Well we’re halfway through February and these raspberry brownie macarons are the first new recipe to come to the site this year! I would love to churn out new recipe after new recipe on here week after week, but I know my limits and that’s just not going to be possible.
Last year I was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a neurological nerve condition. Basically, at some point, something happened to one of the major nerves leading to my knee. This results in my brain perceiving pain signals from my nerve, even though there isn’t actually anything wrong. I’ve had knee pain for such a long time, there is no real way to tell when it started, but I have the chronic form as opposed to the acute form.
Essentially at this point it can’t be reversed, but theoretically symptoms can be managed. For me, that’s a work in progress. The typical nerve blocks, injections, etc. haven’t worked for me. I had a trial spinal cord stimulator placed right around Thanksgiving last year; that also failed to improve my symptoms. Now it’s just a waiting game to see what we can try next.
Most days I’m fine. Over the last few years, I’ve just learned to deal with my baseline level of pain. It isn’t enjoyable, but I try not to let it dictate my day-to-day life. The flare ups though? Those are the WORST. They come out of nowhere, I can’t predict them, and they are debilitating. I’m not a fun person the be around on those days.
Raspberry Brownie Macarons
But enough about me, let’s talk about these raspberry brownie macarons!
I thought about making raspberry brownies, but I haven’t made macarons in a while and this sounded like a good opportunity for a new flavour combination. You guys, these are incredible. I used the same brownie batter recipe that’s in my brownie batter macarons and filled them with my absolute favourite Bonne Maman raspberry preserves. Biting into one of these is a flavour explosion!
The shells are pink for both raspberries and Valentine’s Day. You all should know by now that I never miss an opportunity to bake the heck out of holidays. I probably actually have a disproportionate number of Valentine’s Day recipes on here, but what can I say? My favourite way to show people I love them is to bake for them.
I 100% recommend making these and giving them to your Valentine this year, they’ll love them!
Raspberry Brownie Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 210g egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Burgundy gel food colouring (optional)
- Fillings:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups heat treated all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Raspberry preserves
Directions
- Step 1 Macaron Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it’s clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. If adding food colouring, add it just before the meringue has finished whipping. The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
- Step 4 With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined. Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter. The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out. This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you’ll just be able to feel when it’s ready.
- Step 5 Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they’re ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
- Step 6 While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18). The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Filling:
- Step 8 In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Step 9 Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for an additional 30 seconds.
- Step 10 Assembly:
- Step 11 Pair up the macaron shells. Pipe a ring of brownie butter onto one half of each pair, fill with a dollop of raspberry preserves, and sandwich together.
