Did you know that it's Christmas in
TWO weeks time??? I've had so much going on this past month that I'm struggling to fit it all in!

I adore macarons, and two of my favourite bloggers,
Deeba and
Jamie, have started
Mac Tweets, a blog for macaron lovers. It's a place where you can find macaron recipes, inspiration, ideas and join the
Mac Attack challenge. If you want, you can also
tweet about your triumphs, woes and 'feet' with the
Mac Crowd.
For the latest challenge, I decided to make some
festive cranberry macarons, adorned with pistachios and filled with white chocolate vanilla cream. I used my favourite
recipe which I adapted for 1 egg white, especially useful for a small batch, which allows you can be experimental without wasting lots of egg whites. I know some people don't weigh their egg whites, but I prefer to and if you are making macarons for the first time, that would be my top tip as eggs really do vary in weight. I leave them out to come to room temperature for an hour or so first, and I always allow them to rest for an hour after piping. I've tried leaving the door ajar with a wooden spoon, and have cooked them with a closed oven door and haven't really seen any difference.
If you want a circle template to put under your Silpat or parchment paper as a piping guide, you can find one to print
here.
For lots of tips, advice and macaron tales, visit the
Mac Tweet site and have a go at making some - they're delicious!
Festive Cranberry & Pistachio Macarons with White Chocolate Vanilla CreamThis recipe uses 1 egg white and only makes about 14 halves, 1½" across. I've added the amounts at the end for 4 egg whites.
42g ground almonds
75g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
38g egg white (roughly 1 large egg white)
10g granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of dried sweetened cranberries that have been minced or chopped finely
Couple of drops of red food colouring
Handful of pistachio nuts, finely chopped
White Chocolate Vanilla Cream60ml double cream, whipped until stiff
60g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together in a bowl and put to one side.
In a large clean, dry bowl, whip the egg white with a pinch of salt until it becomes foamy and stiff. Gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is stiff and shiny.
Gently fold in the almond mixture and the minced dried cranberries using a large spoon or spatula, until incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and firm, but with a bit of 'flow' to it. Don't over-mix it or it will be too runny.
Fill a piping bag with a 1cm round tip and pipe the mixture onto Silpat or baking parchment. Tap the sheets gently to remove air bubbles and sprinkle a few chopped pistachio nuts onto half of the macarons. Let dry at room temperature for about an hour or so before baking.
Bake in a preheated oven, 160º/325F for about
15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.
Remove from the oven and leave to go cold. Peel off the Silpat or baking parchment.
Whip the cream until stiff and gently fold in the melted chocolate and vanilla bean paste. Pipe or spoon onto half the macarons and top with the other half before serving.
Amounts for 4 egg whites125g ground almonds
225g icing sugar
110g egg whites brought to room temperature
30g granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
3 teaspoons of dried sweetened cranberries that have been minced or chopped finely
Couple of drops of red food colouring
Handful of pistachio nuts, finely chopped
White Chocolate Vanilla Cream150ml double cream, whipped until stiff
150g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

My festive macarons are headed over to the brilliant
Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies, being hosted by Susan. Don't forget that the
page is being updated as the entries come in, so
check them out!
Some other Christmassy cookies on this blog:Triple Chocolate Christmas Pudding CookiesCranberry and Pistachio BiscottiPecan Pie CookiesChocolate and Pistacho WedgesCranberry and White Chocolate CookiesChocolate Caramel NuggetsMacademia and Ginger Fingers♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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