Blackberry Macarons

A homemade blackberry puree makes these macarons so fresh and delicious. The filling is very lightly sweetened to compliment the sweet almond shells.

I used just a bit of violet and blue coloring in the macaron batter so that they would be subtle. The filling is the bright standout of this cookie and it's all natural — just blackberries.

Blackberry Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
violet and dark blue coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts. Add the desired amount of coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

Piped macarons resting before baking.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with blackberry filling.

Sort the macrons into pairs before filling.

Pipe the filling onto one cookie and then top with their partner. Store the assembled macarons in the refrigerator. Macarons taste best a day or two after they've been made.

Blackberry Filling
2/3 cup frozen or fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves (a low sugar preserve is preferable)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Combine the blackberries and sugar in a saucepan and set on medium heat. Cook this mixture, stirring constantly until simmering and the blackberries break apart. This takes about 10 minutes.

While the mixture is hot, press it though a sieve to remove all the seeds. What you will have left is 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of a thick puree. Set this aside to cool completely and then combine it with the blackberry preserves.

Whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth and light. Add the blackberry mixture and whip again. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and put in the refrigerator chill for about 20 minutes or until the filling is a good consistency for piping.