Vanilla Bean Buttercream Macarons

I know, I know.  It's another macaron post.  Sorry, but I had to.  Thanksgiving is coming up and I promised my sister-in-law that I would teach her how to make them when we're visiting.  So..., I have to get some valuable practice sessions in before then.  (I'm so glad I get to use that as an excuse to make more macarons......woohoo!)  The inspiration for this vanilla bean flavor comes from a guy named, Joe.  Trader Joe, that is.  

I can't tell you how much I LOVE Trader Joe's.  Really, really love.  It is my go-to grocery sanctuary. You'll find me there every Sunday morning, toting around my red Trader Joe's canvas shopping bags while steering one of their candy apple red shopping carts.  MAC jokes that it's my weekly date with Joe.  But, I must admit, it wasn't love at first sight.  I used to think Trader Joe's was too expensive and thought it was just a supplemental grocery store that only carried a handful of my food necessities.  I would only step inside its doors if I was nearby and really needed a basic ingredient, like milk, eggs, or cheese, in a pinch.  But those feelings have long changed.  I love Trader Joe's for its simplicity.  I love them for the quality of their goods, and for selling only preservative-free foods and all-natural goods. I love them for selling items with ingredients that are recognizable and contain no more than five syllables.  I love Trader Joe's for their Vanilla Joe Joe's Sandwich Cookies.  Oh, and also for their Honey Nut O's Cereal.  And, let's not forget their Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies.....  Okay, I'll stop here because this list can go on for another ten minutes.

But, I'm not the only one in my family who loves Trader Joe's.  My 4-year old niece loves TJ's so much that she was a Trader Joe's employee for Halloween this year!  How cute is that?  She loves getting the free stickers from the cashiers at checkout, and she never fails to search for the TJ's mascot in exchange for a lollipop.  That reminds me...there's another reason why I love Trader Joe's -

they love kids!  Often, I find myself dodging little kiddies as they push the mini shopping carts around the store, helping their parents round up the groceries.  I think it's great that they've found some fun ways to get the young ones involved in their food choices.      

My silly niece in her Trader Joe's costume, complete with a red name tag...so cute!

Before I digress even further from the topic of this post, let me finally tell you how Joe inspired me with this simple, yet beloved flavor.  As I was on my weekly grocery-shopping date last week, I happened to pass by the spice section (okay, I intentionally went there to browse; it's become my new favorite section).  Since I'm on the petite (yes, short) side, I don't usually see a lot of things that sit on the top two shelves unless I make a solid effort to tilt my chin upwards.  For the spice section, I'm willing to do just that.  As I did, I saw, sitting on the very top shelf, a tall cream colored packet with a clear window showcasing something long, slender, and black inside.  I got high up on my tippy toes to grab one down so I could give it a closer inspection and read the packaging.  The description said, "2 Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans." Wow, cool!  And the best part......it was only $3.99!!  Yes, for two! Whole ones!  I never saw anything so amazing in the spice section before!  I was so ecstatic, I almost did a little happy dance right there in the middle of the aisle.  I decided right then and there that I would make something, anything with these vanilla beans.  So, that's why you see these lovely, black speckled vanilla bean macarons.  And I think I just made you fall head over heels for Joe, too... :)

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Macarons

Yields 25 macarons

For the shells:
75 g egg whites at room temperature
100 g almond flour
120 g confectioner's sugar
60 g granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeded

1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.  Fit a piping bag with a #12 tip and set it aside.  Line two large 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.  Stop the mixer, and add in the seeds from the vanilla bean.  Beat for 1 more minute on high to incorporate the vanilla beans evenly throughout the meringue.

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.  Allow the batter to dry undisturbed for 30 minutes or until it won't stick to your finger.

6. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of your oven 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.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Filling:
Adapted from Tartelette

50 g sugar
1 large egg white
3 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeded

1. Put the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.  The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream.

2.  Pour the mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat 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 piece at a time, beating until smooth.  Once all the butter is added, beat the buttercream on medium-high until it is thick and very smooth, about 6-10 minutes.

3. Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and fold them in with a spatula.

4.  Transfer the buttercream to 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.