Mad about Christmas Macarons
When I received my first enquiry back in August about Christmas baking, I thought it’d be a great idea to come up with limited period macaron flavours just for the Christmas season.
I was pretty excited about the new flavours I’d dreamt up, but the steady stream of orders for macarons and cakes meant that I never had the time to actually try them out until this week.
All three new flavours have a hidden centre, which I thought was wonderfully appropriate for Christmas; biting into the macaron to find a hidden surprise in the middle would be like opening up a beautifully packaged Christmas present to get to the gift inside. Well, almost…
Peppermint Shells with Mint Tea White and Dark Chocolate Ganache
After all, what would Christmas be like without peppermint candy canes? While I love mint, I didn’t want the flavour to be overpowering and decided to go with chocolate as a filling. Even my husband who isn’t a great fan of mint likes the occasional After Eight thin chocolate square. For a subtler mint flavour, I went with mint tea infused white chocolate ganache as the main filling and a dark chocolate ganache in the centre. For those who don’t fancy white chocolate, there is also a mint tea dark chocolate ganache only version.
Christmas Spice Macaron with Ginger Rhubarb Buttercream and an Almond Paste Centre
I’ve always associated the smell of freshly baked gingerbread cookies with Christmas. It was easy to come up with just the right mix of spices for the macaron shells, but the filling was a little more difficult. I finally settled for a mildly tangy ginger rhubarb buttercream and a wonderfully aromatic homemade almond paste centre. Inspired by the deeply coloured macarons offered by Pierre Hermé and Ladurée, two of the finest pâtissieries in Paris, I went with a deep pink (almost red) colour for the shells. It wouldn’t be Christmas in a box without a touch of red now, would it? 
Ginger Macarons with Ginger Rhubarb Buttercream and Candied Ginger (pictured in the first photograph above)
My sister had told me many months ago about a ginger flavoured macaron that her colleague had tried. While I was mildly intrigued, I wasn’t too sure if it’d be well-received. Then I remembered those blistery cold winter nights in Sweden and how wonderful that cup of firey hot ginger tea I’d shared with WL and SH had felt then. While Christmas in Singapore isn’t quite as cold, there are days when it’s cold enough to make me wish for that extra bit of warmth. I suppose it was worth a shot.
The results were surprisingly good. I kept the ginger flavour in the shells and buttercream on the mild side and added candied ginger to the centre for a stronger flavour. It made for a mildly tangy macaron until you hit the slightly spicy candied ginger centre.
The downside of having waited so long to make these Christmas macarons is that I only have a few slots left for anyone wishing to try them.
Available for Purchase: Christmas in a Box @ a Price of S$45. Includes 28 macarons (3 Christmas flavours or any other flavour you fancy from the list here) in a long glossy red custom made box with fat green or gold ribbon.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:44 pm
karen! you MADE the box? that’s amazing!
November 21st, 2007 at 7:32 pm
This looks great!!!!!
November 21st, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Amrita: Yes, I did. Thanks!
Jo: Thank you!
November 21st, 2007 at 9:15 pm
drooling and pining to have these little critters in my mouth…. =)
The mint one looks great…as I’m sure you know of my obsession with mint by now…heehee!!
November 21st, 2007 at 9:42 pm
These are so beautiful. I only subscribed to your site a little while ago and, really, everything is beautiful. If only I lived close enough to place an order. A cookbook, however, would make it safely to my door…
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:04 am
Thanks, Stef!
Cerebralmum: Thank you for your really kind words! I’d love to be able to ship some to Australia, but I doubt the buttercream would even make it to the post office.
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:14 am
I would love to receive something this beautiful (and yummy) as a gift!
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:05 am
This is absolutely christmassy! Such festive macarons!
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Dear Karen,
The X’mas macarons are wonderful and beautiful.
They look real delicious.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:59 am
That is funny: I am i the middle of Christmas macarons too for holiday parties and such. I am seeing white, red and green every time I close my eyes!!
November 24th, 2007 at 4:57 am
heya,
these look great.. how much would you charge if i only wanted to order the mint ones?
thanks
November 24th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Thank you, Patricia, Vernon and Auntie HN!
Helen: I chose the colours just for Christmas. I guess they invoke the feel of Christmas.
Amrita2: Thanks! The minimum order for the Christmas season is 28 macarons (any 3 flavours or fewer). If you don’t want the gift packaging, the cost is S$42.
November 25th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
These macarons are EXQUISITE!
I would love to know how you cut them in half without them falling into a million crumbs?
November 25th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Carol: Thank you! I’m a big fan for your watercolors.
Try refrigerating them first and then cutting them with a serrated knife.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:12 am
These look amazing. I love your creativity!
November 27th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Hi Karen,
Can I replace the Christmas flavours with other flavours?
November 27th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Thanks, Kristen!
Jeremiah: Yes, you can, as stated at the end of the post.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:32 am
The list of other flavours is not accessible.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Jeremiah: I just checked. The link is working. You have to scroll further down once you get to the page to see the list of flavours. Here’s the link again: http://www.madbaker.net/how-to-place-your-order
November 29th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
hello karen..love yr Chrismas macarons…may i know if u are using the italian meringue method for this latest batch cause they are so adorably pretty.
Can i kindly ask if the praline that u used for macs are store bought or self made. Seriously i have not tried a praline before ..do wonder how they taste like? Have u got a link that teach how to make praline . Thanks
December 5th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Hi Karen,
I found your website through Tartelette and I’m absolutely amazed by your photos and produce! It simply looks picture-perfect - too bad that I’m living far from Singapore and will never get to taste any of your creations…
December 7th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Hi Karen,
I am pretty keen on purchasing ur macarons, could you kindly provide me with ur email or contact or what so ever that i can place an order?
Thank you…
December 7th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Sandii: Sometimes I make my own, sometimes I use store bought ones. It really depends on how much time I have. Nut praline is basically roasted nuts coated with caramel and left to cool to a hard candy. You can do a google for “nut praline recipe”. There are several out there.
Eva: Thank you! I love the photographs on your blog too. :o)
Sylvia: I can be reached at csauleng@yahoo.com. Thanks!
December 11th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Hi Karen.. really pretty macarons! And the Christmas flavours sound yummy. How long can a macaron keep if I were to purchase it now?
December 11th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Serene: Thanks! I usually recommend that they be consumed within 4 days, but I’ve been told that my macarons can be kept for up to a week.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Hi Karen,
how does the macaron filling hold up to room temps ?
is it firm or soft ?
December 12th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Lenny: The macaron filling is either ganache or buttercream, which will almost certainly begin to melt at room temperature. I do have alternative suggestions though. Please send me an email if you’d like to know more. Thanks!
April 7th, 2008 at 11:42 am
hello madbaker! i’ve been obsessed with macarons since i discovered them in London 3 yrs ago. Since then i’ve been wanting to bake them but was too scared to do so until very recently (a week ago!). I absolutely love your creations! they’re so perfect! I do want to experiment with fillings.. do you suppose you could share some tips? I just bought a tub of mascarpone (based on a recipe of lemon macarons) but i ended up not using them. Any tips/recipes?
March 10th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
the mint ones look amazing. i’m a sucker for anything mint-flavoured.
my next macaron project is going to be basil-mint macarons.