Matcha & Chocolate Macaron Millefeuilles

Lately I've been experimenting with different shapes of macarons, and I loved the idea of making a beautiful dessert macaron like you would find in a French patisserie. I wasn't sure how the feet would turn out as I've only ever piped plain round shaped ones, but I was so happy to find that the long piping worked perfectly and each had a perfect pied all the way around!

You can of course just make regular round macarons using this recipe, the combination of the matcha green tea and the chocolate cream is to die for!

Matcha & Chocolate Macaron Millefeuilles

Recipe by Charis Mitchell

Makes 10 millefeuille or 20 round macarons

3/4C aquafaba (water drained from a can of chickpeas)

1/2C granulated sugar

1C ground almonds

1/2C powdered sugar

1Tbsp matcha powder

1tsp vanilla extract

3Tbsp vegan butter spread

3C powdered sugar

1/4C cocoa powder

4Tbsp almond or soy milk

Pinch of salt

Raspberries to decorate (optional)

First make the macaron shells

Pour the aquafaba into a small saucepan, allow to simmer over a medium heat until it has reduced to 1/3C (80ml). This usually takes around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the reduced chickpea water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment and whisk on medium to high speed until soft peaks form. Add half the sugar and the vanilla and whisk until well combined, then add the remaining sugar and whisk at high speed until the meringue is glossy and thick - it should be the consistency of thick marshmallow fluff. Set aside while you prepare your dry ingredients.

Pulse the ground almonds a few times in a food processor until finely ground. Add the powdered sugar and the matcha powder and process for a few seconds, until well combined.

Sieve the almond-sugar mixture and discard any large pieces. Pour half the dry mixture into the meringue and use a spatula to mix the ingredients together, pressing the dry ingredients down into the meringue until everything is incorporated well. Add the remaining dry mixture and fold into the batter. 

Now it's time for a crucial step - the macaronnage. Firmly press the batter against the side of the bowl and then scoop it up and turn over. Repeat this process a further 19 times. After macaronnage the batter should be thick and glossy but should fall slowly off the spatula like a ribbon and then settle/spread slightly in the bowl. Spoon the batter into a large piping bag and seal at the top.

Line two large baking trays with grease proof paper and carefully pipe 12 even lines of batter onto each, in one smooth motion holding the piping bag directly above the tray as you pipe. Drop the baking sheets twice onto a hard surface (this helps to get rid of air bubbles and develops the 'pied') 

Leave the macarons to dry at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Once ready to bake, place the first baking tray into a COLD oven, and then immediately set the oven to just under 100 degrees Celcius. Bake the macarons for 20 minutes (some ovens you may have to bake for longer but don't bake for more than 30 minutes) you can check that the macarons are sufficiently baked by gently lifting up a corner of the grease proof paper and lightly peeling it from a macaron shell. If it comes off easily and the macaron doesn't stick then you can turn your oven off!

Turn off your oven and leave the macarons inside with the door shut for 15 minutes, then open the door and leave them to cool inside the oven for a further 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on the baking tray at room temperature.

Once the oven is COMPLETELY COLD you can repeat the baking process with your second tray of macaron shells. Once the shells are cooled, gently peel them from the baking paper and place them on a tray or rack, ready to fill.

Make the cream

Cream together the butter spread, cocoa powder and half the powdered sugar until smooth. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and salt, and as much milk as needed until the cream is thick but a nice soft consistency. Spoon the cream into a piping bag and seal at the top.

Assemble

Pipe blobs of the cream along each base macaron shell and then sandwich together with the top shells. If desired you can also pipe a few blobs on top (using a floral tip on the piping bag) and place raspberries on top.

Place the macarons in the fridge for 24 hours or overnight before eating (this allows the flavors to develop and gives the desired chew) 

Macarons keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for months.