Pistachio and Raspberry Macarons in a Spiced Orange Gingerbread Box

One of my cousins requested that I next make macarons for my challenge. I had not planned any stand-alone macaron challenge, but I had planned to use macarons as my biscuits for the showstopper bake of Series 6, episode 2. This particular challenge involves making 36 biscuits (cookies to us Americans) in a box made out of a different type of biscuit. As stated in the title of this blog post, I chose to make pistachio and raspberry macarons in a box made of spiced orange gingerbread.

My first try at the pistachio raspberry macarons (incidentally my first time ever making macarons) turned out well, but got eaten by Vincent and some dinner guests before I even made the box. Hence, I had to start all over again. Thankfully the first batch went to a good cause.

I worked first on making the macarons. The pistachio macarons are actually fairly easy to make. The dry ingredients- almond flour, ground pistachios, and confectioner's sugar- are gradually folded into whipped egg whites until incorporated, and are then piped. I used the aid of a macaron mat; I could see the markings of the mat through the parchment paper, and used them as a guideline for piping the mixture for properly round and uniformly sized macaron shells.

The macarons are baked at a low temperature for a relatively long time (more time than most other biscuits). I found it better to overbake them slightly. Overbaked macarons only slightly lose their chewiness; they are, however, less delicate and easier to handle.

The decorated biscuit box was challenging for me to make imaginative. I am not naturally artistic. I believe I have said that before on this blog, and I am sure I will say it again. I am not very good at coming up with original designs, or at actually executing said designs. My favorite types of doodles have always been geometric, so I ultimately chose to go geometric with the box design. I made a lid decorated with colored gingerbread hexagons.

I chose to make gingerbread for the box due to the fact that gingerbread is very stable and very structurally sound. Plus, it is good practice for when I eventually get to a gingerbread sculpture challenge. I didn't want to do just a plain gingerbread, and I happened to still have a couple extra oranges from last week's opera cake. Hence: spiced orange gingerbread!

The structure of the box was fairly exacting, but did leave a little wiggle room. I created a top and bottom at 9" x 9" each. The sides measured 9" x 5" each. Once the pieces were baked, I trimmed the edges to be straight and flat. As I assembled the box, I trimmed the edges further until they fit nicely together. The pieces of the box were held together with royal icing. Royal icing takes longer to dry than caramel- I had to prop up the sides of the box until it dried- but is easier to make and to work with.

I used the remainder of the royal icing to decorate the box. I used four different colors to decorate the hexagonal biscuits forming the lid. I furthermore lightly glazed the sides of the box in the same four colors; this decoration gave the sides a colorful sheen.

The gingerbread box looks a tad messy, but the macarons turned out very well. I hope you all enjoy!

Next, I will post about my attempt to redo the mint chocolate bagels. And coming soon, I will be making cream horns from Series 6 Episode 8.

Pistachio and Raspberry Macarons in a Spiced Orange Gingerbread Box Recipe

Ingredients

Macarons

egg whites from 3 large eggs

205g confectioner's sugar

125g almond flour

50g unsalted pistachios, ground

30g granulated sugar

green and yellow food coloring

Raspberry Jam

6 oz fresh raspberries

6 oz granulated sugar

1 tsp agar agar powder

Pistachio Buttercream

50g unsalted pistachios, ground

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened

2 C confectioner's sugar

1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Gingerbread

2 C dark corn syrup

1 C light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 C unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

zest of 4 medium oranges

7-8 C all purpose flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Royal Icing

egg whites from 3 large eggs

4 C confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

food coloring

Instructions

1. To make macarons, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue to whisk until glossy stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, mix together pistachios, almond flour, and confectioner's sugar. Gently fold dry mixture into egg whites in three batches. Add yellow and green food coloring until attaining a light green color.
2. Pipe macaron mixture into 72 1/2" round circles, using a macaron sheet if necessary. On baking trays, drop macarons on the counter a few times to help macarons settle. Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Let macarons sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes.
3. Bake macarons 16-18 minutes. Let cool completely before assembling.
4. To make raspberry jam, macerate raspberries with sugar in a pot over low-medium heat. Add agar agar powder and stir to incorporate. Let simmer until mixture gels upon hitting a cold saucer. Strain out raspberry seeds and cool jam.
5. To make pistachio buttercream, cream together butter and confectioner's sugar. Add cream, vanilla extract, and pistachios and incorporate.
6. To assemble macarons, coat the bottom of one shell with raspberry jam and the bottom of another shell with pistachio buttercream. Press the two shells together. Repeat until all 36 macarons are formed. Store macarons in an airtight container in a cool place until ready to serve.
7. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). To make gingerbread, mix together all ingredients until a ball of dough forms. Try not to overwork. Roll the dough out into a few large sheets 3mm thick. Measure out and cut two 9" x 9" squares and four 9" x 5" rectangles. Use a small hexagonal cookie cutter to cut out shapes from remaining rolled-out dough.
8. Bake gingerbread 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before assembly.
9. Make royal icing by whisking egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 C confectioner's sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract and remaining confectioner's sugar and incorporate fully.
10. Separate royal icing into five batches. Keep one white and color the other four batches with whichever colors are desired. Thin the colored royal icing batches slightly with 1-2 tbsp water.
11. Trim the edges of the gingerbread quadrilaterals until straight and flat. Using the uncolored royal icing, line the connecting bottoms and edges of the rectangular gingerbread pieces and place on the bottom square piece to form the sides of the box. Fill in any gaps between the pieces with royal icing and prop up until dry.
12. To form the lid of the box, dip the tops of the hexagonal gingerbread pieces in the different colors of royal icing. Let dry. Use dollops of thicker uncolored royal icing to affix hexagons to the square top of the box. Let dry. before putting on top of the box.
13. To decorate the sides of the box, water down the uncolored royal icing with 1/4-1/3C water. Lightly brush sides of the box with this mixture. Let dry partially. Then brush each side of the box with a different color of royal icing. Let dry.
14. Place macarons in the gingerbread box and put the lid on top to serve.