A throwback to my favourite childhood lunchbox sandwich, these Peanut Butter Banana Macarons are perfectly peanutty cookies, stuffed with a silky banana ganache and dollop of peanut butter.
I have no proof beyond my word, but I may quite possibly hold the record for most PB&B sandwiches eaten…in the entire universe. And I may have very well broken my own record with these Peanut Butter Banana Macarons.
Peanut butter-banana-chocolate pairing is high on my flavour combo list - it just never gets old. It reminds me of my childhood and if I am totally honest, much of my post-secondary years, as well.
Granted, in macaron form, they are a little more sophisticated and grown-up than my lunchbox sandwich. I’ve replaced the toasted wheat bread with cookies made of ground peanuts (peanut flour) and stuffed them with homemade peanut butter and a silky, rich dark chocolate, banana ganache. YUMMMMM...
Oh, and I boozed them up a little to distinguish them from the childhood lunchbox sandwich variety and because... well, ADULTHOOD!
My very first attempt at making macarons yielded a sad looking set of peachy, footless step cousins to the real deal. With my second batch, a foot fetish steeped in almonds and egg whites was born. I am still filled with disturbingly childish excitement each time I peer through the oven door to see those feet forming. Tell me I am not alone here. ANYONE??
Speaking of feet... I switched to perforated pans last year and noticed an improvement in the quality of my macaron feet - smoother and less sticky soles. Now, I am not suggesting these pans are needed to make better macarons - I've had great results over the years with regular sheet pans. Just thought I'd share. I've also found the perforated pans great for baking tarts and cookies.
This batch is made with ground peanuts - a very first for me! I bought a ton of peanuts to try my hand at panning (see previous post), so I had a bunch left over. Plus, peanut cookies seemed a more natural choice for recreating my beloved lunchbox sandwich.
Guys, they were OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. AH-MAZING! The dark, nutty notes of the Valrhona Caraibe 66% was a perfect blend with the banana puree - rich and silky, but not too sweet. Add a touch of homemade one-ingredient peanut butter, stuff them between those peanut cookies and BOOM!
All that's missing are my juice box, my days of the week undies and my sesame street sing-a-long DVD. 🎶 Sunny days, chasing the clouds away.... 🎶 🙂
I sometimes get questions from family, friends, colleagues and my readers about secrets to making macarons. Secrets? None here. Hell, I still produce a bad batch from time to time, but way less often these days. I am certainly no expert, but here's my approach to making macarons:
- Relax! They are just cookies, after all. I go into this in my post here.
- Tap that
a**, um... mac! Actually more like a few firm, show 'em who's boss whacks on a flat surface after piping to release any trapped air bubbles. I never skip this step. - My preference is the Italian meringue method - I have less failures with this method. But, I am too impatient, so I usually use the French method.
- To rest or not to rest? I let me macs rest purely out of habit. One chef I was taught by, didn't and they turned out great! When I use the Italian method, I skip the resting, as she taught us and I have not had any problems.
- Practice! I think about working with chocolate and how we were made to repeat the tempering process many times in each class, until we were at the point of recognizing its readiness by sight and feel. Same with macarons - over time, you will start to recognize when your meringue and batter are where they need to be. I made a small batch of macarons every week, to my friends and neighbours delight, back when I was frustrated with the failed batches. I still have some not so great batches, but way fewer.
- If you are new to macaron making, do a little research. At the end of the day, good macarons are a result of good technique - The Brave Tart will tell you all about that. Also, Mardi at eatlivetravelwrite has a free guide and many macaron posts.
- Experiment! One you are comfortable with the basics, experiment. You can use other nuts like pistachio, hazelnuts and even seeds. You can also use fruit and vegetable powders to flavour the cookies. I've used beet, pumpkin and berry powders. Where you can really get creative with flavours, from sweet to savoury, are your fillings.
- Finally, HAVE FUN!! I have a full time career unrelated to food, so any time I spend in the kitchen needs to have some element of fun.
Soooo...have YOU made macarons? If not, what's your biggest fear/worry in tackling them? If yes, what's your favourite technique/tip? Would love to hear - leave me a note in the comments below.
Ingredients
Banana Ganache:
- 142 grams cream 35%
- 30 grams liquid glucose
- 60 grams banana puree
- 45 grams butter room temperature
- 220 grams dark chocolate a mix of dark and milk would work, but I found it too sweet, 66%
- 25 grams banana liqueur
- cocoa for dusting
Macarons:
- 110 grams egg whites
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- 125 grams roasted peanuts
- 175 grams confectioner's sugar
Peanut Butter:
- 300 grams peanuts roasted unsalted
- peanut or coconut oil as needed
- salt to taste
Instructions
To make the ganache:
- Melt the chocolate and set aside.
- Add the cream and glucose to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and whisk into the banana puree.
- Add the banana-cream mixture to the melted chocolate in two additions, stirring constantly.
- Add the butter and liqueur and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. I sometimes use my hand/immersion blender to help emulsify the mixture.
