It has always been my dream to buy a Kitchenaid mixer but I never had the heart to spend that much on an item. haha BUT I JUST DID. (: I’m a happy and proud owner of one! Thanks so my wonderful parents who is ever so supportive of me.

And immediately after getting it, I had to use it and bake something. Especially when I haven’t baked in a long long time. And one thing at the back of my mind that I wanted to try again was of course, macarons.

I have been having Lindt’s macarons for the past 2 months, cause whenever family and friends come. Lindt Chocolate Cafe is one place I will definitely bring them to have their macarons. And we all have our own favourites: mine is their vanilla and the mr loves their salt caramel. So what did I decide to bake for the first time using the sexy toy? Salted caramel of course (:

Although it didn’t turn out perfect, but I was really quite happy with the way it looked and the texture of it, cause it is wayyy better than my last attempt of chilli chocolate macaron. hehe

So the first thing I needed to get was fleur de sel. and boy was I shocked at how much it costs! haha but then again, it is the caviar of salt, so I guess its worth as it really made the caramel magical.

love the shape of the salt crystals

the verdict ? The mr LOVED it. and it made me a happy girl. (:

so here’s the recipe I used :

adapted from Chef Pang Kok Keong (a recipe on Chubby Hubby)

the macaron shell :

250g ground almond

450g icing sugar

220g egg white (aging for 48 hours)

60g castor sugar

Steps :

1. Sieve the ground almond and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Make sure the mixture is lump-free. They call this the Tant Pour Tant (TPT) mixture.

2. Beat the egg whites using an electrical mixer with a whisk attachment at high speed until you can see a line made by the whisk going round. Then add in the sugar while the mixer is at medium speed. Make a stiff meringue.

3. Fold the meringue into the dry sieved ingredients until you get a homogeneous mix, taking care not to overfold it, as normal meringue are very delicate.

4. Pipe the mixture onto a silpat with a no. 5 plain tube into 3cm balls. Allow space in between as the cookies will spread to approximately 5cm. If the mixture is too thick, you’ll see a tip sticking up from the balls (from where you piped them) even after you finish piping the last row. If this happens, give the tray a little tap so that you’ll get a nice smooth surface.

5. Leave the piped macaron cookies out to form a skin before baking them (about 30 mins) at 160 degrees Celsius in a fan oven for approximately 14-16 minutes. When totally cooled, sandwich two cookies together with the salted caramel filling.

I did the happy feet dance (: SUPER HAPPY!

Salted caramel :

200g sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
200g cream
3.75g fleur de sel
140g butter, chilled

Steps :

1. In a 1 litre heavy based pot, cook the sugar with a little of water, stirring all the time to get an even caramel.

2. Then add in the vanilla paste.

3. Add in the warm cream a bit at a time as it will bubble up and splatter. Then add in the fleur de sel.

4. Stir to make sure all the caramel has dissolved. Cool the mixture to approximately 40 degrees Celsius.

5. Add in the well chilled butter, cut into cubes. Using an immersion blender, blend in the butter till you achieve a smooth glossy paste. Line the surface of the caramel with plastic wrap or greaseproof paper to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the fridge until needed.

All packed! (: Enjoy !