Christmas in Review, Rae Dunn Mugs, and more | Five on Friday

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Happy New Year! I took a bit of a blogging break this week… we will be back next week with Thursday Favorite Things again! Also, full posting on Sundays and Tuesdays will resume as usual.

 I thought I would share some snaps from my Christmas shopping that I did not get to share earlier!

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Christmas Shopping!

I spotted these Gingerbread houses… aren’t they cute???

I forgot to make a gingerbread house this year… oh well.

 I spotted this super cute booth in an antique mall!

 Loved the blue crystals from a chandelier on this glitter feather tree!

 Clever tree topper…

 Cute ornament idea you could DIY at home.

 Fun tree…

 Love this snowman by Ino Schaller!

 Isn’t this glam tree fabulous? Yeah, at 4k to it ought to be!!

 I liked these silver bells… didn’t have a place for them this year.

 Christmas Outfit

Here was my Christmas party outfit, or at least a little preview of it!

 Mercury Glass Ornament Dough Bowl

Unfortunately I just bought these large mercury glass ornaments right before Christmas so I did not have time to set up a photoshoot of them! Aren’t they fantastic?

I got them at an antique mall – I doubt they are antique because I read the antique ones go for $$$ and mine were not $$$, but I like them anyway!

Rae Dunn Mug

I spotted this vignette also in antique mall.  These Rae Dunn Mugs are super popular right now – blowing up the instagram feeds, aren’t they? They aren’t *quite* my style, but it doesn’t mean I don’t like them! Maybe I’ll get one for work…

There are tea and coffee mugs, Wifey, Darling  , I woke up like this, Purr, Blessed,  Hey Girl, Mine, Gulp and Slurp, Brilliant,  Queen, and many more here!

These Rae Dunn Dog Bowls actually crack me up!

Do you have any Rae Dunn mugs?!

Happy New Year!!!

Can you believe 2016 is over?!?! I CANNOT!

I am thankful for a wonderful 2016. I look forward to 2017. Hopefully our house will be built! 

Wishing you a safe and Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas 2016

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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas today! 

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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

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‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, 

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; 

source- Monika Hibbs

The children were nestled all snug in their beds; 

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; 

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, 

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap, 

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. 

Away to the window I flew like a flash, 

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. 

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, 

Gave a lustre of midday to objects below, 

When what to my wondering eyes did appear, 

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer, 

With a little old driver so lively and quick, 

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick. 

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, 

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: 

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! 

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” 

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, 

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; 

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew 

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too— 

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof 

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. 

As I drew in my head, and was turning around, 

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. 

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, 

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; 

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, 

And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack. 

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry! 

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! 

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, 

And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow; 

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, 

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath; 

He had a broad face and a little round belly 

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. 

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, 

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; 

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head 

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; 

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, 

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, 


source, Hannele78 – check it out! Many lovely other pictures!

And laying his finger aside of his nose, 

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; 

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, 

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. 

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight— 

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

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Favorite Vintage Style Ornaments

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Do you have a favorite ornament? I do! I have several, but I am sharing my most favorite two ornaments.

The first one is this Steiff mohair kitten in a mitten! Isn’t she cute!  I have never seen an ornament like it before and as you all know I love cats!

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My other favorite ornament is this one below – it contains my wedding cake topper!

What I noticed about both of these ornaments is that they are both vintage-themed.
Finding old vintage ornaments can be tough sometimes… they are often broken, faded, or missing parts.
What I liked about the kitten in the mitten is that it has the vintage look, but it is new.
The wedding ornament, however, actually has the vintage figurines inside.
I’m sharing a few cute vintage style ornaments I found on the net.

I love this vintage brass ornament.

I love these vintage style ornaments in red and green.

I love this vintage bottle brush wreath ornament.

I love the pastels of this vintage style set.

Love these vintage metallic ornaments!

This vintage drop ornament is perfect for all decorating styles!

Isn’t this vintage Santa cute?

Love this ornament with its tinsel and pastel blue! (this one is similar but slightly different)

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Chef Tree for the Kitchen

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This year I have updated my Chef Tree!! We added some candy canes and little sprigs of silver faux glitter branches. I like the texture it adds!

