Learn about the Very Veggie Movement
Recipe by Belinda Li
Macarons are an age-old delicacy. Thought to have been invented in the middle ages in Italy, they were allegedly brought to France in the 16th century and have been a popular and highly sought-after dessert ever since.
While many bakers find macarons challenging to make, we’ve made sure to age the egg whites – allowing the proteins in it to relax and the moisture to reduce – to produce the perfect meringue. Try Belinda’s version, flavored with Jing Si Tea, for your next special occasion or afternoon tea!
Note: this recipe requires the use of eggs and will not be suitable for vegans.
Ingredients
For cookies:
5 tsp Jing Si Tea
1 c powdered sugar
½ c almond flour
2 aged* egg whites, room temperature
⅛ c granulated sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp cream of tartar
For filling:
¼ c butter, room temperature (½ stick)
¾ c powdered sugar
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ tbsp heavy cream or preferred dairy or plant-based milk
*to age egg whites, separate whites from yolk and keep refrigerated for a minimum of 24 hours.
Directions
- Using a blender or food processor, pulse tea leaves into a semi-fine powder. Using a sieve, separate out larger leaves from the rest. Set aside.
- In a bowl, sift powdered sugar and almond flour. Add finely ground tea and mix till well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, use a standing or hand mixer to whip aged egg whites. As it begins to froth, add in cream of tartar.
- When mixture begins to turn white, add vanilla extract and gradually add granulated sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
- Gently begin folding in dry mixture to wet, adding it in one-third at a time. Be careful not to overmix.
- Prepare piping bag and lined baking sheet (our no-fail choice is silicone).
- Fill piping bag with meringue mixture and pipe out even circles of about 1.5”, leaving about 1” space between them.
- When done, tap tray on counter top to release air bubbles. Let sit at room temperature for 20-40 minutes. Preheat oven for 290°.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add vanilla and slowly incorporate powdered sugar. Add heavy cream or milk and mix. Add filling into piping bag.
- Once out of the oven, let cookie shells rest on tray for 30 minutes before peeling them off from lining.
- Then, pair similar size rounds and pipe buttercream on the flat surface of one. Place other cookie on top to complete one macaron. Repeat till done!
- Finally, refrigerate for 1 hour to harden before eating. Enjoy!
A Message From the Chef
I really enjoyed this experience as I had the opportunity to revisit my past hobby of baking. I also learned how to do basic video editing and camera placement. I definitely received lots of helpful feedback from our sessions with the videographers, as I got to see what I had done well and what I needed to work on. Also watching my peers present their videos and get feedback exposed me to techniques that I could implement in my next project, like making smoother transitions and matching the music to the actions on the screen. Most importantly, I had lots of fun creating this, and I can’t wait for another opportunity to challenge myself!
– Belinda Li, Senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California
