What is up? I have no idea. Maybe it’s the book, the baby, tax preparation, my piled up laundry, unwashed hair going on day 5 (ewww-I know) or the other 101 things on the ever growing to-do list.

Of course then there are the other 101 things that should be on the list, but I can’t think straight enough to remember to put them on the list. The latter being a daily land mine of my jumbled up psyche. I just know there’s going to be that one thing that will jump out while I’m in the middle of a meeting or at night and give me cold sweats of panic that I forgot to do it.

Tell me I’m not the only one who stresses over things I can’t remember. I know . . . that question hardly even makes sense. See what I mean? What is up with my brain?

Thankfully, my busy hands seem to operate independently of all that and can at least knock out baked goods like these hand-painted macarons.

Ingredients:

Macaron Shells

60g almond meal
120g confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon finely ground white tea leaves
20g granulated sugar
60g egg whites (about 2 eggs)

Filling

55g white chocolate, melted
90g butter room temperature
30g confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon finely ground white tea leaves

Directions:

Preparation: Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Process almond meal, powdered sugar and tea leaves in a food processor; sift and discard any large chunks. *If you are using powdered food coloring, whisk it in now. Set aside.

Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes.

Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against side of bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness. Transfer batter to pastry bag and let rest for 20 minutes before piping.

Pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto parchment lined baking sheet. Take hold of pan and give it a quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and will help to prevent cracked shells.

Bake macarons at 300 degrees F, until macarons easily lift away from paper, about 20 minutes.

To make filling: Add all ingredients into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined, then gradually increase mixer speed from medium to high and beat for 30-60 seconds on hight until icing is thick and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to thicken consistency as needed or heavy cream to loosen consistency as needed.

Assembly: Pipe filling on one shell. Place second shell on top.

http://www.bakersroyale.com/hand-painted-macarons/