Goat Cheese and Fig French Macarons

Goat cheese is one of my favorite things. I love the way it can go back and forth between being sweet or savory depending on what you pair it with. In this instance we are whipping it and piping it into a classic french macaron shell with fig preserves to create Goat Cheese and Fig French Macarons.

Naturally, goat cheese is soft and clumpy, not something that would easily stay in the middle of a macaron. So, I added cream cheese and heavy cream and whipped it all together to produce a light and fluffy goat cheese that is easily pipable. I piped it in a circle around the edge of the macaron shell to create a barrier and then filled it with fig preserves.

The end result is a perfectly balances macaron. You get a little sweet, a little tangy, a little savory. It is so good and you need it in your life, I promise. If you're not a fan of figs, or you can't find any in your local store (there was only one at mine!) you can swap it out for any jam, jelly, or preserves that you'd like!

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For in-depth “whys” and “howtos”, skip to the end of this post!

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Recipe

Goat Cheese and Fig French Macarons

1. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat (my favorite baking sheet for macarons and favorite silicone mats for macarons). I highly recommend a silicone mat of some kind, but if you don’t have one then you can also use parchment paper.
2. In a food processor (I use this one) add the powdered sugar and almond flour and pulse until fully combined and rid of lumps. Don’t do this for too long or you will make almond butter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together. In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. You can use a stand mixer for this, but I prefer a hand mixer for a batch this small. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. If you add the sugar too fast you will deflate the meringue. Beat until stiff peaks form. This is when you pull the beater out and the meringue stands up with a slight curve. It should not fall or jiggle too much if you move the beater. If you want to add food coloring, do it now, but add it sparingly or you will make the meringue too liquidy.
3. Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. A good way to test if the batter is ready is to place a very small amount in your piping bag and pipe it onto your mat. If the batter is stiff and does not spread at all, then it is not ready. If the batter immediately runs out, then you have over folded. The batter should spread slightly and the tops should even out (there shouldn’t be any little tips sticking out), but it should not spread out too much. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (this is my favorite for macarons). Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
4. Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
5. Let the macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger. If it is really humid outside this process will likely take longer.
6. Preheat the oven to 260 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven. You may need to play around with the temperature.
7. Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes, and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 3-5 minutes. 13-15 minutes in total. The macarons should not have any color to them, and they should peel off of the mat easily.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
9. Peel off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.

Whipped Goat Cheese and Fig Filling

1. In a medium bowl beat the goat cheese and cream cheese with a hand mixer (I have this one) until fully combined and fluffy.
2. Next, pour the heavy cream into the mixture and whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe your desired amount around the edge of the side of a macaron shell. Be sure to leave space in the middle.
4. Spoon fig preserves to fill in the empty space. Then sandwich another macaron shell on top.

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