Vegans, rejoice. We’ve got a light, vegan macaroon recipe for you. Admittedly, this version does not taste exactly like the real, traditional macaroons, but it pretty much nails the crispy shell and melty bite macaroons have. And who wouldn’t want a macaroon fix? We know we do.
Recipe from Morsel and Moonshine.
For the macaroons:
- Liquid from one 15 oz can of chickpeas; chickpeas set aside
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 1 cup almond meal
- ½ cup vegan confectioner’s sugar
- 1/8 cup loose earl grey tea ((6-7 tea bags)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla-infused bourbon
- For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons organic non-hydrogenated shortening
- 2 1/3 cup vegan confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract, or more vanilla
- A few tablespoons of almond milk, as needed
Instructions:
In a saucepan, bring chickpea liquid to a boil for 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup.
In a food processor or strong blender, combine and grind almond meal, confectioner’s sugar, and loose earl grey tea for a minute or two. Sift into a bowl to reduce it into a finer mixture and segregate the chunkier grains.
Prepare cane sugar by measuring it out into a cup.
Once chickpea liquid has finished boiling and has been reduced, pour it into the mixer and whisk on medium high for 2 minutes until foamy. Then, pour your cane sugar into the mixer and whisk on high for 5 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and mix again for a minute. This is your meringue.
Fold in your almond meal mixture in increments of thirds into the meringue. Add a bit more vanilla if batter is dry. Result should be a shiny, thick, pipe-able batter, with a consistency that is not too runny but not too stiff.
Fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe circles onto the Silpat mat. Baking tray should have at least two baking sheets on them to avoid burning the bottom sides of the macaroons. Tap tray on the counter so the macaroon batters spreads and smoothens out a little. Let dry for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat oven to 205° F and bake macaroons for 30 minutes. Let sit in the oven afterwards for 15 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spatula. Add almond milk as necessary to pull filling together.
Pipe filling into cooled macaroons.