Now, this tree currently is sitting in the kitchen, but I had it on this table before I moved it!

I like all my little chef ornaments!

Aren’t they cute?

Not all of the ornaments on the tree are chefs… some sweets snuck there way in there!

Hmm… maybe next year I will add some more sweets and baking items to this tree…

The tree is surrounded by chef nutcrackers! They also help hide the ugly base!

I hope you enjoyed my little chef tree!!!  I know I have a lot of trees, but what can I say, I love Christmas!

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Winter Woodland Tree

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I love this Winter Woodland tree that we put up every year.  It sits in the front window so you can see it when you come up the driveway!

The cardinal used to sit on my “regular” tree, but I put it on the woodland tree this year and I really like the red against the white!

I got this little snow goose ornament this year. I think he is cute.

The woodland tree is filled full of many pinecone owls… maybe I should have called it the owl tree! There are pine cones, acorns, faux pomegranates, and various birds and animals in this tree!

Several little snow globe ornaments fill the tree too!

We put the little deer below the tree which adds to the Woodland theme.

To have them fit under the tree, I put the tree on a box (it is full of books to support the tree!) and cover it with a tree skirt.  The deer were purchased over the years at various stores.

 I love this tree.  You know, I have people ask me “why do you have so many trees?”  The answer: because I like them, that’s why!

 

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Christmas Tree 2016

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Let’s have a look at the main Christmas tree!  This year it is an 8′ Noble Fir and it is the crown jewel of my Christmas decor!

I don’t have a specific theme for this tree as I do with the others.  They are just some of my favorite ornaments that I have collected through the years.

A Santa with his reindeer garland dances through the tree…

It is filled with handmade ornaments from Germany as well as vintage style ornaments.  There are also ornaments collected from our various travels.  An ornament is a great little trinket to remind yourself of trips that you took!

I also put some other strands of lights into the tree, below you can see a strand of ornaments filled with string lights…

There tree sits next to Ms. Mora and makes the clock look quite pretty at night! 

A closer look at both…

My favorite ornament is the one below… it was our wedding topper that my Mom put inside of an ornament!  A clever idea and one you could do too if your topper is small enough! 

The tree is so pretty, especially at night time.  

Every year the main tree looks a bit different. This year I did not put icicle ornaments on as I do with previous years, as I was afraid of how my cat would react to the tree.

So far she is most interested in pulling the ribbons and trying to open the presents.

Oh, and drinking tree water.

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Simple Last Minute Christmas Arrangements for the House

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Do you feel like your Christmas decor needs a little extra “oomph” before the relatives show up before the holidays?

I have a few simple ideas which involve either real or faux greenery/florals. They don’t take that long to make and it really adds a nice touch to your decor.

Here I have a French bucket filled with faux greenery.  It consists of frosted white berries, magnolias, sprigs of faux evergreen, red berries, and sparkled silver sprigs.

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Here I just tucked a few faux poinsettias and pinecones in the swan vase. Last year I put real poinsettias in the swan. Then I didn’t water them and they died, so this year went with faux ones!

Do you have a larger sized clock?  Just tuck a few pieces of faux greenery on top!

You could hang some wreaths in front of mirrors or other pictures.  I love these boxwood wreaths! They are so versatile. Here are some places to purchase them: here, little square ones here, a larger one here, and here. I love using these through the Winter and Spring as well!

Below is French wine bucket filled with greenery.

Or, you could always just pull a vase out of the closet and tuck some Christmas colored flowers.  Here I used red roses, white carnations, and sprigs from our redwood trees outside.

 I hope you found these last minute ideas useful!

simple last minute christmas arrangements for the house

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Handmade Christmas Spice Topiaries

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I was shopping in one of my favorite stores, Napa Valley Vintage Home, when I spotted these cool handmade Christmas spice topiaries! Aren’t they pretty?

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These decorations are all handmade but what’s unique about it is that they are made without the use of glue or styrofoam! They are made by an Austrian lady named Ida.

They are adorned with cloves, cinnamon, star anise, pine cones, nuts, and gold and silver filigree!

This mixture creates a very nice aroma!

They are in the old style of the Austrian Biedermeir period which is probably why I liked them!

