Valentines day cheesecake macarons

Valentines day is right around the corner and I always prefer home made gifts versus the store bought. These macarons are perfect home made gift for you loved ones.

I love making macarons, because they are very versatile, in flavors as well as in shape. This time a made heart shaped macarons and they turned out really cute.

I decided to make these macarons because my husband is a big fan of a raspberry cheesecake. When we go on vacations we almost always go for a coffee and our favorite cheesecake.

For the filling I made a cheese cream, chocolate cookie crust and a raspberry gel. All the components together should represent a raspberry cheesecake. The tangy cheese cream stood out against the sweet macaron shell and the raspberry flavor was great too.

Valentines day cheesecake macarons

(Makes about 35)

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 raspberry gel:

• 200g raspberry puree (made from 250g frozen raspberries)
• 2g agar-agar powder
• 30g white granulated sugar

For the chocolate cookie crust:

• 100g chocolate cookies
• 50g melted butter
• a pinch of salt

For the cheese cream:

• 60g soft butter
• 120g icing sugar
• 170g cream cheese
• 1/2 vanilla seeds

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

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 raspberry gel:

Thaw raspberries and blend with immersion blender. Pour the mixture through a sieve in a small pot. Add agar-agar and sugar and bring to a boil. 

Cook two minutes and take off the heat. Pour the mixture in a plastic container and refrigerate until completely cold. They mixture should be thick and gelatin like. 

Take out of the fridge and blend with immersion blender into a gel. Transfer into a piping bag and set aside ready to assembly.

Making the cheese cream:

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat. Transfer in a piping bag and set in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Making the cookie crust:
Blend cookies until fine. Add melted butter and stir. Pres firmly onto a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Place in the fridge to firm up.

Assembly:

Pipe the cheese cream on a flat side of a macaron shell. Pipe over a little raspberry gel and place the cookie crust on top. Pipe a dollop of cheese cream on top and close with the same sized macaron shell. Place macarons 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.