Irish Cream & Milk Chocolate French Macarons

Irish Cream & Milk Chocolate French Macarons! Irish Cream Buttercream and  gooey center of rich, milk chocolate ganache are sandwiched by classic macaron shells.  Sweet and dainty, these airy little cookies make a perfect dessert for a special occasion. 

On Monday night, around 9pm, I was doing something on my phone and realized the date: January 30.

I looked up at my husband and unceremoniously announced, “Today is my 6 year blogging anniversary.” And that’s about as much fanfare as the monumental occasion received.

In a way, it’s fitting that the day came and went without so much as a glass of sparkling apple cider because my blog has become such a part of me that it’s really just another naturally occurring phenomenon that takes place each day: Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Blog. {Ok, maybe a few of those are slightly more essential to everyday life.}

But nevertheless, here we are. Six years in. Hundreds of recipes shared. Thousands of words typed. Millions of views from around the world. Billions of tears shed, hairs grayed and brain cells taxed. It is a strange and wonderful thing I have created here.

Every year, I mull over tons of ideas about how I will celebrate this occasion. Bake a show-stopping cake! Host a fantastic giveaway! Create a celebratory cocktail! 

And every year, without fail, my “blogiversary” comes and goes and I can never quite find the right way to acknowledge it — acknowledge you.

But this year, I found just the thing. The incredibly beautiful, yet humble French Macaron. Once the idea came to me, I knew it was the perfect way to celebrate this milestone for so many reasons.

See, even though French macarons had their internet hay day a few years ago and the hype has died down substantially, I’ve actually never attempted making a batch to share here. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I’ve tried making them, but I’ve never truly succeeded. While there isn’t much to macarons that would make them seem unattainable — egg whites, sugar, almond flour — it’s the technique that can make or break the final product.

I have made macarons that turned out flat. “Footless.” Lumpy. Bumpy. Hollow. Overly chewy. Cracked. I’ve overbaked them, underbaked them and have completely failed miserably more times than I care to admit. So, naturally, I gave up entirely and focused my efforts on cookies and quinoa and whatever other things were on trend and able to be executed properly… until a few weeks ago.

My blog friend, Shinee, who I met several years ago at a blogging conference had posted a photo of her gorgeous macarons, and suddenly I was inspired to try them out again. Just like that, I decided that I had taken a long enough hiatus from attempting the perfect macarons.

So, I Googled “Foolproof Macarons” {as one does}, and wound up making 3 different recipes, none of which worked out for me for one reason or another. But instead of throwing in the {powdered sugar-covered} towel this time, I felt more determined than ever. And that’s how I got these Irish Cream & Milk Chocolate Macarons out of the dozens I’ve made in the past few weeks.

So why are these so perfect for this occasion? Because they’re actually not perfect at all. I’m still working on it, but they’re not flawless in the least. Some of them spread a little funny on the parchment paper and turned out more oblong than round, and they are a hint overbaked. And to top it all off? My photoshoot turned disastrous when I accidentally dropped a marble tile on top of my cake plate.

See? Definitely not perfect. They are, however, the perfect analogy for my journey as a “blogger.” {Do you know I still don’t really like calling myself that?} That’s why I’m posting them today. Because they’re a work in progress, and so am I. {And because despite not being breathtakingly stunning, they were delicious.}

I’ve mentioned countless times before that this blog started out as a project to keep me busy while I figured out what job would come next, and while I’ve held a handful of jobs during the 6 years leading up to today, I had no idea that the blog itself would become my job! But like growing any business from the ground up, it’s taken a lot of trial and error, bumps and bruises {and burns} to get to this place — a place that I’m somewhat happy with, but that is nowhere near what I hope it will become.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost shut down this operation; just clicked “delete” and walked away. I have wondered time and time again if I’ve overestimated my talents. {Or if I really had any at all.} On the flip side, I’ve wondered if I’ve underestimated my potential. I constantly teeter back and forth between trying to look put together while remaining vulnerable and transparent.

