Recipe & Video: Black Sesame Macaron

With a creamy green tea filling and nutty black sesame, this macaron combines the best of east and west into a delightful treat unlike anything else on earth. Make them right in your home kitchen with our easy to follow recipe and video.

Are you craving some macarons? Who isn’t? So let’s try making macarons with a Japanese twist! These sweet and creamy, rich, and satisfying macarons contain authentic Japanese ingredients like matcha green tea and black sesame paste that give your macaron a flavor punch that will simply knock you out. What’s even more incredible is that these sweet treats are also healthier than your average macaron because of these unique ingredients. Let’s get cooking!

Pure Black Sesame Paste

One of the principal ingredients in these Japanese style macarons is black sesame paste. Made from roasted, ground, and slowly processed pure black sesame seeds and nothing else, this popular Japanese condiment is similar to the widely consumed peanut or almond butter in the west. It is a versatile product that Japanese people spread on bread and other snacks. You can also add it to dishes like soup or stews. They also put it right on the top of ice cream!

Not only will this black sesame seed paste give the macarons a rich nutty taste, but it is also full of minerals like calcium and healthy saturated fats, including Omega 3 fatty acids. While all sesame seeds contain these beneficial qualities, black sesame seeds contain even more than the golden variety. We highly recommend this authentic, high-quality Japanese black sesame paste. It is full of flavor and matches so perfectly with the green tea cream inside the cookie for a decadent sensation that will impress your friends and family!

How to Macaronage

Macronage is a French culinary technique that gives macarons a unique texture that is chewy yet smooth and provides delight when eating macarons. The secret to the method is to mix and fold the batter until it reaches a “glossy” consistency. Not enough mixing and folding will not achieve this, and if you go too far, you will lose this texture, making stops at the right time critical. The process is much like making a French “meringue”. However, the batter is a bit thicker, and so the final product will also be more decadent and heavier.

Cooking Tips:

• Making macarons is a form of art. It takes patience. Don’t skip or shorten the drying/cooling time!
• You can use black sesame latte mix instead of matcha powder for the creamy inside if you want to make them completely sesame seed-based.

Ingredients

• 2 Egg White 60g
• ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar 60g
• ½ cup Confectioners’ Sugar 60g
• 2 Tbsp Almond Powder 25g
• 1 Tbsp Pure Black Sesame Paste 14g

Cream

• 2.8 oz White Chocolate 80g
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream 64g
• ½ tsp Matcha Powder 2g

Instructions

Make Chocolate Cream Filling

1. In a small pot, heat the heavy cream and matcha powder over low heat. Make sure not to boil.
2. Break white chocolate into small pieces and add to the mixture. Mix and melt until shiny.
3. Cool it down and move it to a container. Place it in the refrigerator for about two hours and let it cool completely.

Make Macaron

1. While you wait for the cream to cool down, make macarons.
2. Sift powdered sugar and almond powder. Set them aside.
3. In a bowl, beat egg whites. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Add powdered sugar and almond powder. Using spatula, fold until the batter isn't powdery.
5. Add pure black sesame paste and mix.
6. Keep folding until the batter is smooth, shiny, and flowy (macaronage).
7. Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter and pipe out 1-inch even-sized pieces on a lined baking sheet.
8. Rest and dry the batter for 30-50 minutes until it doesn't stick to your finger when gently touched on the surface.
9. Preheat the oven to 320F.
10. Place the baking sheet into the oven and lower the temperature to 285F. Bake for 15 minutes.
11. Let them cool completely.
12. Sandwich the cream with two macarons.
13. Enjoy!