You guys know just how much I love tea, so infusing a macaron with it seems like the most logical thing to do right? Right.
I love macarons, I think they are massively feared and have an unfair reputation of being so hard to make, that most people never try and miss out on their wonderful sweet chewiness! If you’ve never made macarons before, please read my “How To – French Macarons” post, which details everything you need to know as you go through the process. It’s a complete guide which will help you with everything from ingredients to how to mix the batter.
You will love how fragrant these macarons are, even if you aren’t a tea lover. More than anything you get a beautiful orange flavour from the tea and the zest which infuses the white chocolate ganache. Oh my goodness this ganache, it’s so smooth and creamy and yes zesty and fruity! I’m not normally the biggest white chocolate fan, but give me a bowl of this and a spoon and I could get on board with that… The cream is lightly infused with the tea and orange zest before being poured over the chocolate and stirred to create a beautiful glossiness.
These macarons are the sweetest, loveliest treat that you just have to try!
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Earl Grey Tea Macarons with Orange Infused White Chocolate Ganache
Yield: Makes 10-12 macaron sandwiches.
Macaron Template – PDF to download and print
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells
120g Powdered Sugar (Icing or Confectioners Sugar)
100g Almond Meal (Ground Almonds)
40g Caster Sugar
2 Egg Whites
1 Earl Grey Tea Bag
For the White Chocolate Ganache Filling
150ml Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
200g White Chocolate
1 Earl Grey Tea Bag
Zest of 1 Orange
Steps
Please read my How To – French Macarons post before starting for detailed instructions on what to expect at each stage of the process.
1. Sift together the almond meal and icing sugar so that you have a fine mixture. Open the tea bag and pour the contents into the dry ingredients and mix.
2. Either using a free stand mixer or an electric hand whisk (you can use a manual whisk if you are brave!!) whisk the egg whites until they are frothy. At this point add the caster sugar and continue whisking until you have glossy stuff peaks. If you are adding any food colouring make sure it is gel colouring and add just before you have stiff peaks.
3. Add the egg whites to the bowl with the ground almonds and fold in gently using a spatula. Regularly scrape down the bowl. Keep folding until the batter has a soft consistency and drops off the spatula and just sinks back into the batter in the bowl.
6. Place the batter in a piping bag with a round nozzle attached. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pipe even circles onto the paper. If you would like a guide, you can download and print off my Macaron Template. Place it underneath the parchment paper and remove before putting in the oven.
7. Leave the piped macarons in a cool dry place to dry for anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours. This will depend on the heat and humidity where you are.
8. While the shells are drying, preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius. After they are dry bake for 15-16 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes until the shells easily peel away from the paper. Allow to cool completely.
9. While the shells are cooling, chop the chocolate into small chunks and place in a heat proof bowl. In a saucepan, place the cream, orange zest and the contents of the earl grey tea bag and heat on a low heat until the cream is just simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate through a seive to catch the tea leaves and pieces of zest. Stir thoroughly then leave to cool for 20 mins. After cooling whisk the ganach vigorously to help it thicken. Place in a piping bag and chop the corner off.
10.Pipe onto half the macaron shells, then sandwich with the other shells.
11. Ideally, put the macarons into an airtight container and keep in the fridge overnight. This allows the shells to absorb some of the moisture from the ganache, and get a nice chewy centre.
12. These freeze well for up to 3 months. Simply take them out of the freezer about an hour before you want to eat them and let them come to room temperature.
