中秋節兔子燈籠 Rabbit Lantern Macarons

"Falling on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second grandest festival after the Spring Festival in China. It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest. Many traditional and meaningful celebrations are widely held, like having dinner with family, making mooncakes, and lighting up lanterns Families will sit together and contemplate the moon, savoring the company of those around them and thinking of relatives or loved ones in far away places.."

Instead of making some snowskin mooncake I originally planned for this year's Moon/Mid-Autumn Festival, (I forgot to order the mooncake mould on time..and my parents got me too much mooncake..) I made and decorated some macarons in the shape of tradional rabbit lanterns :)

Wish you and your family a happy Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節快樂 !

Inspiration from this tradional rabbit lantern:

中秋節兔子燈籠 Rabbit Lantern Macarons

Ingredients

For the macaron shells 

(makes around 12 sandwiched macarons)
90g grounded almond
120g icing sugar
a pinch of salt
75g aged egg whites
1/2 teaspoon egg white powder
75g sugar

For the hazelnut ganache

100g dark chocolate
100g hazelnut praline paste or Nutella
90g whipping cream

For decoration

1 egg white
225g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
pink, yellow, green and black food colouring

Utensils

2cm plain nozzle
0.5cm plain nozzle
silicone baking mat / baking paper

Methods

To make macaron shells

1. Put the grounded almond, icing sugar and salt in a food processor, pulse several times for a few seconds each to combine them. Sift them into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg white and egg white powder on medium speed until soft peak.
3. Add the sugar gradually and keep whisking until the meringue is glossy and stiff. Add in the food colouring.
4. Fold the dry ingredients quickly into the meringue with a spatula, try to fold as less strokes as possible and avoid over-fold the mixture.

5. Spoon the 95% of the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm plain nozzle and pipe the rabbit bodies onto parchment paper. You can print out and use this rabbit macarons piping template onto a A4 paper for your guide.

6. Put the remaining 5% of the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a small 0.5cm plain nozzle and pipe the ears and tails touching the edge on the bodies onto parchment paper. Remove the template.
7. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until a skin forms that does not stick onto your finger.
8. Bake the macarons on the lowest shelf in preheated oven between 160 degree for 15 mintues, rotate the tray 180 degree half-way during baking.
9. Remove the macaron shells from the oven and tray, place the parchment onto the work surface and let cool completely before removing the shells.

To make the hazelnut ganache 

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a bowl. Send to the microwave to melt for 60 seconds and stir until the chocolate completely melted.
2. Boil the cream and pour about a third at a time onto the melted chocolate, keep mixing and add in the hazelnut praline paste or Nutella until well combined.
3. Allow the ganache mixture to cool. Press clingfilm onto the surface of the ganache and refrigerate until thick enough to pipe.

To make the royal icing

1. Put the egg white in a grease-free mixing bowl, beat with a hand-held electric mixer until frothy.
2. Add in icing sugar gradually, beat on high speed, add in lemon juice, and whisk until icing is very thick and glossy, about 5 minutes.
3. Divide into a few bowls for different colour, add food coloring and mix well with a teaspoon.
4. Fill the different coloured royal icing in different piping bags.

To assemble the macarons

1. Spoon the ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a 1cm plain tip. Pipe a generous round onto a shell, then top with another shell, twisting lightly so that the filling spreads and bulges enticingly.
2. Gently pipe some royal icing or melted chocolate for the rabbits' eyes and body decoration.
3. Store the macarons covered in the fridge for at least 24 hours to allow the inside of the macaron shells to soften.
4. Bring back to room temperature before serving.