Green Tea & Adzuki Bean French Macaroons

By Michelle Huynh, Une-deux senses

Yields: 2 dozen macaroons

For the macaroons:
1 cup powdered sugar plus 4 teaspoons
1/2 cup almond powder or meal plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons matcha powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
green food coloring

For the adzuki bean filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup prepared and sweetened Adzuki beans, or more if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air ‘dry’ for 1 hour. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the filling, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 – 10 minutes. To assemble the macaroons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the adzuki filling onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!