I am always searching for unique things that one cannot find in a big box store and these “fit the bill” exactly.   They are made by Salzburg Creations.

Also, I was not paid to write about these or about my favorite store. I just like them and thought I would spread the word.

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Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Francophile

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I have rounded up a few last minute gift ideas for the Francophile!  

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Here I have sorted them out into categories.  The corresponding pictures are above, the rows are from top to bottom.

Row 1 – Outfits 

The Francophile would *love* the following outfit: Breton-striped cotton topLongchamp Le Pliage Shoulder Tote Bag,  with a Wool Beret

Row 2 – Accessories

Get her some French perfume! This Diptyque – Holiday Set Of Five Eau De Parfums is lovely.  My friend just got me this Ladurée  Macarons Keyring and I LOVE it! This  Travel Journal is super cute.

Row 3- French Soaps

You cannot go wrong with French soaps! I love all of the Pre de Provence Soaps! I also love L’occitane’s Bonne Mere Soap. This hand cream is seriously my FAVORITE:L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Row 4- Accessories

This is the best smelling candle ever: Diptyque Baies Scented Candle. It smells of the prettiest roses.  This cute Paris by Laduree book is sure to be a winner!  Splurge for a wonderful Baccarat Clear Noel Fir Tree  for the table.

Row 5- French Linens

You cannot go wrong with French linens as a gift. We have a beautiful Striped Pillow, French Stripe Table Runner, or French Stripe Napkins.

Row 6- For the Tabletop

This set of 6 La Rochère Fleur De Lys Highball Glasses are really lovely.  I love the pattern of this authentic French plate:Faiencerie De Gien Gien Bouquet Dessert Plate.  These Francophile plates by Nathalie Lete “Francophile Dinner Plate” are lovely too!

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Elf on the Shelf, Glam Party Shoes, and more – 5 on Friday

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Can you believe how fast December is flying by? I cannot! I am so behind on reading all of my favorite blogs! I am going to have to comment on everyone’s beautiful posts in January! 

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Holiday Party Shoes

Ok, so last week I was looking at party shoes, but then I started dreaming of what the REALLY expensive shoes look like, and well, here we are!

Dolce & Gabbana

Gianvito Rossi

Roger Vivier

Gucci

Prada

Stuart Weitzman

Elf on the Shelf

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?

Well, I got one this year. No I don’t have kids but she is kind of cute. I post pictures sometimes on IG and my sister-in-law tells me my nephews enjoy her shenanigans.

I called her Coco (for Chanel and for hot Cocoa).

I read all of these parent groups who didn’t like how the elf on the shelf promoted only good behavior at Christmas time or how the whole idea was creepy of the elf spying on you every day.

You could always just change the story, saying they are visiting from Santa and are here to spread Christmas cheer. No spying creepiness or behavior problems then.

Chateau Duganes

The Chateau Duganes has a cute little storybook advent calendar… everyday they have been sharing a little story about their renovation of the Chateau! It is a cute little story.

Favorite Instagrams

Paris starting to look all festive ❤️

A photo posted by Carin Olsson (@parisinfourmonths) on

A photo posted by Miranda Martin (@glittermirango) on

A photo posted by Mel Lee (@mel.leey) on

A photo posted by Alex V (@alexviguie) on


Christmas Posts

Have you missed my 25 days of Christmas posts?  I have been posting everyday about Christmas.  You can see them all here.

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Buche De Noel 2016

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Have you ever had a Bûche de Noël?  No? How about a Yule Log? Well, they are the same thing!

Except, the Bûche de Noël sounds much fancier… and when the French make them, they also look fancier!

Above, by Lenôtre, a chocolate cake with marshmallow and meringue!

Above, also by Lenôtre, a chestnut mousse that hides in its heart a brown-blackcurrant-blueberry filling placed on a chestnut biscuit and sanded crunchy blackcurrant. Coated with chocolate icing milk and chestnut cream.


Below, a chocolate almond mini cake!

Below, a delicate pear sorbet with pears from the King’s Vegetable Garden at Chateau de Versailles, married to a chestnut ice cream with a chestnut cream and chestnut chips, covered with a fine almond paste. Covered in candied fruits and chocolate balls .

