Fall Bakes: Macarons and Biscotti

One of my favorite tv shows is the Great British Baking Show. I love the camaraderie and creativity in each episode. After watching a couple of season of Great British Baking, I got inspired to try some of the bakes they were showcasing in the competition. The big two that I was aching to try were macarons and biscotti. After some trials and errors (14 failed batches of macarons), I have some favorite fall bakes here that I am crazy excited to share with you.
I will warn you though, macarons are terribly fiddly. They require a lot of finesse and patience. Not all reciepes are going to work out perfectly, as I learned from my 14 failed bakes with macarons. What works for my oven may not work with your oven. Experiment. Be willing to fail. Be willing to learn.

Pumpkin spice macarons:

¾ Cups of almond flour (double sifted)
1 cup confectioners sugar (double sifted)
¼ cup of sugar
2 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tarter
½ tsp of vanilla extract
1tsp of pumpkin spice
2 large bowls and a sieve.
Food coloring

1.Sift almond flour into a blow, discarding left over pieces. Do NOT push excess almond flour in the sieve through and the small chucks of almond will ruin your batter. Over a second bowl resift the almond flour, discarding of the excess left behind.
2Repeat step 1 for the confectioners sugar. It is okay to push the confectioners sugar through. Whisk double sifted almond flour and double sifted confectioner’s sugar with a hand whisk until it looks like flour. Add the pumpkin spice mix.
3.Whisk egg whites in a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce to low speed and gradually add the sugar. When sugar has been added, increase speed to high and whisk for 6-8 minutes. Egg whites should have stiff peaks and look shiny. To test how stiff the peaks are, tip the bowl upside down. Nothing should fall out.
4.Fold in almond flour mixture until everything is incorporated. (About 35-40 folds). Add ½ tsp of vanilla extract, 4 drops red food coloring, and 3 drops yellow food coloring. Gently fold until everything is incorporated and your batter flows like lava.
5.Transfer batter to a pasty bag with a ½ inch plain round tip. Or transfer to a gallon ziplock bag. Pipe ¾ rounds 1 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets, dragging pasty tip to the side of rounds. Tap bottom of sheet on work surface at least 8 times to release trapped air.
6.Let macarons rest at room temperature for 30 mintues. Half way through the macarons rest time, preheat oven to 325 F. (do not preheat your oven before hand. It will get too hot and the macarons will dry out).
7.After 30 minutes of rest, bake one tray at a time for 10 minutes.
8.Let macarons cool for one minute on tray and remove to a cooling rack.
9.Fill and eat.
Note: When making more than one batch of macarons in a day: 1. Do not double and divide your reciepe. It you won’t get enough of the necessary ingredients in each batter. 2. Turn your oven off. This will prevent the oven from getting too hot and ruining your second batch.

Chai Spice Macarons:
¾ Cups Almond Flour
1 Cup confectioner’s sugar
2 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp chai spice mix
½ tsp vanilla extract

Chai spice mix (good for teas, coffees, sweet breads, biscottis, and macarons):
1 Tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Macarons:
1.Sift almond flour into a bowl. Over a second bowl resift almond flour. Remember don’t push the excess through.
2.Repeat step one for the confectioner’s sugar, however with confectioner’s sugar you can push the excess through. Whisk double sifted almond flour and double sifted confectioner’s sugar until it looks like a flour. Add 1 tsp of the chai spice mix.
3.Whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce to low speed and gradually add the sugar. When sugar has been incorporated increase speed to high. Wisk egg whites for 4 to 6 mintues or until stiff shiny peaks form. (Note: Because I’m not adding a lot of liquid to my batter, I’m reducing the whisking time to get the same lava like consistency in my batter).
4.Fold in almond flour mixture about 35-40 folds. Add ½ tsp of vanilla extract. Batter should flow like lava.
5.Transfer batter to a pastry bag with a ½ plain round tip or a gallon ziplock bag. Pipe ¾ rounds 1 inch apart on parchment lined backing sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds. Tap bottom of sheet on work surface at least 8 times to release trapped air.
6.Let macarons rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Half way through rest time preheat oven to 325 F.
7.After 30 minutes, bake one tray at a time for 10 minutes.
8.Let macarons cool for 1 minutes on tray then remove to cooling rack.
9.Fill and eat.

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Maple Cinnamon Glaze:
Heavy whipping cream
8oz of White Baker’s Chocolate
½ Tsp Maple extract or maple syrup
¼ tsp cinnamon

In a sauce pan on medium heat bring a ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream to a simmer.
Pour over 8oz of chopped white chocolate. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Don’t touch.
After 10 minutes stir the ganache until it has a thick glaze like consistency. Add ½ tsp of maple extract or maple syrup and ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon. Set aside.

Biscotti:
½ cup grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp pumpkin spice mix

1.Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.In a mixing bowl beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, and pumpkin spice mix with the egg mixture until it forms a heavy dough.
3.Divide the dough into two pieces and form into logs the length of the baking sheet. Then press the log until it is a ½ thick.
4.Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove the parchment from baking trays and cool on wire racks. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into ½ slices. Place the cut slices cut side up on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes on each side until just crispy.
5.Let the cookies cool completely. Dip the cookies into the maple cinnamon glaze. Let the glaze set on cooling racks set over waxed paper.
6.Enjoy.