Irish Coffee Macarons

An Ode to The Buena Vista Cafe‘s Irish Coffee.

The best tasting Irish Coffee!

The next best thing… Irish Coffee Macarons of course!

Don’t know what dessert to make for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration?

Well if you happen to have a bottle of Irish Whiskey lying around the house or you’ve added it to your weekend shopping list, I’ve got just the dessert for you…

The Irish Coffee Macaron (A coffee flavored macaron shell filled with creamy Whiskey infused buttercream)

Coffee Macaron shells

adapted from Tartelett’s recipe

see below

90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)

25 gr to 50gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar

200 gr ( 1.5 cups ) powdered sugar

110 gr almonds ( 3/4 cup) (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)

2 Tb instant coffee

*Follow Tartelette’s instructions below in addition include the instant coffee when combining the powdered sugar and ground almonds.

Here is Tartelette’s Basic Macaron Recipe:

Macaron shells

90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)

25 gr to 50gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar

200 gr ( 1.5 cups + 2Tb) powdered sugar

110 gr almonds ( 3/4 cup) (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)

Prep the eggs: 48 hrs in advance, separate the whites from the yolks and place the whites in a super clean bowl. Leave at room temp, uncovered or loosely covered with a towel at least 24 hrs. Refrigerate after that if desired. You can use eggs that have been “aging” for up to 5 days.

Prepare the macarons:

Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Sift a couple of time to remove bits and pieces. Regrind if necessary. You can also use a coffee grinder for the nuts.

Once your nuts and powdered sugar are mixed together, rub them in between your fingertips to break the bigger pieces.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.

Add the nuts and pwdered sugar to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit.

If using convection: preheat the oven to 280F. If using regular electric or gas, preheat the oven to 300F.

When ready, bake for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool.

Whiskey infused Buttercream

Adapted from Tartelette’s Vanilla Buttercream

1/2 cup (100gr) sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whiskey

Place the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream (temperature should be about 235-238F). Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Add the whiskey. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-8 minutes. Fill a pastry bag with it and pipe on the macarons.

For good mesure I thought you might want this recipe as well…

Buena Vista Irish Coffee

freshley brewed coffee

2 cocktail sugar cubes (or two tablespoons of granulated sugar)

1.5 oz Irish Whiskey

whipped cream

very hot water

Start by pouring the hot water into your coffee cup/glass to get it nice and hot, then pour it out.

Pour hot coffe into your hot glass until it’s three quarters full and add sugar and stir well until completely dissolved.

Add Whiskey and top with whipped cream, enjoy while piping hot.

Irish Coffee Maker Extraordinare!

Daydreaming at The Buena Vista Cafe…

Ahhh a tiny section of The Buena Vista Cafe’s Whiskey display shelf.

Tagged as: almonds, Buttercream, Coffee, gluten free, irish coffee, Meringue, Nuts, Vanilla, Whipped Cream, whiskey