The Best Matcha Macarons

Today’s post has been sponsored by Aiya Matcha. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Welcoming the weekend with the tastiest batch of matcha French macarons! The macarons are a pretty green hue, with matcha infused shells and a smooth and creamy filling that’s made with culinary grade matcha from Aiya Matcha. Since tea and macarons are a perfect pairing, these matcha macarons, or matcharons are a match made in heaven! Made with high quality ingredients, they’re crisp on the outside with a chewy and creamy matcha center and are easily the best matcha macarons I’ve made yet!

this recipe

The Best Matcha Macarons

The very best matcha green tea french macarons infused with Aiya Matcha culinary grade matcha powder in the shells and the frosting. They’re bright and deliciously packed with plenty of matcha flavor perfect for enjoying with a cozy mug full of tea! Dairy free and gluten free.

I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Aiya Matcha over the last year and have learned so much about baking with their culinary grade matcha! Let’s start with the basics.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves that are ground into a fine powder. The leaves are naturally vibrant green offering a rich and flavorful taste! For tea, matcha is traditionally whisked with a bamboo whisk and hot water to remove clumps and create a nice froth, for serving. Ceremonial matcha is most commonly used for drinking purposes, while culinary matcha is an ingredient add in, for baking, smoothies, lattes and more! Although both styles of matcha are delicious, there are some key differences as outlined below. 

Ceremonial 

This is the highest grade of matcha, made with younger tea leaves that have milder flavor. Ceremonial matcha can be described as delicate and floral with a slight sweetness and a vibrant green color and is mostly enjoyed on its own as tea.

Culinary

Culinary matcha is produced from late harvests of the green tea leaves. The powder also has a less vibrant green color but a stronger matcha flavor with more bite. Because of this, culinary matcha is perfect for baking, because the other many ingredients help mellow out the bold flavor. 

 How do Matcha Macarons taste?

While ceremonial matcha is more delicate in flavor, culinary matcha is more bold. It has a slightly nutty and intense taste but when paired with desserts and lattes is rich and creamy! Because of the natural nuttiness, culinary matcha is perfect for the almond and meringue based macaron shells. The matcha flavor in the macaron shells is subtle, then enhanced with the creamy matcha frosting. I intentionally added vanilla bean to the matcha frosting to balance out the bite of from the culinary matcha powder, resulting in a smooth and dreamy matcha macaron, reminiscent of your favorite matcha green tea latte!

Aiya Matcha

Aiya Matcha is my favorite brand of matcha to consume and cook/bake with. They are the largest producers of premium matcha, offering the highest quality and also organic grade matcha to consumers. Because I enjoy matcha so much, I’ve tried many brands over the years. The shelf life and freshness of Aiya Matcha, along with the quality and flavor are just some of the many reasons why I highly recommend their matcha products and all the more reason why these macarons made with Aiya Matcha are the best. 

In addition to high quality taste, matcha is naturally high in antioxidants, said to increase brain function and help prevent disease and illness. So not only are these macarons good tasting, they’re good for you!

Do keep in mind that although caffeine levels are minimal, this dessert does have a small amount of caffeine from the matcha powder.

How to use culinary matcha in French macarons

Because macarons can be finicky and matcha powder is very concentrated, you’ll only need a very small amount of Aiya Matcha’s culinary grade powder in the macaron batter. Around 1/8 tsp. It won’t be enough to color the macaron shells vibrant green, but will add subtle matcha flavor to the shells. Too much matcha powder in the batter will result in soft shells that don’t crisp when baked in the oven, so a little goes a long way here. Use powdered or gel food colors to bring out the matcha color in the shells.

Then, you can amp up the matcha flavor in the frosting by adding 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of Aiya Matcha’s culinary grade matcha powder to the recipe. Not only will the matcha powder transform the frosting a gorgeous green, but the matcha flavor will be the star of the show, complimenting the vanilla notes throughout, for a dreamy and delicious matcha frosting. 

Ingredients for Matcha Macarons

Now that we’ve covered more about matcha green tea, let’s gather the supplies and ingredients needed to make a batch of these dreamy morsels! 

Supplies: A stand mixer (or hand mixer,) mixing bowl, rubber spatula, candy thermometer, 2 piping bags, star tip 4B and round tip 12, 2 baking sheets, 2 silicone baking mats (or parchment) a scribe.

For the macaron shells you will need: Fine ground almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, water, granulated sugar, Aiya Matcha powder, green and brown gel or powdered food coloring, Aiya Matcha powder.

For the Aiya Matcha Frosting you will need: Organic shortening, powdered sugar, alternative milk, Aiya Matcha culinary grade matcha, vanilla beans and a pinch of salt.

Time to bake!

