Eggnog Macarons

Don't you just love the holidays?  It's my most favorite time of the year!  If you haven't started listening to the Christmas station on the radio, you better get a move on.  You're really missing out on all the fun of singing along to Wham's "Last Christmas." Yes, it's one of my favorites.  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  But, don't worry.  If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, just tune into KOIT 96.5 FM.  You'll hear it within the next two hours, I guarantee it.  I have a theory that they intentionally refrain from updating their Christmas playlist so the lyrics become so ingrained in your head that you can't help but to sing-a-long.  Not that I mind.  I actually love singing along to the same songs year after year after year.  :)

So, while the Christmas song sing-a-long is in full swing, I thought I'd get started on the holiday baking to add to the festivities.  Of course, being the macaron baking fanatic that I am, the first thing that popped into my head was to make macarons with a festive holiday twist, but I had no idea what that would be.  Then, as I was walking past the dairy case at Trader Joe's one morning, I saw the cartons of eggnog lining the shelves.  Oooh...what an interesting flavor that would make, right?  Instead of just drinking your eggnog this year, you can eat it, too!

One thing I love about this recipe is that it's made with ingredients that I already had in my cupboard.  These macarons have a simple combination of two spices that give them that distinctive eggnog flavor, so there's no need to run out to the grocery store to buy a carton of eggnog - there's no "egg" or "nog" in it!  I also love the light sprinkling of grated nutmeg over the top of the shells.  It gives the macarons a bit of decorative flair, while adding a hint of holiday spice.  I recommend cranking up the Christmas tunes while baking these babies.  It'll really get you singing and dancing in your kitchen.....not that I did that or anything.  ;)

Eggnog Macarons
Yields 30 Macarons

For the shells:
75 g egg whites at room temperature
100 g almond flour
120 g confectioner's sugar
60 g granulated sugar
nutmeg for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.  Fit a piping bag with a #12 tip and set it aside.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift together almond flour and confectioner's sugar and set aside.  You may grind any large pieces in a food processor and sift it back into the mixture.

3. In bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites and granulated sugar.  Stir on medium-low until foamy, about 3 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks, about 3 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.

4.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.  Add in all of the dry almond flour mixture into the meringue.  Fold the dry mixture in with a spatula.  Smooth the batter up the sides of the bowl and scrape the bottom.  The goal is to get out some of the air, but be careful not to over mix the batter too thin.  The consistency of the batter should be smooth and thick, but still flowing.  A ribbon drawn across the batter should disappear in 25 seconds.

5.  Spoon the batter into the piping bag.  Evenly pipe 1 1/2 inch circles 1 inch apart onto the baking sheets.  Tap the baking sheets on the counter to allow any air bubbles to rise out of the piped batter.

6. Lightly sprinkle nutmeg over the tops of the piped circles.  Allow the batter to dry undisturbed for 30 minutes or until it won't stick to your finger.

7. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 2 minutes.  Prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  Turn the tray around at the halfway mark for even baking.  The top of the shells will be firm to the touch when they are done.

8. Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the filling:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Set bowl over a small pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves.  You know it's ready if you cannot feel the sugar when you rub as small amount of mixture between your fingers.

2. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.  The bowl should be cool to the touch before you move on.

3. Switch to the paddle attachment and set the mixer to medium speed.  Add the butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing it to incorporate before adding another piece.  Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the buttercream is smooth and comes together.  This will take a while, so don't worry if it looks soupy or curdled at any point.  Chilling it briefly in the fridge for a few minutes, then remixing, will help.  Once the buttercream is smooth, add the cinnamon and nutmeg on low speed until combined.

4. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag with a plain tip.  Pipe a coin of buttercream onto the underside of a macaron shell and gently press another shell on top. Repeat for the other macaron shells.  Macarons get better with age, up to 7 days in the fridge in an airtight container.  Bring to room temperature before enjoying.