What’s not to like about chocolate and marshmallow cake below?

A dancer in feathers of white chocolate, sugar swans, dark chocolate moon, all dancing on a shortbread crust with orange compote and an almond biscuit. Certainly not your traditional buche!

This chocolate, raspberry and vanilla buche is from Angelina’s Paris!

 This Mousse praline with caramelized hazelnuts, a dacquoise hazelnut biscuit coated with a marmalade and an orange cream is being served at the Ritz Paris!

This cute little car is at the Plaza Athenee, inside the car are strawberries and cream with violet, the wheels are in gianduja, the bumper in chocolate and the windshield in sugar.

Below, three beautiful creations from Hugo et Victor! The first, a chocolate hazelnut!

The second, a beautiful lemon meringue! I love the lemons on top!!

 This Buche looks like a Book, it is a Tanzanian mousse and Peruvian cream, praliné in two textures with crunchy almond praliné, hazelnut praline light cream and a chocolate biscuit! Can you say miam miam?

This pretty in pink cake is from Laduree, it is an almond biscuit with creamy cheese, light pink champagne mousse and strawberry confit.

This beautiful star one is from Pierre Herme, it is chocolate, but there are many other flavors!

This one is limited edition from Pierre Herme, it is made of three logs of wood with bark in almond paste and garnished with light ganache with chocolate.

This one below is so cute, it is from a la mere de famille!  It is Caramel ice cream with chocolate and crisp speculoos.

 All of the following are from Jean Paul Hevin.  This can can girl cake is chocolate, almond and cherry! 

This one below is made of frozen chestnuts with strawberries on an almond biscuit, with caramelized Italian Meringue.

This city scene below is made of chocolate and almond biscuit, caramelized orange crème-brulée, chocolate mousse, cereal, orange and candied ginger crisp.

 This fashion purse is made of a dark chocolate biscuit boosted with Venezuela Grand Cru dark chocolate mousse and crisp gluten-free streusel with dark chocolate.

 This Tuilieres Log below is a dark chocolate and almond biscuit soaked with the green cardamom infusion, chocolate mousse with cocoa Grand Cru from Ecuador, chocolate and pistachio gianduja.

Patrick Roger makes a moose of chocolate and caramelized almond trees!

Now, the question is, which one would YOU order??? I think I would go for the moose, mainly because it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in the states before! But, for flavor, I think I would probably choose the Hugo & Victor Book!


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French Christmas Ideas – Thursday Favorite Things

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Last week we looked at some Farmhouse Christmas ideas… this week it is French Christmas decor ideas!  

Maison de Cinq shares this lovely Maison style Christmas home tour in golds, whites, creams and greens.

Okay, so this is Scadinavian, or as some will call it French Nordic, but it is super cute! Tried and True blog shares this super easy tutorial on making this cute stocking!

Garden Matter shared these dried citrus ornaments.

Belle Bleu Interiors shared her French Country Christmas Home tour in blues, reds, golds and silver.


Reinvented Collection, one of our co-hostesses shares her French Country Christmas home tour in rose quartz and serenity blue with golds and greens.



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Katherine’s Corner
Peonies and Orange Blossoms
Reinvented Collection
Surrounding’s by Debi
Marilyn’s Treats
Vintage Mama’s Cottage


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Please Link your favorite post or a post about your favorite things.

Please visit at least two links ahead of yours – Follow All of Your Hostesses-link to your post not your blog main page –Please go to the source of a photo to pin it to Pinterest so that the author of the post is credited. By sharing with us you are agreeing that the photos are yours or that you have permission to use them, and that we may use your photos to feature your post on social media, pinterest or as a feature on our blogs. All of the hostesses are selecting their favorites to share on their blogs each week, so your chances of being selected as a favorite are multiplied. 

Share your best work and let’s get your post featured!

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Christmas Present Wrapping Ideas

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As I know we have all been busy shopping, the next step is to wrap your presents!

Usually I just pick whatever paper I find in the store, but for several years now I have been wanting to wrap my presents up in a theme.

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This year’s theme is “brown paper packages tied up with strings.” Which, of course, is from the song “My Favorite Things” in The Sound of Music.

