Lemon Buttercream Macarons

This month’s Mac Attack challenge #11 was to bake a macaron inspired by a childhood summer memory.

I had a really happy childhood and stacks of fond memories, but I found they were either difficult to create (due to my inability to source mulberries at the moment), or already posted by other members and I was scratching my head when this came to mind.

My mother's jewelry box, filled with treasures I used to sneak in to look at and occasionally dare to try them on. Sometimes I would be allowed to legitimately try them on whilst sitting next to my mother on her bed, I used to feel so special.

Now I actually know that mum kept her real treasures elsewhere and the stuff in that box was costume jewelry, but I still remember that box and it's shiny baubles with a smile on my face.

My box here is filled with a different kind of treasure.

 

and while I was taking these photo's and piling the macarons in a tower I remembered that I also used to love playing with building blocks and lego so I made a couple of little towers

Oooops - after you get to three its a bit unstable.

My macarons were Lemon Buttercream and raspberry white chocolate.

One of the best parts of these Lemon Buttercream filled Macarons is that they used up 3 egg yolks - wahoo my house is always filled with egg yolk leftovers and any chance I get to use them makes me soooo happy.

Recipe follows.

Mwahhhh, kiss, kiss - stamping cute decorations

Quite a few people asked me about the little lips I used to decorate my tim tam cookie pops with so I'm going to quickly share my secret with you.

Stamps......

Cute little lip stamps that I picked up as part of a 6 pack with other cute stamps from Typo (Australian stationery shop).

 Then I just rolled out fondant (or gumpaste) and cut out a circle.

Popped a tiny amount of gel food colour onto the stamp and started stamp'n. 

So little effort for such a lot of cuteness.

Try to only get it on the lips (or what ever it is your stamping) otherwise you might end up with a messy one like this........

I have a bunch of these here dabber things so you can just put just a smidgen of the food colouring onto the stamp.

and to get the glittery heart look, just sprinkled on some non toxic food glitter straight after stamping while the food colour is still wet,  after it dries brush off the excess with a soft paintbrush.



Oh and make sure your equipment is food safe if someone is going to be eating it and definitely only use it for foodstuff (ie no real ink or paint).

Mwahhhhh, bye for now.

Marshmallowy Chocolate Goodness - Chocolate Marshmallow Recipe

Never been a huge fan of packet marshmallows, I can take them or leave them.

They are completely worthwhile in regards to making marshmallow fondant to cover cakes with and now that I think about it quite a few other recipes, but I guess they are more an ingredient to me than a treat.

That changed a year or so ago thanks to the wonderful blogsphere. I was reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry and they had a post on a shop called Sweetness the Patisserie and pictures of the most gorgeous marshmallows

(these are not the gorgeous Sweetness marshmallows these are my delicious but not so gorgeous version)

Something came over me, I had to have those marshmallows so I phoned up and had a bunch shipped to me.......chocolate, rose, lavender, raspberry. The customer service was wonderful and soon clouds of deliciousness came to me via Australia post. For a while my artisan marshmallow craving was satisfied.

Until recently when I have been seeing lots of gorgeous pics of guimauve (which is pretty much French for marshmallow as far as I can work out) and I was reminded of these wonderful Sweetness Patisserie marshmallows and a recipe I had copied out at the time from Chocolate & Zucchini.


I have adapted the recipe a bit, it calls for half rose and half chocolate and instead I made all chocolate.

They didn't look as lovely as I had hoped but they sure did taste good. Perhaps with a bit of practice I can improve the look. Also I'm thinking that the lighter colour marshmallows might look a little prettier.


Oh and here are a couple I wrapped in edible rice paper, and popped a food colour heart onto, less sticky but not quite as yummy I think.