Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Beer Mug Macarons
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
40 minutes
17 minutes
1 hour 40 minutes
Serves:
~20 filled macarons (or 6 beer-mug stacks)
Lisa created this dish for Great American Baking Show ™ Season 4. This Fix-It reconstruction preserves the praised core — the bright orange zing and the triple sec kick — while quietly correcting the cracking, under-bake and assembly timing. Paul loved the amazing zing from the orange and that kick...
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Ingredients
FOR THE ORANGE MACARON SHELLS (FRENCH METHOD): Almond flour — 1 cup / 100 g; finely ground, sift and discard coarse bits Powdered (icing) sugar — 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp / 100 g; sift with the almond flour Egg whites — from 3 large / 90 g; aged overnight, brought to room temperature Cream of tartar — 1/4 tsp / 1 g; or a squeeze of lemon Caster sugar (superfine) — 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp / 90 g Orange gel colour — as needed; gel, not liquid, build to a confident orange
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE & ORANGE GANACHE: Fresh orange juice — 3 tbsp / 45 ml; reduce to about 1 tbsp for concentrated flavour Heavy cream — 1/4 cup / 60 ml; the 2.5:1 ratio keeps the filling firm and pipeable White chocolate — 5.3 oz / 150 g; chopped Unsalted butter — 1 tbsp / 15 g Orange — 1; zest of the whole orange Triple sec — 1–2 tbsp / 15–30 ml; to taste
FOR ASSEMBLY (BEER-MUG PRESENTATION): Reserved meringue or royal icing — small batch; piped as “suds” across the top Extra orange zest — to finish; optional, for aroma at the table
EQUIPMENT: Kitchen scale Stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk Fine sieve (for the almond flour and powdered sugar) Two piping bags — a plain round tip (about 8–10 mm) and a small star tip for the “suds” Baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats; a mug/rectangle template drawn underneath Digital thermometer (optional, for the Italian-meringue route)
Method
STEP 1: PREP THE DRY MIX
Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together twice through a fine sieve, discarding any coarse almond that won’t pass — this is the difference between a smooth shell and a pocked one. Draw mug outlines (or 1.5-in / 4-cm circles) on the underside of your parchment as a piping guide.
STEP 2: BUILD THE MERINGUE
Whisk the room-temperature egg whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking to a stiff, glossy meringue that holds a firm peak. Whisk in the orange gel now, going a shade brighter than you think — it pales slightly on baking, and the colour is a keeper.
STEP 3: MACARONAGE
Fold the dry mix into the meringue in additions, deflating just enough that the batter flows in a slow, thick ribbon and a piped peak melts back in about 10–15 seconds. Stop there. Over-mixed batter spreads and cracks; under-mixed batter stays lumpy. This controlled endpoint — not the weather — is what keeps shells intact.
STEP 4: PIPE & REST
Pipe mug shapes (a rounded rectangle body plus a small handle loop) or plain rounds, holding the bag vertical. Rap the tray firmly on the counter several times to release air bubbles and pop any with a toothpick. Rest the trays until the surface is dry to the touch and no longer tacky — 30 minutes in dry air, up to an hour if it’s humid. A proper skin is the single best insurance against cracking; don’t bake until they pass the light-touch test.
STEP 5: BAKE
Bake one tray at a time at 300–310°F (150–155°C) for 14–17 minutes. Test doneness properly: a done shell barely wiggles on its foot when nudged and lifts cleanly off the mat. If it smears or sticks, give it another 1–2 minutes rather than pulling it early. Cool completely on the tray before lifting.
STEP 6: MAKE THE GANACHE AHEAD
Reduce the orange juice to about a tablespoon and cool. Warm the cream, pour over the chopped white chocolate, wait a minute, then stir to a smooth emulsion; stir in the butter, zest, cooled juice reduction and triple sec. Make this first — ideally the day before — and let it set to a pipeable consistency.
STEP 7: FILL BOTTOMS-FIRST, TOPS LAST
Pair shells by size. Pipe ganache onto the bottoms first, then set the tops on last — the exact order Paul recommended. Mature the filled macarons in the fridge for 24 hours so the shells soften into that ideal chewy-crisp texture.