The Best Matcha Macarons

• Author: Posh Little Designs
• Prep Time: 45
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 24 1x
• Category: Baking
• Method: Macarons
• Cuisine: Dessert
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

The very best matcha green tea french macarons infused with Aiya Matcha’s culinary grade matcha powder in the shells and frosting. They’re creamy and deliciously packed with plenty of matcha flavor perfect for enjoying with a cozy mug full of tea. Dairy free and gluten free.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the French Macaron Shells:

• 106 grams of almond meal
• 106 grams powdered sugar
• 41 and 45 grams of egg whites divided
• 115 grams of granulated sugar
• 79 grams of water
• 1/8 tsp Aiya Matcha culinary grade matcha powder
• dash of cream of tartar or lemon juice for stabilizing
• green and brown gel or powdered food coloring

For the Matcha Frosting (Dairy Free):

• 1/2 cup organic shortening
• 1 1//4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp alternative milk
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp culinary Aiya Matcha powder
• seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean pod
• pinch of salt

Additional matcha powder for dusting the tops of the macarons.

 

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Instructions

For the matcha macaron shells:

1. Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any built up residue. This will ensure that the egg whites whisk up properly.
2. Prep and measure all of the ingredients using a kitchen scale.
3. Prep a piping bag with a round tip. I use Wilton tip 12.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with silpat (or parchment).
5. Combine measured almond meal & powdered sugar together in a bowl. Sift one time to remove any lumps, discarding of them, then whisk together to create a homogeneous mixture.
6. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour the 41 grams of measured egg whites into the center of the dry mixture. Fold together until blended . The finished mix will be paste-like. Set aside.
7. To make the sugar syrup, heat granulated sugar and water in a pot on medium heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side. **Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot**.
8. Once the thermometer’s temperature reaches approximately 200 degrees F, place the 45 grams of measured egg whites in the stand mixer and whisk on medium speed, to soft peaks.
9. Add a drop of lemon juice or dash of cream of tartar to stabilize then continue whisking.
10. If the egg whites are at soft peaks before the syrup reaches 248 F, turn the mixer down to low speed to keep the egg whites moving.
11. Watch the sugar syrup closely.
12. As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees F, remove from heat.
13. Quickly increase mixer speed to medium and begin slowly pouring the sugar syrup down the side of your mixing bowl into the meringue until thoroughly combined.
14. Then increase the mixing speed to high and whisk sugar and meringue together until glossy and medium stiff peaks form.
15. Add food coloring and matcha powder until desired color is achieved, whisking inbetween. 
16. Gently transfer finished meringue into the almond/powdered sugar mixture in thirds, making sure that it’s fully incorporated before adding the additional 3rd of meringue.
17. Start the macaronage process by folding the batter in a circular motion, going around the edges of the bowl, then once through the center. Repeat these steps until smooth and thick ribbons of batter run off the spatula.
18. **Be careful not to over-mix**
19. You want the batter to be slightly thick, but not so thin that it does not hold the ribbon shape. Err on the side of caution.
20. To create two tone green macarons, split the batter in half and simply add more green coloring to one half of the batter, folding until combined.
21. Transfer batter to the prepped piping bag(s).
22. Pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds about one inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
23. Be sure to hold the piping bag about 1/2 inch directly above the baking sheet when piping the rounds holding the bag steadily. Continue to pipe until you’ve filled an entire baking sheet.
24. *Tap the macarons on the counter three times to release air bubbles.
25. *Pop any air bubbles that might’ve come to the surface, using a scribe or even a toothpick.
26. Before placing the macarons in the oven, let them to rest until a proper skin has formed on the outside of the shell. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Test by touching the piped rounds to make sure they’re dry to touch and that no batter comes off on fingers.
27. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
28. Once dry to touch, place the macarons in the middle rack of the oven.
29. Feet will form halfway through the baking process.
30. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
31. Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before removing the shells from the silpat/parchment paper.
32. Once macarons are completely cool, gently remove from parchment paper/silpat.
33. Repeat the same steps to bake the remaining macaron batter.
34. They’re ready to fill.

For the matcha frosting:

1. Place all of the ingredients including the culinary grade matcha into the mixer and mix on medium for 1-2 minutes or until well incorporated.
2.  Transfer the matcha frosting to a piping bag fitted with the start tip. 
3. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Assembly:

1. Evenly pipe swirls of frosting into the center of the bottom of each macaron shell. Top with second shell to create a sandwich.
2. Transfer the finished macarons into the fridge and allow at least two hours to mature. 12 hours or overnight preferred.
3. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Notes

Place macarons in an airtight container until filled. They will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer.

Keywords: the best Matcha Macarons, gluten free macarons, Aiya Matcha, Culinary grade matcha, how to make matcha macarons, matcha frosting, baking with matcha, best macaron recipes

Wouldn’t these matcha macarons be perfect for upcoming spring and St. Patricks Day?

If you’ve enjoyed today’s recipe, be sure to save to Pinterest and add it to your spring baking rotation! Also visit Aiya Matcha for information on matcha and how to purchase their culinary grade matcha and other wonderful products!

Happy matcha macaron baking!

This post titled The Best Matcha Macarons was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved. 2022.