Pistachio Raspberry Macarons by Marina Voronkov

Pistachio and Raspberry are the most popular flavors of macarons, so I decided to combine these two flavors in one cookie. This macaron has a pistachio ganache filling, with a raspberry confit in the center and roasted pistachios around the sides.

Yield: 24 macarons

Macaron Shells

• 125 g almond flour
• 125 g confectioners’ sugar
• 100 g egg whites, room temperature
• 100 g granulated sugar
• Green food coloring

1. Put the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture looks like fine meal. Sift this mixture through a fine-meshed sieve 3 times. 

2. Place the room temperature egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on low speed (#1) for a few minutes until they look frothy, and no egg white liquid remains. Once you reach this stage, increase the speed to 4 and start adding the granulated sugar in 4 parts. Wait 20 -30 seconds before adding the next part. Continue whipping for 10-15 minutes, without changing the speed. Add the green food coloring and whip again for another 20-30 seconds. 

3. Put half of the French meringue into the bowl with the  almond flour mixture. With a rubber spatula give 5 to 10 mixes. Add this mixture into bowl with the rest of French meringue. Start folding. The batter is ready when it drips down from your spatula “like lava”. 

4. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe macarons onto a silicone-lined sheet pan. (For these macarons, I piped one shell with a round tip and another shell with a Wilton #6B tip). For the macarons piped with the round tip, drop the tray to release air bubbles; do not do this with the ones pipe with the Wilton #6B tip. Let the macaron shells dry for 10-15 minutes. 

5. While the macarons are drying, preheat the oven to 275°F (134°C). When you touch the macarons with your finger and none of the batter sticks, they are ready to bake. Bake the macarons shells for 12-14 minutes on the center oven rack. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Raspberry Confit

• 150 g raspberry purée
• 30 g granulated sugar
• 6 g pectin NH
• Pinch of citric acid

1. In a small saucepan, cook the raspberry purée over medium heat until it reaches 104°F (40°C). Mix the sugar with the pectin NH and add to the raspberry purée. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the citric acid and mix again.

2. Transfer the confit to a flat container and cover with the plastic wrap, allowing it to touch the surface. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Pistachio Ganache

• 200 g white chocolate
• 100 ml heavy cream 
• 40 g pistachio paste, store-bought or homemade
• Pinch of salt
• 20 g roasted crushed pistachios, plus more for decor

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer (do not boil!). Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate in 2-3 parts. With the help of a rubber spatula, keep mixing fast and pressing down as you add the cream. Add the pistachio paste. Emulsify the mixture with the hand blender. Add the salt and chopped pistachios.( I pulse roasted pistachios in the blender a few times to make very small pieces.)

2. Transfer the ganache to a flat container and cover with plastic wrap, allowing it to touch the surface of the ganache. Refrigerate ganache to stabilize. Check for piping consistency by pressing with your fingers. Ganache should be soft to touch. 

Assembly

• Fresh raspberries

1. Lay one of the macaron shells flat sides up and the other flat side down. This will help to pipe the ganache and stick the shells together easier. Transfer the raspberry confit to a pastry bag. Cut a small tip at the end. Put the pistachio ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip. Pipe the ganache on each inverted shell, then pipe the raspberry confit in the center of each ganache. Sandwich the macaron shells so the ganache forms a beautiful rim and doesn’t stick out. Roll the sides of each macaron in crushed pistachios.

2. Place macarons in airtight containers and keep in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight. Macarons need to mature before you can enjoy them. Before serving macarons, you can decorate with fresh raspberries.

Photo Credit: @naim_ibrahim @wilsonchengstories @apcachefonline

(This recipe appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

About Marina Voronkov

Marina Voronkov is a baker and food photographer behind Everything Marina. Her signature style is classic recipes with a modern twist, and she loves to use natural products for flavor.