Gemma 
Welcome to Day 8 of Blogmas At Home 2024! 🎄🎅🏻✨
If you know me, you’ll know how I feel about macarons (spoiler alert: I LOVE them). Last year, for Christmas, I made these Christmas Pudding Macarons, which were chocolate macaron shells, filled with a milk chocolate ganache and decorated with melted white chocolate to resemble little Christmas puddings, and these Reindeer Macarons, which were decorated to look like, well, reindeers (and, admittedly, look a little cursed, but we move. This year, I’m expanding my festive macaron horizons with these Polar Bear Macarons.
These macarons are made with a basic macaron shell recipe, which is piped into the shape of little bear heads before baking. The shells are sandwiched together with a minty, white chocolate ganache filling, then decorated with giant white chocolate buttons (for the muzzle) and melted dark chocolate. They’re cute and festive, but they’re also super customisable— you can experiment with different flavours/colours of macaron shells to make different colour bears, easily adapt the facial features and change up the flavours of the filling to make these bear macarons perfect for any occasion, be that the holiday season, a birthday party, or even a baby shower!
I’ve done lots of posts about macarons here on the blog, so I won’t be doing an in-depth tutorial for making the macaron batter in this post (you can find a super detailed tutorial for that here!). Instead, we’ll be focusing on how to make the mint filling, how to pipe the perfect, bear-shaped macaron shells and how to decorate the macarons to resemble polar bears!
Table of Contents
- Mint & White Chocolate Ganache
- Piping Bear-Shaped Macaron Shells
- Assembling the Macarons
- Decorating the Macarons
- Recipe
Mint & White Chocolate Ganache
The ganache filling needs a few hours to chill in the fridge, so it’s best to make it before you make the macaron shells.
Ingredients
You only need three ingredients to make this filling:
- White chocolate
Use a good quality white chocolate for the best results!
- Double cream
You need a smaller amount of cream for white chocolate ganache (compared to milk/dark chocolate ganache), to ensure the ganache sets firm, because white chocolate does not contain any cocoa solids.
- Peppermint extract
Peppermint extract is readily available in most supermarkets and is the easiest way to get a minty flavour into your baked goods. Usually, you only need a couple of drops for an intense, minty flavour, but I find you need significantly more when using it to flavour white chocolate ganache! As with all flavourings though, it’s best to start small and gradually increase the amount of extract, until you’re happy with the flavour (and also bear in mind that the flavour will intensify while the ganache chills!).
Method
Because there’s such a small quantity of cream compared to the amount of white chocolate, I find that the best way to make a smooth, white chocolate ganache is to heat everything together (as opposed to heating the cream and using that to melt the chocolate gently).
To make the ganache, start by finely chopping the white chocolate. This will ensure it melts quickly and evenly, so you won’t be left with any lumps of unmelted chocolate in your ganache.
Place the cream and the finely chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl and warm gently. I do this in the microwave, on the lowest setting, in 1 minute intervals, stirring between each burst, but you could also do it over a bain-marie, if you prefer.
Once the chocolate has completely melted, your ganache is ready!
To make the ganache into mint chocolate ganache, add the peppermint extract and stir through well. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t want to add too much extract, or the mint flavour will be overpowering, but this ganache does seem to require more extract than other bakes to get a good flavour! Start with a splash, then work your way up. I ended up using about 1/8 tsp in total.
Now, just cover the filling with clingfilm, making sure to press the clingfilm directly onto the surface of the ganache (this will prevent it from forming a skin). Allow the ganache to cool slightly before putting it into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, until firm. Once chilled, you can use it to fill your macarons.
The longer you leave the ganache in the fridge, the firmer it will get. If you leave it for too long, it will become too firm to be piped/spread! That’s okay though, just gently warm it in the microwave/over a bain-marie again, stirring frequently, until it comes back to a spreadable consistency.
Piping Bear-Shaped Macaron Shells
Piping the macaron shells into these little bear shapes may look complicated, but it’s really not!
Essentially, the bears are made up of one regular macaron-sized circle (with a little extra on each side, for the cheeks!), along with two smaller circles on top, for the ears. I recommend using a small(ish) round tip for piping the macarons, so that you have plenty of control when it comes to piping the ears.