STEP 8: ASSEMBLE THE BEER MUG
Stand or stack the filled mugs to build the tankard, then pipe a small-star crown of reserved meringue or royal icing across the top for “suds.” A little extra orange zest at the table amplifies the aroma Paul singled out. For a calmer first attempt, pipe plain rounds instead of mugs — the flavour is identical.
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Instructions
FOR THE ORANGE MACARON SHELLS (FRENCH METHOD):
Almond flour — 1 cup / 100 g; finely ground, sift and discard coarse bits
Powdered (icing) sugar — 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp / 100 g; sift with the almond flour
Egg whites — from 3 large / 90 g; aged overnight, brought to room temperature
Cream of tartar — 1/4 tsp / 1 g; or a squeeze of lemon
Caster sugar (superfine) — 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp / 90 g
Orange gel colour — as needed; gel, not liquid, build to a confident orange
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE & ORANGE GANACHE:
Fresh orange juice — 3 tbsp / 45 ml; reduce to about 1 tbsp for concentrated flavour
Heavy cream — 1/4 cup / 60 ml; the 2.5:1 ratio keeps the filling firm and pipeable
White chocolate — 5.3 oz / 150 g; chopped
Unsalted butter — 1 tbsp / 15 g
Orange — 1; zest of the whole orange
Triple sec — 1–2 tbsp / 15–30 ml; to taste
FOR ASSEMBLY (BEER-MUG PRESENTATION):
Reserved meringue or royal icing — small batch; piped as “suds” across the top
Extra orange zest — to finish; optional, for aroma at the table
EQUIPMENT:
Kitchen scale
Stand or hand mixer with whisk
Fine sieve (for the almond flour and powdered sugar)
Two piping bags — a plain round tip (about 8–10 mm) and a small star tip for the “suds”
Baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats; a mug/rectangle template drawn underneath
Digital thermometer (optional, for the Italian-meringue route)
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: PREP THE DRY MIX
Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together twice through a fine sieve, discarding any coarse almond that won’t pass — this is the difference between a smooth shell and a pocked one. Draw mug outlines (or 1.5-in / 4-cm circles) on the underside of your parchment as a piping guide.
STEP 2: BUILD THE MERINGUE
Whisk the room-temperature egg whites with the cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking to a stiff, glossy meringue that holds a firm peak. Whisk in the orange gel now, going a shade brighter than you think — it pales slightly on baking, and the colour is a keeper.
STEP 3: MACARONAGE
Fold the dry mix into the meringue in additions, deflating just enough that the batter flows in a slow, thick ribbon and a piped peak melts back in about 10–15 seconds. Stop there. Over-mixed batter spreads and cracks; under-mixed batter stays lumpy. This controlled endpoint — not the weather — is what keeps shells intact.
STEP 4: PIPE & REST
Pipe mug shapes (a rounded rectangle body plus a small handle loop) or plain rounds, holding the bag vertical. Rap the tray firmly on the counter several times to release air bubbles and pop any with a toothpick. Rest the trays until the surface is dry to the touch and no longer tacky — 30 minutes in dry air, up to an hour if it’s humid. A proper skin is the single best insurance against cracking; don’t bake until they pass the light-touch test.
STEP 5: BAKE
Bake one tray at a time at 300–310°F (150–155°C) for 14–17 minutes. Test doneness properly: a done shell barely wiggles on its foot when nudged and lifts cleanly off the mat. If it smears or sticks, give it another 1–2 minutes rather than pulling it early. Cool completely on the tray before lifting.
STEP 6: MAKE THE GANACHE AHEAD
Reduce the orange juice to about a tablespoon and cool. Warm the cream, pour over the chopped white chocolate, wait a minute, then stir to a smooth emulsion; stir in the butter, zest, cooled juice reduction and triple sec. Make this first — ideally the day before — and let it set to a pipeable consistency.
STEP 7: FILL BOTTOMS-FIRST, TOPS LAST
Pair shells by size. Pipe ganache onto the bottoms first, then set the tops on last — the exact order Paul recommended. Mature the filled macarons in the fridge for 24 hours so the shells soften into that ideal chewy-crisp texture.
STEP 8: ASSEMBLE THE BEER MUG
Stand or stack the filled mugs to build the tankard, then pipe a small-star crown of reserved meringue or royal icing across the top for “suds.” A little extra orange zest at the table amplifies the aroma Paul singled out. For a calmer first attempt, pipe plain rounds instead of mugs — the flavour is identical.
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