Last Updated on March 1, 2022 by
When making macarons, an important aspect is making sure that the almonds and sugar are thoroughly mixed together as they are the basic ingredients that make up a well-prepared macaron recipe. Can You Use A Blender Instead Of A Food Processor For Macarons?
You can use a blender for making macarons, but the end result might not be what you want, and it may require you to change the settings a little. When it comes to preparing macrons and all the mixing that is involved, you will need an appliance with a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of beaters in a bowl containing the ingredients.
This is so important especially when you are not using a food processor. A better alternative for making macarons where there is no food processor includes either a stand mixer or a blender.
But if you are seriously interested in achieving the right consistency and presentation of the macaron shells, it is better to use a stand mixer where there is no food processor.
While blenders are a great option for carrying out some important food prep tasks, this may not include macaron because it might not handle the same amount of ingredients that a food processor would.
In other words, you can still make macarons even without a food processor. Only that you will need an appliance which mechanism will be able to get rid of the remaining bigger bits and ensure a smooth batter. And this is something a blender cannot clearly promise.
It all boils down to knowing the best kitchen appliance that is ideally suitable for making macarons. For us to establish a solid answer, we need to understand the recipe and how best it is prepared. This begs the question, how are macarons made?
We all know that Macarons are made with wholly ground egg whites, sugar, and almonds to produce edible and flinch sandwich cookies. To make the best macaron using the right appliance, you need to seriously consider achieving a perfect consistency of the mixed batter.
Not over mixed and not… undermixed.
How are macarons made?
As delicious as these french cookies may taste, they are really tricky to make, especially when you are using an alternative kitchen appliance.
To make perfect macarons, one needs to apply some effort and patience. The interesting thing about making macaron is that you don’t have to be an expert baker to achieve what you want.
Perhaps, you are wondering if your blender or stand mixer can do the magic because a food processor is out of reach.
Well, for you to understand the appliance that will work for you, you may need to have some all-round knowledge about this special recipe and how it is made.
The first thing to know about how macarons are made is that there are two major methods involved. One is called the Italian method, while the other method is recognized as the french method.
What makes these two methods of making macaron different is how the meringue is made. (meringue is the mixture consisting of beaten egg whites and sugar as explained earlier).
So basically, the macaron is made when you prepare a meringue in a bowl and then, finely mix ground almonds and icing sugar in another bowl.
These two separate mixtures are then folded together until they are the consistency of “shaving foam”. afterwards, you can either bake them or leave it to form a skin.
When preparing macaron in the Italian method, one will form a meringue by mixing a whisked egg whites with hot sugar syrup.
You then form a paste inside the same bowl by adding sifted almonds and icing sugar and mixing thoroughly.
On the other hand, when preparing macaron in the french method, one will have to whisk egg whites until stiff-peaked meringue forms.
Afterwards, one will add ground almonds and powdered sugar. It is folded slowly until one achieves the right consistency.
Can I use a blender for macarons?
If there is any lesson to learn before deciding on what appliance you want to use for making macarons, it should be that the batter should be not only thick but also runny enough.
Let’s think about it, comparing a stand mixer with a blender in terms of all the mixing works that will be required in making macarons. What do you think?
Exactly!
You want to make sure that you do not over-mix the batter of the macaron so that they don’t get too runny. At the same time, you want to be careful not to under-mix the batter as the macarons won’t have a shiny smooth top at the end.
While a blender seems to be a considerable option, it is in my opinion that you choose a stand mixer where there is no food processor for making macarons.
With a durable handheld mixer, you can definitely whip the French meringue. In addition, you get the best advantages because a mixer will allow you to measure your ingredients, get ready piping tips, and clean the dishes.
Blenders are originally made and designed to pulverize and liquefy food ingredients, while they can sort out some mixing task in the kitchen as with making macaron, a stand mixer is specially designed for this purpose. It is designed with a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of beaters in a bowl
And again, you don’t necessarily have to use a heavy-duty mixer to make the perfect macaron. A low powered and inexpensive one could suffice but I advise choosing ones with brighter sides.
Take for example this KitchenAid Stand Mixer, 5 Qt, and Passion Red in colour.
It is what most experts use to make perfect macaron and it gives excellent results just as a durable food processor would do.