I’ve also created a little template, which you can download for free to use for your own macarons! While a template isn’t strictly necessary, it is helpful to ensure all of the ears are in the same place, so that all of your macarons line up with each other when sandwiched together.
Start by fitting your piping bag with a small(ish) round nozzle. I like to put my piping bag in a large glass and fold the edges down over the rim, just to make it easier to fill with the macaron batter. Fill the bag with the batter, then lay the piping bag flat on the work surface and use a dough scraper/palette knife to push the batter down towards the tip, then to pat the bag down flat. This will get rid of any extra air, ensuring your macarons bake up perfectly.
With the piping bag filled, you can get to piping your macarons. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the paper macaron template (if using) underneath the baking paper. You should be able to see it through the semi-transparent paper, but it should not be touching the actual macaron batter.
For each macaron shell, start by piping the smaller circles for the ears. Hold the bag vertically, slightly above the surface of the tray, in the centre of each circle and apply gentle pressure, until the batter has filled the ear section of the template, then release the pressure to stop piping. The ears are small, so you won’t need to apply pressure for long at all!
Next, pipe the rest of the head. Holding the bag vertically again, start in the centre of the bear’s face. Keeping the bag vertical, guide it up ever so slightly towards the gap between the ears, before coming back down and guiding it to one side (to make one cheek). Move in a shallow arc to the other cheek, continuing to apply a constant, gentle pressure, then return to the middle of the macaron before finishing it off.
This piping technique is just a guide, though, so pipe the macarons in whatever way you find easiest. All that matters is that you create the shape of the template below (or even just a general bear shape) with your macaron batter.
Once you have piped a full tray of macarons, make sure you tap the tray firmly on the work surface a couple of times, then use a small, sharp knife/skewer to burst any air bubbles that rise to the surface, allowing the batter to fall back on itself, before leaving them at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes, until a skin forms, before baking.
Assembling the Macarons
Once the macaron shells are baked and cooled, and the ganache has firmed up nicely in the fridge, you can assemble the macarons. Start by pairing up the macaron shells, matching them as accurately as possible in terms of shape/size.
You can either pipe the ganache onto the shells, or just spread it on with a knife/the back of a spoon. Add a layer of ganache to the underside of half of the macaron shells (one from each pair).
Once you have added the ganache, sandwich the corresponding macaron halves together by gently pressing the other macaron shell down, rounded side up, onto the ganache. Macaron shells can be quite fragile, so be gentle here.
Decorating the Macarons
Now it’s time to decorate the Polar Bear Macarons! For this, you will need:
- Giant white chocolate buttons
- Melted dark chocolate (slightly cooled, so that it is a little thicker).
Place the dark chocolate into a piping bag, fitted with a fine, round nozzle. We will use this to attach the chocolate button and to pipe the facial features of the bear.
Use a small amount of chocolate to stick one chocolate button onto the lower portion of each bear’s face. This will act as the muzzle.
Then, use the remaining chocolate to pipe little faces on each bear. Place two eyes above the muzzle, then add a nose onto the muzzle itself.
Set the macarons aside at room temperature until the chocolate has hardened completely, then serve. Filled macarons are best kept in an airtight container and stored in the fridge, where they will keep for about 5 days, but they can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days, if needed. Unfilled macaron shells can be kept in an airtight container for about 5 days, but will become brittle and less deliciously chewy if left for too long.
Recipe
Polar Bear Macarons
Equipment
- 2 piping bags
- 1 small(ish), round piping nozzle
- 1 fine round piping nozzle
Ingredients
For the mint & white chocolate ganache:
- 200 g white chocolate, finely chopped.
- 90 ml double cream
- 1/8 tsp peppermint extract, or to taste.
For the macaron shells:
- 95 g ground almonds
- 103 g icing sugar
- 72 g egg whites (split into 2 x 36g portions).
- 95 g caster sugar
- 30 g water
To decorate:
- 22 giant white chocolate buttons
- dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly.
Instructions
Make the mint & white chocolate ganache:
- Place the chopped white chocolate and cream into a heatproof bowl. Heat gently (in the microwave, on low heat, in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between each burst, or over a bain-marie, stirring frequently) until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Add the peppermint extract (adding a little at a time, tasting frequently to check the level of mint flavour) and stir through well.
