Leftover Reese's 'PB&J' French Macarons
Who says you can’t make leftover Halloween chocolate elegant? Halloween is over, but the chocolate is lying around! If you have leftover Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, don't put them away yet. You can use them to make delicious and festive cookies.
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or sil pat
- 2 Piping Bags
- Piping Tip 2A
- Standing Mixer w/whisk attachment
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cookies:
- 120 g egg whites room temp
- 200 g almond flour
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Food coloring optional
Ingredients for Ganache & Filling:
- 1 - 1.5 cups Reese’s peanut butter cup
- Strawberry jam
- 4 oz. any halloween chocolate ie: hershey’s
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
Instructions
For the Macaron Cookie:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar
- Using the standing mixer, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Then add the cream of tartar and VERY gradually add the sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Add the food coloring and vanilla to the egg white mixture, if desired.
- Gently fold the almond flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, into the egg white mixture until just combined. It should have a ribbon-like consistency.
- Transfer the macaron batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Glue down the parchment paper to the sheet pan by piping a little bit of batter under the paper.
- Pipe the macaron batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 1” circles, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Tap the baking sheets on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes, or until they form a skin.
- Bake the macarons for 12-15 minutes, or until they are set and dry.
- Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheets before removing them.
For the Reese’s Chocolate Ganache:
- Set the chocolate aside in a heat proof bowl (excluding the PB cups).
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until simmering, about 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly pour the warm heavy cream over the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.
- Let it cool down slightly (for about 2-3 minutes), then add in the PB cups and peanut butter (optional). They should melt fairly quickly.
- Let it cool down further in the fridge (about 30 minutes to an hour) before adding to a piping bag with a medium piping tip of your choice.
For Assembly:
- To assemble the macarons, pipe the PB chocolate ganache in a circle (keep the middle empty) onto one macaron shell, so as to act as a dam for the jam. Dollop a small spoonful of jam in the middle and top with another macaron shell and gently press together.
- Repeat with the remaining macarons.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Tips & Notes:
- I tested with both 1” and 2” cookies, and highly recommend baking smaller cookies (ie: 1”) which are easier to handle once baked.
- My cookie batter ended up a little thicker than I’d like, so to avoid this, I recommend using the Blue Diamond or Trader Joe’s almond flour brands for a finer texture.
- For the best results, use superfine almond flour.
- Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature before starting and do not over whip into meringue (this can dry it out).
- If your batter becomes too thick, add 10 unbeaten grams of egg whites and judge from there if you need to add 5g more at a time after that.
- Don't overmix the macaron batter or it will become tough.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking to form a skin/feet. This will help prevent them from cracking.
- Bake the macarons at a low temperature to prevent them from browning.
- Let the macarons cool completely before filling them.