Cranberry-white chocolate macarons

These macarons are a perfect winter treat. The jam is made from fresh cranberries and combined with creamy white chocolate.
I never cooked with fresh cranberries, they were usually hard to get but recently I saw them in our local supermarket and decided to give them a go.

I made a spiced cranberry sauce/jam. I was pleasantly surprised by their flavor. They are tart but the acidity can easily be balanced by adding sugar. The spices were just strong enough to enhance the natural cranberry flavor and to give a winter feel to the macarons.

Because I wanted the cranberry flavor to stand out, I made a simple white chocolate ganache. The spiced cranberry flavor really stood out, especially after a day in the fridge. If you love cranberries and spices I would totally recommend these macarons to you.
 

Cranberry-white chocolate macarons

(Makes about 35)

Time:

Preparation: 30min

Cooking: 25min

Resting: 30min

Baking: 15-17min

For the macaron shells:

• 95g room temperature egg whites
• 125g granulated white sugar
• 40g water
• 135g almond flour or finely ground almonds
• 135g icing sugar
• red food coloring (optional)

For the cranberry sauce:

• 250g fresh cranberries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 star-anise
• 1 orange (juice and zest)

For the white chocolate ganache:

• 125g white chocolate
• 25g cocoa butter
• 75g heavy cream
• a pinch of salt

Making the macaron shells:
The preparation for the shells is the same as in the Basic macarons recipe.

To achieve a marbling effect on the shells follow the basic macaron recipe and do not use any food coloring. When the mixture is ready to be pured in the piping bag, pour only 1/2 of the macaron mixture in a piping bag. Color the other half of the mixture with red food coloring. Pour the red mixture in the same piping bag. Place the spatula in the piping bag and gently mix the two different colored mixtures in the piping bag.

Pipe the macarons on a parchment paper/silicone mat.

Tap the trays with the macarons on the table a few times to pop the air bubbles in the shells. Leave the macarons to rest for about 30 minutes or until they are not sticky to the touch.

Bake in the preheated oven at 150°C (302°F) for 17 minutes. If the macarons are still sticky at the bottom return them to the oven and bake more. Set aside to cool completely.

Making the cranberry sauce:

Put all ingredients in a pot and place on medium heat. Cook until the cranberries are soft, taste for sweetness and adjust. 

Take out the cinnamon stick and blend with immersion blender until smooth. 

Strain the sauce in a plastic container and set aside to cool. Pour the cold sauce/jam in a piping bag or a plastic bottle.

Making the white chocolate ganache:

Chop the chocolate and cocoa butter in small pieces. Place them in a heatproof bowl.

In a saucepan bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate and cocoa butter. Stir until completely smooth, add salt.

Pour the ganache in a piping bag and allow to setto piping consistency.

Assembly:

Pipe the white chocolate ganache on a flat side of a macaron shell. Pour over a little cranberry sauce. Top with the same sized macaron shell and place in an airtight container in the fridge.

Waiting or "maturing" allows the flavors to come together and the macarons will become soft and extremely flavorful. Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.