Let me talk a bit about this mixer as it contributes greatly to achieving the perfect batter consistency for making macaron.
This powerful KitchenAid mixer with 5 Quart Glass Bowl has the capability of mixing up to 9 dozen cookies in a single batch.
This is a singular feature you need to get a meringue done in a clinch. The mixer comes with 14 different attachments to make everything from smooth batters to fresh pasta, burgers, and many more.
I also love the fact that it is made with Tilt-Head Design which means you can monitor what is mixing in the bowl. The product features 10 Speeds to achieve the perfect consistency of almond and icy sugar for your Italian macaron.
It is actually powerful enough for nearly any task or recipe, in other words, it is an all in one mixer to add to your kitchen appliance collection. You may want to check it out HERE
Having said that, I have developed this post such that it will touch every area of the macaron concept as it possibly can. Chances are you have a food processor, but you have been hearing about macaron and thinking of trying it out.
Well, it is a good decision to surprise the family with a new tasty fresh sandwich cookie, but maybe you do not know how to go about it. Now that you know exactly what a macaron is and how it is made, let’s examine the process of making macaron in a food processor.
How to make macarons with a food processor
So here are practical steps to making a macaron using a food processor. There are two parts to making perfect macarons.
If you look at one piece of macaron, you will see that it contains two slices of cookie that sandwiches a butter. This butter can be vanilla flavour, strawberry, or banana.
But most people love vanilla, so we are going to work with vanilla. So we are concerned with first making the cookie part, which is the macaron, then the butter part with vanilla flavour
Our end product will have us create up to 20 pieces of macaron as I have calculated the measurements with the required amount of ingredients
We will be needing the following ingredients
- ¼ cup granulated sugar(50 g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar(210 g)
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour(95 g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg whites
For the butter part of the macaron which will be made of vanilla flavor, we will need the following ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 cups powdered sugar(360 g)
These are the kitchen appliance that will come handy while making a macaron with a food processor
- Silicon spatula
- Fine mesh strainer
- Big stainless steel bowl
- A second big mixing bowl
- 3 large baking sheets
- Kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams
- Food processor
- stand mixer for whisking egg whites
First of all, take the egg whites and put them in a bowl, use the food processor to whisk until it reaches a soft peak. Be careful not to over whisk this as it could spoil the whole process.
The ideal duration for this step should not pass one minute
Add granulated sugar gradually into the mixture and continue to process at low speed until you notice that the mixture is glossy and thick. The maximum estimated duration for this is half a minute.
Transfer the whisk to a separate wide bowl and add the ground almonds, vanilla extract, and icing sugar into the bowl
The food processor features a patented Folding Tool attachment that is designed to expertly fold meringue, fit in this folding tool attachment and fold the mixture in speed 2.
Pipe out the mix but make sure you have placed two baking trays with silicone paper already. Place the folded mixture on the trays and bake in a preheated oven at 140°C/275°F/Gas mark 1 to bake well.
Make sure the macaron is cooled for 15 minutes before extracting them from the silicone paper.
Enjoy.
How far in advance can you make macarons?
Another important thing to be aware of after making delicious macarons is how far in advance you can make it. For you to know how far in advance you can make macarons you need to know how long it will last.
When you make macarons, and you don’t want to consume it any sooner, make sure it is refrigerated and the maximum days you can keep them to still get the natural taste is three days. But if you want to make macarons and use them later for like 4 to 5 months later, it is best to keep them frozen.
When storing macarons, make sure you don’t leave them in an open container while in the fridge.
So the point is that how far in advance you can make a macaron depends on how you intend to store them.
If you want to make macarons and leave them for days before consuming, the best option is to keep them refrigerated. Store them in the Ziplock bag or a sealed container and place it in the refrigerator.
By doing this, your macarons will last for three to seven days without loss of taste. You also have to ensure that you store them in an airtight container.
Meanwhile, you can actually freeze macaron, but this is needless except you want to store them for months… not just days or weeks.
You do not just place them ordinarily in the freezer and expect the taste to be preserved. Get a tray that has baking paper arranged on it and them place them on the tray and store in a ziplock bag and then into the freezer.
But be aware that after storing the macarons for about six months by freezing, it requires about an hour to bring them back to their original texture by just exposing them to room temperature
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