Froggycado Macarons

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 08:50:32 GMT

Step 1

Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar into a bowl and combine. Add the 50g of egg whites and mix until it becomes a paste. Cover and set aside.

Step 2

Weigh out 45g of egg whites for your meringue and place in a stand mixer bowl/ mixing bowl.

Step 3

In a saucepan, combine water and caster sugar. Boil over medium-high heat and check with a candy thermometer.

Step 4

Once the syrup reaches 110c/230f, start whipping your egg whites at medium speed until the egg whites are frothy and almost at soft peaks.

Step 5

When the syrup has reached 120c /248f, slowly pour the syrup down the side of your mixer bowl in a thin stream while the mixer is running on medium speed.

Step 6

Once all the syrup has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and whip for another 2 minutes until the meringue is glossy and firm. At this stage, add the food colouring to make the meringue green (yellow, blue, and a tiny bit of black) and whip until incorporated and the desired colour is reached.

Step 7

Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to lighten it. Once incorporated, add the rest of the meringue and fold gently until just combined.

Step 8

Transfer 1/4 of the batter to a small bowl and add cocoa powder (start with 1/2 tsp) to make the avocado ‘seed’. - You may also need to adjust the shade of brown with some yellow and red food colouring. Be careful not to overmix the batter! When the batter dropped from a spatula flows in a consistent stream and a figure 8 can be drawn, stop mixing. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip.

Step 9

Fold the main batter until it reaches the same consistency. Transfer most of the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip and the rest to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip

Step 10

Pipe the green batter onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper using a template to create the avocado shapes (the template should be under the baking paper).

Step 11

Tap the tray on the bench to remove air bubbles and using a toothpick, smooth out the surface where air bubbles have popped.

Step 12

Pipe the brown batter for the seeds and the green batter in the small piping bag to make two eyes’ on HALF of the shells - these will be the tops. Tap the tray onto the bench once again to remove air bubbles.

Step 13

Leave the piped batter to dry for 30 mins-1 hr (in front of a fan if it’s humid) or until a dry skin forms on top and the batter doesn’t stick to your fingers. Preheat the oven to 150c/320f.

Step 14

Bake at 150c/320f for 12 mins. Test for doneness by lightly touching the top of a macaron shell with your finger. If the top of the macaron seems to wobble, the shells need a couple more minutes.

Step 15

Cool the shells for 10-15 mins and they should peel off easily. If they don’t, you can always bake them longer, but be careful not to let them brown!

Step 16

Once cool, pair the macarons by size. Each froggycado shaped shell should pair with an avocado shaped one.

Step 17

Combine powdered sugar with milk little by little until it reaches a thick but flowing consistency, divide into small bowls and colour them green, red and black. Using a paper piping bag or toothpick, draw the features onto the froggies. Let dry for 10 mins and brush on ‘blush’ using powdered red food colouring.

Step 18

Bring cream to a boil and pour over dark chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1 min and then mix with a spatula until glossy and smooth.

Step 19

Let cool at room temp or in the fridge until it reaches a pipeable consistency.

Step 20

If the ganache becomes too firm, simply microwave in short increments until the ganache reaches its former consistency.

Step 21

In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil.

Step 22

While the syrup is heating up, beat the egg yolks until pale.

Step 23

When the syrup reaches 120c, pour slowly into the egg yolks while beating on medium speed. Once all the syrup is combined, keep beating for another minute until creamy.

Step 24

Add the butter little by little while beating on high speed. Once all the butter is incorporated, sift in the matcha powder. Keep beating until the buttercream reaches a smooth and fluffy consistency.

Step 25

Pipe two rings of matcha buttercream around each bottom shell.

Step 26

Fill each cavity with chocolate ganache and create a sandwich with the matching top shell.

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