I have found myself surrounded by extreme talent and have felt wildly undeserving of being in the same room {or magazine, or event, or panel} as them. I have felt like a fraud {no, I am not a food photographer, though I do in fact photograph food}, like a poser {graduate of the Culinary Institute of Dianna’s Imagination}, like a jerk {thank you reader who told me I should be “ashamed of myself” for having a “print button” that accidentally caused her to print 13 pages}. But I have also experience such moments of pride and excitement that would not have happened if I would have given in to my self-doubt and called it a day.

So, it’s about to get a little eye-rolly in here, because this is my point: Like the quest to achieve the perfect macaron, I may never quite get “there.” I will always see the tiny flaws that will keep me working harder and smarter. But either way, I will always share the finished product with you because like a batch of beautiful macarons, some things are just sweeter when shared.

Thanks for being a part of The Kitchen Prep’s history, and hopefully, its legacy! Cheers to 6 Years!

Irish Cream & Milk Chocolate French Macarons

Filled with Irish Cream buttercream and creamy chocolate, these Irish Cream French Macarons are a fool-proof cookie that look *almost* too good to eat!

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Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 40 Filled Macarons

Author Dianna Muscari

Ingredients  

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup granulated sugar

For Irish Cream Buttercream

• 1 stick butter {8 tablespoons} softened
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons Irish Cream

For Milk Chocolate Ganache

• 2 ⅓ tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions 

• Prepare a large baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Sift together your almond flour and powdered sugar in a bowl, and set it aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer {make sure it's really clean}, add place the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, beat until frothy.
• Once the mixture has started to become frothy, slowly pour in the granulated sugar in a stream while continuing to beat. The mixture will become more opaque and glossy. Stop just before you've reached "stiff peaks." {Don't overmix.} If you're using vanilla extract or food coloring, this is a good time to add it and give it a quick mix before adding the dry ingredients.
• Add about half of your sifted almond flour and sugar mixture to the beaten egg whites and gently fold it in until it has disappeared. Add the remaining almond flour mixture and repeat the process until it is fully incorporated. The mixture should be thick, and "ribbons" of the batter should be visible for a few seconds before it settles into itself when you drizzle it in the bowl.
• Scoop the mixture into a piping bag {if you have a small round tip, that works well to help pipe, but is not necessary}. To pipe your macarons, gently squeeze the bag holding it vertically so that the batter pools into a perfectly round 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch circle. Pipe onto the parchment until you've used up all the batter. {They won't spread too much, but give them an inch or so of space between each one.}
• Gently, but firmly tap the pan on the counter top to help get rid of any bubbles. Set the macarons aside and let them air dry for about 30 minutes. You want them to develop a "skin", meaning they won't be wet and sticky anymore when you touch them lightly with your finger. This may take longer depending on the humidity where you live.
• This is a good time to preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Once the macarons are "dry", you may put the baking pan in the oven and let them bake for 18-20 minutes. I always like to check just a bit before then to make sure they're not browning. If they are, put another large baking sheet on the rack above to block some of the heat.
• Once they are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. If they don't come off the parchment easily at this point, I like to let them cool in the oven with the door slightly cracked to help them dry, then remove them from the oven and cool them completely before trying to move them.
• Meanwhile, make your filling. Simply beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth, then add the Irish Cream a tablespoon at a time until you've reached the desired consistency.
• For the Ganache: Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small cup in the microwave until bubbling, about 30-45 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and let it sit for about a minute, then whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool.
• When ready to pipe the filling, scoop the buttercream into one piping bag and the ganache into another. Pipe around the edge of one of the macaron shells with the buttercream, creating an "O" shape -- the ganache will be piped into the hollow portion in the center. Pipe half of the shells with buttercream, then fill with the ganache. Top the piped shell with an unpiped shell to create a "sandwich."
• Refrigerate in an airtight container if not serving right away, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Dianna's Tips

This recipe was adapted from Sweet & Savory by Shinee: http://www.sweetandsavorybyshinee.com/french-macarons/