Vegan French Macarons: Lavender & Vanilla Bean

Directions

• Bring the chickpea liquid to a boil in a small saucepan. When it heats, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer/reduce for 10 minutes – set a timer! This boiling liquid may have an odd odour, just so you know. It should be reduced to around 1/3 cup.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, mix the almond flour and powdered sugar. Pulse a few times to mix, then run the processor for a minute or two.
• Sift the powdery mixture into the sifter. For several macaron recipes I’ve tried I needed to sift three times. This recipe only needed one sift. Some big chunks that don’t get into the sifter can be discarded.
• Take sugar, measure it out and keep it aside.
• Pour your chickpea liquid into your stand mixer tank and clip your whisk once it has decreased. Set a timer for 2 minutes and whisk on a medium-high setting (about a 5-6 setting) in the mixer. The mixture should foam up and get frothy.
• Toss in the regular sugar.  Set a timer for 5 minutes to beat the mixture on high. This is where the real magic takes place. It’s awe-inspiring to watch! The final product should resemble a meringue, with stiff, shiny peaks. After that, apply your teaspoon of vanilla and beat for another minute on high.
• Fold in the sifted mixture in thirds until the meringue is over. (Pour in one-third of the liquid and fold.) (Do it again.) You want a dense, firm batter that is still a little shiny. Someone compared it to lava pouring down a cliff, but I’m not sure how accurate that comparison is. This is the point where you simply have to get a feel for it. Which is why producing macarons is difficult! You can fold the batter at least 40-60 times; if your shoulder doesn’t hurt after that, you’re not doing it correctly. Please see my troubleshooting page for more details.
• Using a spatula, transfer the batter to your piping bag. Snip a hole in the bag about a half-inch from the top. The batter can trickle out steadily, most definitely in tiny blobs, if you keep the bag upright at a 90 degree angle. You have a problem if it’s runny. If it’s stiff and won’t move without assistance, you’ve got a separate issue! This requires dexterity.
• On your Silpat mats, pipe cookies the size of a quarter or half dollar. I would suggest that you double the baking sheets. This has been stated in a number of macaron-making blogs. It prevents the bottoms from being charred. Pipe the batter before you run out of batter – or space to pipe it.
• Smack the cookie sheets on the counter a couple times until you’re finished piping. You want to smooth out the macarons to get rid of the air bubbles inside. Whack them in the face – don’t be scared to injure them. My macarons started off with small peaks, but after a few smacks, the tops smoothed out. That’s how you can tell whether the batter is decent or not.
• Allow 2-3 hours hour for the macarons to dry on the counter. They should be fully dry to the touch – don’t poke them!.
• Preheat the oven to 205° F as the drying period passes.
• Bake the macarons for 30 minutes.  Turn the oven off after 30 minutes and leave the cookies in the closed oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the oven door and let the cookies cool for another 15 minutes before removing them from the oven.
  
  
  Voila! Now you have beautiful macarons. Hopefully 😉
• Be sure to try my other flavors as well: Earl Grey with Lemon Buttercream and Raspberry & Elderflower Macarons and Biscoff & Bourbon Macarons.
• For the icing:
• In a medium-sized mixing cup, add the ingredients with a spatula. If you need a bit extra liquid to get the icing to come together, add a tablespoon of almond milk at a time.
• Gently pipe icing onto one side of a macaron using a second piping bag. Take another macaron and sandwich it between the two. (I prefer to name it the Oreo process in reverse.) You remember how you used to “unscrew” the Oreo cookies when you were a kid? Ok, twist the macarons around to make them match!) If you have some leftovers, put them in the fridge to use later!
• You should store them in the fridge, but allow them to sit out and get to room temperature before eating. I think that they taste the best during the first day or two, but they’re so good – they won’t last long.
  
  I hope you enjoy these Vegan French Macarons and get to know the process a little better!
  
  Cheers!
  
  -Aileen