FRUITY PEBBLE MACARONS!

THIS RECIPE IS FROM THE NOVICE CHEF BLOG!!!! GO VISIT!!!
Fruity Pebble Macarons
Yield: 24 Macarons

ingredients:

For the Fruity Pebble Macaron shells:

75 grams powdered fruity pebbles, sifted **
75 grams almond meal, sifted
200 grams powdered sugar, sifted
100 grams aged egg whites
28 grams granulated sugar
5 grams powdered dehydrated egg whites (I USED MERNIGUE POWDER HERE)


For the Fruity Pebble Buttercream:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered fruity pebbles (about 1 1/2 cups run through the food processor)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

For the Fruity Pebble Macaron shells:

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium bowl, sift together powdered fruity pebbles, almond meal, and powdered sugar. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites at medium-low speed until it starts to foam like bubble bath water. Begin slowly sprinkling in the granulated sugar and powdered egg whites as you beat. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until a firm meringue forms.

Remove meringue from stand mixer, and gently fold in the dry ingredients (fruity pebble mixture) with a rubber spatula. You will have to break the meringue to do this, but be careful not to overmix. To test the batter: Place a small amount of the batter on a plate. If the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple more folds.

Using a pastry bag with a plain round tip, pipe small rounds onto prepared baking sheets. Leave an inch between macarons to allow for the batter to spread. Once all the macarons have been piped, pick up the baking sheet with both hands, and holding it level, tap it firmly onto the counter several times. This will bring up any air bubbles in the cookies. Then let the cookies sit for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the humidity levels. You will know they are ready to go into the oven when you can touch the tops without it sticking to your finger.

Once the macarons are ready, preheat the oven to 290 degrees. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they easily pop off the parchment paper (or silpat). Remove macaron shells immediately from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, fill with desired filling and store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for 24 hours. Then let warm to room temperature before eating.


For the Fruity Pebble Buttercream:

Cream the butter, vanilla and powdered fruity pebbles in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly after each addition. Pipe onto a cooled macaron shell and sandwich with another shell, repeat until all shells are used.

**To turn Fruity Pebbles into powder, puree in a food processor (or blender). Be sure to sift the powder to ensure there are no missed pieces. Also, weigh the Fruity Pebbles AFTER being processed in the food processor, not before.