Chocolate French Macarons with Bourbon Praline Buttercream

Okay, I gotta say…baking with booze is a lot of fun.

I’ve been experimenting here and there with some boozy desserts in the past year or so, and it’s a great way to play with flavors and get more out of fairly simple recipes.

This month in the Creative Cookie Exchange, we made drunken cookies! I decided to go with a macaron this time to challenge myself a bit.

French Macarons have been on my mind a lot lately, with my cookies and candies class in full swing. We have to make a plated dessert as our final for the class that incorporates all of the different techniques that we’ve learned…and I’ve decided to make one of the cookie components a Matcha French Macaron with Yuzu Buttercream. Super excited with how they turned out.

Macarons are amazing, but they’re just so finicky. It’s kind of an adrenaline rush to see how they come out each time you bake them (har har, such a nerdy baking thing to say)!

I used an extra dark cocoa powder in the cookies, so they’re very rich and yummy. And these chocolate macarons feature a buttercream that I have totally fallen in love with in culinary school. Praline! Such a delicious flavor. Caramel-y. Nutty.

And that’s where I wanted to bring in the booze! The maple flavored bourbon gives it a little extra touch of sweetness and more notes of caramel, without being over the top alcohol-y.

Who doesn’t love chocolate, nuts, buttercream, and a ‘lil booze? 😛

Chocolate Macarons: (Adapted from Joy of Baking)

100 grams almond meal
170 grams powdered sugar
15 grams cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
35 grams granulated sugar
100 grams egg whites, room temp (preferably aged 2 days)

Praline Buttercream Filling:

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups butter, room temp
Pecan Praline, to taste
1 tablespoon Maple Bourbon

Macarons: Prepare 2-3 baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and almond meal through a fine mesh sieve several times until everything is even. Discard any large bits. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium high with the cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add in the granulated sugar (do not dump in all at once). Whisk on medium high until stiff peaks form (should look glossy, not dry). Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the egg whites until the batter comes together. It should sink back into itself after about 15 seconds. Transfer to a piping bag with a plain tip and pipe out evenly (you can make a template for yourself if you wish). Once all piped, knock the baking sheet several times on the counter to remove air bubbles. Allow to sit for 30 min- 1 hour until a skin forms on the macarons (you do not want them to be shiny still, they should be matte). Bake at 325 degrees for 14-16 minutes (rotating the pans halfway through) until they are just set. Allow to cool on a wire rack before filling.

Buttercream: Prepare of pot of simmering water that your stand mixer bowl will fit into. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and egg whites. Mix together with your hand, and place over the simmering water. Using your hand, constantly whisk the egg whites and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely (do not walk away from it or you will have scrambled egg whites). It should be warm to the touch. Once the sugar is dissolved, immediately transfer to your mixer and whisk on high until it has cooled and stiff peaks form. Switch to your paddle attachment, and slowly add in the butter one tablespoon at a time, beating until combined. Beat in the praline to taste (I had some left over from another project, you just caramelize sugar and add toasted nuts, then pulse in food processor until fine). Then beat in the bourbon. Transfer to a piping bag with the tip snipped off, and fill your macaron shells. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (they can be frozen also).

Like I said, booze can be such a great ingredient in baking because it can inspire you to think out of the box and have some fun with recipes!

French macarons are definitely a little time intensive and stressful…but there’s nothing like the feeling when you get them right! They’re pretty, delicious and fun. Totally worth it in my book! 😀

The theme this month is Drunken Cookies! Cookies made with booze and/or inspired by booze, we have them all! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Rosemary Bourbon Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Smoked Sea Salt from The Spiced Life
• Tipsy Chocolate Cherry Cookies from Our Good Life
• Cherry Blossom Tea Cookies from NinjaBaker
• Cinnamon Raisin Blondies from What Smells So Good?
• Amaretto Tricolor Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Whiskey Raisin Oatmeal Bars from Food Lust People Love
• Frosted Orange Cookies from Magnolia Days
• Coffee and Irish Cream Sandwich Cookies from Spiceroots
• Chocolate Chip Guinness Cookies from Upstate Ramblings
• Amaretti Biscuits from A Baker’s House
• Bourbon Creams from Baking in Pyjamas
• Chocolate Rum Balls from Noshing With The Nolands
• White Chocolate Chip & Frangelico Hazelnut Cookies from Made With Love
• Nutella Baileys Cookies from Basic N Delicious