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Hug For Your Belly

Cardamom Ginger French Macarons

in Desserts, French, Oven

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What do you get when you mix cardamom with ginger? A wonderfully spicy confection! These cardamom ginger French macarons are a unique blend of spice and sweet!

Learning how to make French macaroons was a test of my skills, patience, and overcoming ability. Lots of tears were shed while I practiced and practiced the confections. I couldn’t let a cookie beat me.

Well, that’s just how competitive I truly am. Woman vs. Cookie. 

In the beginning, it was often Macaroon:1; Woman:0. But, once I got the hang of the techniques and took the time to really sift the flour and sugar in the beginning, something magical happened. Deliciously magical. 

French macaroons, baby! The Frenchman was so supportive of my learning, and his reward for all that encouragement was being able to indulge in some of his favorite treats. The best part is that once you get the technique down, the flavor combinations are endless. 

The cardamom ginger French macaroon idea was born one day while the Frenchman and I were grocery shopping. 

I am not sure how, but it started out with smelling cilantro all over the store. It was a magical scent that hung in the air, like someone chopping fresh cilantro right next to us. As we moved on through the produce section, we came across fresh ginger hands. 

Oh, the smell of fresh ginger is one of my favorites. So bright and deep scented. That’s when it began. The Frenchman’s food brain started going a million miles an hour. 

What do you get when you mix cardamom with ginger? A wonderfully spicy confection! These cardamom ginger French macarons are a unique blend of spice and sweet! #frenchmacarons #macarons #cookies Click to Tweet

“What if you made macaroons with ginger? That would be so good!” Of course, I was in the middle of deciding on chicken breasts or thighs for dinner, but that’s beside the point. 

We agreed that ginger would be awesome for a filling, but what flavor would go good with the cookie? It HAD to be something wild, unique, and blend well with ginger. Cardamom was the answer. Together, cardamom and ginger create a flavor profile in a French macaroon like none other. It’s spicy, sweet, with a perfect balance of both. 

Some ideas for making the best French macaroons:

  • let your eggs get to room temperature. They will whip into stiff peaks faster and easier.
  • Grind, grind, grind your flour and powdered sugar. Ideally, running it in a blender or food processor at least 2 times will help get rid of any chunks. Chunks=no bueno, as they will overpower the egg whites and your cookies will fail.
  • Sift that flour and sugar mixture at least 2 times as well. Remember, chunks are NOT your friend.
  • Let your macaroons dry on the cookie sheet for at least 20 minutes before you put them in the oven. Some say you don’t need to do that, but when I didn’t, they were a failure for me. I found I achieved a crispy texture on the outside far more consistently when I let them dry out before baking.
  • Don’t be afraid to put them BACK into the oven. You are wanting to “hear” your cookies. Tap them on the top gently and if they sound crunchy and hollow, they are done.
  • Be okay with failure. Just DON’T give up. French macaroons can take a couple times to really get the technique down. Hang in there, you CAN do this!

Other Macaron Flavors To Try

Cherry Macarons 

Light, crispy and full of summery flavor, these cherry macarons are super easy to make! Naturally gluten free and great for parties and gifts, too.

Strawberry Lemonade Macarons

All the bright flavors of Spring coming to you in a crispy, chewy cookie! These strawberry lemonade macarons make the perfect treat for Mother’s Day! 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry French Macarons

Crispy, chewy, and so chocolatey, these chocolate covered strawberry French macarons are the perfect date night cookie! French macarons are a crispy, chewy cookie with a sweet creamy center.

Ingredients you need:

  • Almond flour
  • Powdered sugar
  • Dried cardamom
  • Eggs
  • Cream of tartar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Food coloring
  • Butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • Ginger, either fresh or powedered

How to make these macarons

  1. Preheat oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Process almond flour and powdered sugar in a blender or food processor to remove chunks.
  3. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, and add in granulated sugar to form a meringue.
  4. Mix almond flour mixture with meringue to form batter.
  5. Divide batter in half, and add each food color to one half.
  6. Make round shapes on parchment paper with each batter.
  7. Place cookies in oven and bake. 
  8. Make buttercream while cookies are cooling.
  9. Fill with buttercream on one cookie, the top with another to make a sandwich.
  10. Store in airtight container. 
cardamom ginger French macaroons

Cardamom Ginger French Macarons

Ingredients

  • 107 grams almond flour
  • 176 grams powdered sugar
  • 4 teaspoons dried cardamom
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 55 grams granulated sugar
  • brown food coloring, as desired
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger

Instructions

  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place almond flour, cardamom, and powdered sugar in a blender or food processor. Blend together for 2-3 minutes to remove any chunks and make sure they are super fine. Sift through sifter 2 times, removing any leftover chunks and reblending. After the second time, toss any leftover chunks that remain. Set aside.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, add egg whites and cream of tarter. Slowly add the remaining sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time while mixing on medium high speed. Continue to mix egg whites and sugar until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Add in brown gel food coloring.
  4. Pour the almond flour and sugar mixture in the egg whites all at once and fold until batter is well combined. This is the technique that makes French macaroons “French”, to be honest. Take 1/2 the batter each time, and fold it clockwise in one smooth motion. Fold until the batter is almost pancake batter consistency, about 50 strokes.
  5. Place the batter into a pastry bag with a small round tip. Make 1 1/2 inch rounds on the parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Carefully tap the sheets on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and allow the cookies to dry.
  6. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and place an empty baking sheet on the top rack. This will keep the cookies from overbrowning. Set the baking sheet with the cookies, working with one sheet at a time, on the middle rack.
  7. Bake for 20-22 minutes. They are done when they lift easily from the baking sheet without tearing. Remove the baking sheet and allow cookies to cool fully while still on the baking sheet.
  8. To make the buttercream, place softened butter, ginger and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add 2-3 drops of brown food coloring, as desired.
  9. Fill with buttercream on one cookie, the top with another to make a sandwich.
  10. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

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