- Cover the filling with clingfilm, pressing it directly onto the surface of the ganache, so that a skin does not form. Allow to cool slightly before putting into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
Make the macaron shells:
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and place the printed templates (if using) underneath the paper. Fit a piping bag with a small(ish) round nozzle and set aside.
- Place the ground almonds and icing sugar into a food processor. Pulse 10 times, then sift into a large bowl, discarding any lumps. Repeat this process once more, so that you are left with a very fine powder.
- Add one of the 36g portions of egg white to the almond/icing sugar mixture. Mix well to form a thick paste, then set aside.
- Place the remaining 36g of egg white into the clean, metal (see Note 1) bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Leave aside while you make the sugar syrup.
- Place the caster sugar and water into a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Do not stir (swirl gently if necessary). Allow the syrup to continue bubbling, while monitoring the temperature with a digital sugar thermometer.
- When the syrup has reached 114°C, turn the stand mixer to high speed and begin to whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Keep the syrup over the heat as you do this.
- When the syrup has reached 118°C, the egg whites should have reached soft peaks. With the mixer still running on high speed, carefully pour the syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Once all of the syrup has been added, turn the mixer up to full speed and beat until stiff peaks are achieved and the metal bowl has come to room temperature (about 5 minutes).
- When the meringue is ready, add 1/3 of it to the almond paste mixture. Mix vigorously to combine the two mixtures and loosen the thick paste slightly.
- Add the rest of the meringue and fold it in, using a figure of eight motion, until the mixture is homogenous and comes off the spatula in ribbons— if you leave those ribbons for 30 seconds, they should level themselves out into the rest of the mixture.
- Transfer the macaron batter to the prepared piping bag. Lay the bag flat on the work surface and use a dough scraper/palette knife to push the batter down towards the nozzle end, to push out any air. Flatten out the batter using the scraper too, to knock any remaining extra air bubbles out.
- Holding the bag vertically, just above the baking tray, apply gentle pressure to pipe the two ears. Then, fill in the rest of the bear shape with the batter.
- Once the macarons are all piped, lift the whole tray and drop it down onto the work surface a few times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a sharp knife/cocktail stick to burst the bubbles, letting the mixture fall back on itself.
- Set the macarons aside at room temperature to form a skin- on a relatively dry day, this should take about 30-40 minutes, but can take less time on drier, warmer days and more time on cold, humid days. Check on the macarons every 10-15 minutes or so, if unsure. The macarons will be ready when you can gently touch their surfaces without any batter coming off on your finger.
- When the macarons are almost ready, preheat the oven to 165°C fan. When the macarons are ready and the oven is hot, bake the macarons in the centre of the oven, one tray at a time, for 11 minutes. To check if they are done, place a finger on top of the shells and wiggle gently. When done, the tops of the macarons should not wobble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the tray before assembling.
Assemble the macarons:
- Once the macaron shells have cooled completely, you can fill them with the chilled ganache. Pair the macaron halves up, matching them as much as possible in terms of size/shape.
- Spread/pipe the chilled ganache onto the underside of half of the shells. Place the corresponding half of each macaron on top and gently press down to sandwich them together.
Decorate the macarons:
- Place the melted dark chocolate into a piping bag, fitted with a fine round tip. Use a small amount of the chocolate to stick a giant white chocolate button onto the lower portion of one side of each macaron, to act as the muzzle.
- Using the remaining chocolate, pipe the facial details (two eyes above the muzzle and a nose on the muzzle) onto each macaron. Set aside to harden at room temperature, then serve.
- The macarons are best eaten immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also keep the unfilled macaron shells in an airtight container, at room temperature for about 5 days, before filling.
Notes
- It’s important to use a metal bowl for this, as not only will the egg whites whip up better, but you will be able to use the temperature of the bowl as an indication of when the meringue is ready. It’s also important that the bowl (and whisk) are completely clean. To clean them, rub a small amount of white wine vinegar over them using a piece of kitchen roll. This will remove any traces of fat/residue that will prevent your egg whites from whipping up properly.
