Having Fun with French Macarons

It's been a while since I made French Macarons, so today I just got out my sprinkles and do dads and had fun!

I said before that I keep trying different recipes, hoping to get a good one that works for me. I'm having trouble with hollow shells. These look good, but they have a hollow area at the top and I don't know what to do to get rid of that!

Here is what they look like before baking. You have to add your sprinkles right after they are piped, then let them sit out until they develop a "crust." This is necessary if you want them to develop "feet."

Here they are after baking. I'm also having trouble with my oven browning them too much. Many times I want a pale color, but after baking they look brown. I've tried it at so many different temperatures, and I've tried it using/not using the convection oven setting. There are just so many variables!

Today I used Tartelette's Macaron Recipe. Many people have had success with this one. If you want to try it, just don't use the violet flavorings that the recipe calls for and you will have her basic Macaron recipe.

The recipe I really wanted to share with you today is the Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream from a wonderful site called Kevin & Amanda. I love how they really show you every step to a recipe and have such wonderful photos. The marshmallow fluff recipe is a super yummy buttercream that you add a container of, you guessed it, marshmallow fluff to the basic buttercream.  In this post, they used a bit of eggnog in the recipe, but you just substitute heavy cream in its' place.

Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream

2 sticks butter (salted and room temp)

3 cups powdered sugar (sifted if lumps)

1 7 oz Jar Marshmallow Fluff

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients into mixing bowl, beat at medium speed until smooth - about 3-5 minutes.

It's so easy! I also added a bit of pink food paste/gel to match the macarons.

I encourage you to go ahead and give these a try. They may not turn out  perfect, but they sure taste good!