It is important that you weigh the ingredients to obtain good results.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the almond meal and confectioners' sugar until it becomes a fine powder, about 30 pulses. Sift the almond meal mixture into a large bowl. If small chunks of almond remain in the sifter, process the chunks in the food processor and sift back into bowl. Set aside.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a standing mixer. Whip the eggs with the whip attachment on medium-low speed. Once soft peaks start appearing (2 – 3 minutes) add the cream of tartar and then slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar onto the egg whites while the mixer is still running. Increase speed to medium high and whip until stiff peaks appear.
Using a spatula, fold in the white food coloring (if using) and about 1/3 of the almond and sugar mixture until combined. Fold in another third of the almond mixture until combined, then repeat with remaining almond meal mixture and fold until batter is fully mixed. Batter should easily drop from the spatula but shouldn't be runny. Be cautious to not overmix though.
Remove 1/3 cup of the batter and place into a small bowl. Add black food coloring, a little at a time and thoroughly mix until desired shade is reached. Place into a piping bag fitted with a size 3 round tip. I like to use a coupler so I can change out tips if needed, such as using a size 2 tip to pipe the mouth of the panda.
Place the remaining batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (I used a size 10). Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper, making 1-inch to 1-1/2-inch circles. (You can do this free hand or have a template placed beneath the parchment paper.) Leave 1 – 2 inches between the cookie circles to allow for spreading.
Using the black batter, pipe the panda face details: eyes, nose, and ears on half the macarons. On the remaining macarons, pipe a round tail. If desired, switch to a smaller round tip and pipe mouth details.
Once baking sheets have been filled, firmly tap the sheets on the counter 2 times to release any air bubbles in the batter. Let the cookie shells rest on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes, until the tops feel dry. They should NOT feel sticky or tacky. This will prevent the tops from cracking when baked.
Preheat the oven to 315 degrees (F) and position the rack in the lower third of the oven.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 – 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
They will be done if the cookie lifts fairly easy from the parchment. If it sticks or separates from the bottom, cook a minute or two longer.
Remove baking sheet from oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from parchment paper.
Combine the white chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat in the microwave, on full power, for 1 minute. Remove and whisk until melted and smooth. If needed return bowl to microwave and heat an additional 15 seconds, being very careful to not overheat.
Once melted, place the bowl in the refrigerator until it cools. Stir often until it becomes a spreadable consistency that won't drip off the macaron. If the ganache is too firm, reheat in the microwave for 5 seconds and rewhisk. If it becomes too thin, re-chill until spreadable.
Place the ganache in a piping bag fitted with wide, round tip.
Match up the cookie shells into face and tail pairs. Pipe a layer of white chocolate ganache onto the bottom side of one cookie and then add the top cookie, creating a “sandwich”. Press the cookies together to spread the ganache to the edges. If desired, brush pink petal dust onto the cheeks of the panda macarons.
Immediately serve. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.
Use blanched almond meal for lighter-colored macarons.
I didn't stir my batter long enough so it was too thick as I piped it. The batter should easily drip from the spatula. It resulted in having to bake the macarons longer than necessary which made them extra crunchy instead of slightly chewy. My husband actually preferred them this way!
*Feel free to substitute semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for the white chocolate.
https://cinnamonsugarandalittlebitofmurder.com