a very thin macaroon shell! What would you recommend?
The macarons looks really yummy! I am a Swedish interior design blogger and I just find your blog, consider yourself bookmarked. (My blog is in Swedish but my iPad-magazine is in English.)
Have a nice day // Frida
At least the macaroons still turns out beautifully, that is a feat in itself. That first photo is ridiculously lovely.