- Allow to cool and set at room temperature.
To make the macarons:
- Line two cookie sheet pans with a template (if using one) and cover with Silpat mat or parchment.
- In a food processor, combine the peanuts and confectioner's sugar and pulse until combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until foamy using the whisk attachment.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg whites, continuing to whip and increasing the speed to high until stiff peaks are formed.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and one-third of the almond mixture to the meringue, using a spatula to fold into the meringue. Repeat with the other two-thirds. Do not over-mix.
- The batter should flow back into a flat smooth surface when you run the spatula through it.
- Transfer batter to a large pastry bag snipped to a half-inch opening, or fitted with a round piping tip.
- Pipe to your preferred size/shape, leaving an inch between each.
- Remove template (if one was used) by sliding it out from under the Silpat or parchment.
- On a levelled surface, firmly tap the pans a few times to remove any peaks and air bubbles.
- Allow the piped macarons to rest for thirty minutes, longer depending on the conditions in your home.
- While the macarons are resting, pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
- Bake macarons on middle rack of oven for 5minutes. Rotate and bake another 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
To make the peanut butter:
- Place peanuts in a food processor and blend until smooth. If needed, add a little oil to help the process along. Add a pinch of salt close to the end.
- Store in an airtight container.
Assembly:
- Arrange cookies in pairs, one side facing up and the other down.
- Use a little cocoa to dust the tops the cookies designated as the top.
- Pipe a penny-size amount of peanut butter in the centre of the other half.
- Using a decorative tip (I used the French tip), pipe around the outer edges.
- Please the cocoa-dusted cookie on top of the filled side and press lightly, with a gentle twist to secure.
- Place in a airtight container and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Notes
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
Simply stunning! These macs have it all, childhood memories and adult cravings for a sophisticated sweet, sublime.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Nicely put! Where were you when I was struggling with the opening? 😉
Pui says
Hi! Your macaron looks amazing! Can I ask what your trick is to make them so white? I'm new to macarons and have tried to bake without any colors added but it turns comes out brownish. You also mentioned fruit powders to flavor the cookies? Where do you buy them and do you have a recipe on how to use the powders in the cookies? Thank you!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Hi Pui! They appear a little lighter in the photos than they actually were - I may have over-processed a little. They were closer to a peanut colour. However, I have used white food colour in powder form, to help keep my macarons on the white side. I sometimes make my own fruit powder by dehydrating fruits and grinding them in a coffee grinder. I also purchase them from nuts.com, or you can find them at Trader Joe's in the US, or on Amazon. Check out my Mango Ganche macarons - I used blueberry powder to colour the cookies. Also, I used strawberry powder to flavour my strawberry shortcake macarons. Hope this is helpful!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
I love peanut butter with bananas!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Ditto! 🙂
Corina says
These look amazing! I have made macarons and they tasted great but I have not managed to make any that have looked good yet! Love the banana and pb flavour.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Keep at it, Corina! If you have a look at my very first batch, they were enough to make me give up.
David @ CookingChat says
looks like your practice along with a new tool has yielded a great result!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Thank you!
Sarah says
PB&B sandwiches are a classic...have no shame in the amount you've eaten! Ha! These macrons look amazing, can't wait to try them out!
I Sugar Coat It! says
No shame - I wear that record like a boss! 😉 Thank you!
Debi at Life Currents says
These look awesome! Elvis macarons! hee hee I want to eat every one of these!
I Sugar Coat It! says
YEAH!!! Maybe I'll throw some bacon in the mix next batch. 🙂
Emily says
Wow these are so perfect....I need to master making these you've gave some great tips!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Thanks! So pleased you found the tips helpful, Emily!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
These are stunning - your photography is beautiful! We had the most amazing macroons in Paris and I would love to make my own.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Ahhh oui, Paris! Go for it and many thanks!
Kristen says
These are just pretty! Love them!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Thank YOU!
Lisa | Garlic + Zest says
These are so beautiful and I absolutely adore the flavor combination you've done. I've never made macarons before -- but have enjoyed them several times both here and in Paris. You look like a pro at making them!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Ahh, thank you, Lisa! You should definitely try your hand at making macs - it's less intimidating than one might think.
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
These look AMAZING, making macarons still scares me, but you've inspired me to give it a try!
I Sugar Coat It! says
YAY! Hope you give it a try and look forward to seeing the end results!
Natalie says
My mouth is watering just looking at these...they sound amazing! I’ve made 3 batches of macarons so far:) They actually all came out really pretty looking but my one struggle has been hollow shells that crack/crumble if you grab them too hard. Most of what I’ve looked up tells me I’m overbeating the meringue
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Thanks Natalie. These took some playing around with the peanut flour,but we were really pleased with the end result. Ah yes, over-beating will do that and macarons seem to have a mind all their own. When I started, I made them as often as possible until I saw consistent results. Every now and again though, they stir up a little trouble. 🙂