Macarons from a packet...

A couple of weeks ago while doing a grocery shop, I happened to notice something that raised my curiosity levels - a Donna Hay packet mix for Macarons.

Having been lucky enough to do a Macaron Cooking class while I was in Paris last October, and having both succeeded and failed in my attempts to make these tricky little buggers from scratch at home, I'm well versed in their well-earned reputation for being rather temperamental and difficult to master.  They are also quite time consuming, so the prospect of a packet mix, was quite intriguing to say the least.

So this morning I decided that it was time to see exactly how a packet mix would turn out.  So with much trepidation I opened the box containing the ingredients for "Donna Hay's - Almond Macaron with Chocolate Filling".  Inside the box were three packets - an egg mix, the almond mix and chocolate pieces for the centre filling. 

The instructions were quite simple

1. preheat the oven to 160°C
2. place the egg mix in a bowl with 60mls of warm water, stir with a fork to combine and then stand for 4 minutes
3. beat the egg mixture for in an electric mixer on high for 4-5 minutes until thick and glossy
4. sift the almond mix over the mixture and then gently fold with a teaspoon of cold water
5. cook for 12-14 minutes

I used a little bit of creative license and added some "kelly green" food coloring gel to the egg mix to give my mac shells a nice green color.  I also deviated from the written instructions and piped my shells onto my baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, instead of just dropping 1 teaspoon of the mixture on to the trays.

The drying stage...

One of the crucial parts of the macaron making that I learnt during the class in Paris was the drying time.  The recipe called for them to stand for 10 minutes, but I left them a bit longer to ensure 'the skin' had formed properly.  I also used another hint I got at the class that during the baking process the oven door should be left slightly ajar to allow for moisture to escape - which I achieved through the use of a wooden spoon.

In the oven...

I cooked my mac shells for 12 minutes, and I've got to say I was pretty impressed with the end result.

The instructions on the box said the mix would make 12 macaron sandwiches, but because I piped the mixture, I made a conscious decision to make my shells a little smaller which in turn meant I was able to get over 40 macaron sandwiches.

When it came time to fill the shells, I made up the supplied chocolate filling as well as doing some with my favorite filling flavour - salted butter caramel.  And this is how they turned out -

Hmmm.... salted butter caramel

Hmmm.... chocolate ganache...

And for comparison, here's a picture of the macarons I made in Paris back in October 2010.

VERDICT -
Q. Would I use the "Donna Hay - Almond Macaron with Chocolate Filling" mix again?

A. Maybe.  While they were a lot more grainy than I probably would've liked.  The main problem I have with making macarons is that you can't just make them on a whim and are really time consuming.  Unlike other baking (cakes, slices etc) you actually need to be pretty forward thinking as most macaron recipes call for you to age the egg whites for at least a couple of days, and then to double sift the dry ingredients.  I also use a recipe that uses an Italian meringue - where a sugar syrup is made by boiling sugar and water until it reaches the "soft ball" stage (115ºC) before it is poured into the beaten egg white.  So I guess in a pinch I might try them again, and who knows, perhaps with a little bit of practice I might get these to work a little better next time around.