I used various ribbons for the packages.  Some are also adorned with ornaments, bells, and candy.

I love the idea of attaching greenery to the presents, but I wrap mine in advance the greenery would long be dead before they would be given away!

Here are some great ideas to attach to the ribbons on your packages:

bells

candy canes

greenery

cinnamon sticks

chocolate

gift tag

ornaments

gingerbread

bows

Let’s look at some inspiration for wrapping paper themes…

Beautiful pink and gold…

Jennelise Rose

Gingerbread tags adorn brown paper packages…

Decorators Notebook

For a more modern look, black and white paper with green ribbons!

House & Home

 Tartan or plaid gift wrap… here is red and gold and another pretty tartan paper.

via

White paper with colorful ribbons

Good housekeeping

Neutral colors…

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Blue and silver

C.Roehm


 Purple and gold theme…

Music sheets or antique texts as paper…

Dear Lillie

Not all packages are for adults! How about these little snowmen for the kids, idea from Owe craft.

Or, if you are into printed paper, this is a pretty fun print!

If you want more prints, you could just choose printed paper and stick to a color theme.

Or you could stick to a theme, like all snowmen printed paper for instance.

I wrapped the presents for the kids in an Elf on the Shelf wrapping paper this year… thought they might find the brown “boring”!


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Chocolate Orange Ganache Macarons

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If you regularly read my blog, you know that I *love* macarons.  I tried one many years ago and was in love.  Then one day several years ago, my Dad and I decided we were going try to bake them.

Of course we couldn’t just make one, we made a whole day of it…  We made 6 flavors and about 600 macarons.

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chocolate orange ganache macarons recipe

Since then, I have been practicing and baking them with all sorts of different flavors.  Today I present to you the chocolate orange ganache macaron!

You know those little chocolate oranges that you wack on the table to break the orange apart that are popular at Christmas? That is what inspired this flavor!

The oranges and satsumas came from my garden… that is what I love about California. The rest of the country is covered in snow and we can walk outside and pick fruit!

(I used oranges for the flavor and satsumas and oranges for the photoshoot)

Chocolate Orange Ganache Macarons

If you’ve never made macarons before, let me tell you, these are very finicky cookies. In fact, the French don’t consider them cookies at all, they are actually considered little pastries (as I was told by a Parisian in one of the patisseries, or rather, scolded, for thinking they were cookies).

 

Here are a few tips…

Never make them on a rainy day.  They will not turn out.

When you are folding your almond flour into the meringue, you have to get it just right.  The right consistency is like that of molten lava.

You have to have a scale to weigh your ingredients. The tbsp and cups do not work.

You have to be in the right mood. Seriously. If you are stressed, they will not turn out because you will mess something up in the process.

Chocolate Orange Ganache Macarons

Materials needed: (affiliate links are used for your convenience)

    • a food scale (yes, you need this. I use this one)
    • a piping tip and piping bag (I like the ateco #806, I use these tips and piping bag)
    • Food coloring (the gels or dry powder works best, not the liquid store stuff)
    • A macaron template
    • food processor (I use this one)

Chocolate Macaron Shells (get the printable recipe HERE)

260g almond flour

250g powdered sugar

15g cocoa powder

210g granulated sugar

210g egg whites
brown food coloring, *optional*

1.  Mix almond meal, cocoa powder, and the powdered sugar in a food processor. Be careful not to grind too long, otherwise it will form a paste.

2. Sift the almonds, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Set aside.

3. Weigh out granulated sugar.

4. Weigh the egg whites.  Beat them slowly on a low speed until foamy. SLOWLY add the granulated sugar to the egg whites as you beat.  Once all mixed, increase speed to medium and beat until a firm meringue forms.  You want a firm meringue with glossy peaks but not stiff peaks.  They should defy gravity and remain in the bowl if you turn it upside down.  If you tilt your bowl to the side and they are sliding out, keep beating.

5. Add the food coloring gel and mix.  To make mine a richer brown color, I used “chocolate brown” food coloring.

6. Then fold in 1/3rd of the almond/sugar mixture into the meringue with a silicone spatula.  Once combined, add another third of the almond mixture. Add last bit.  This batter requires more deflation during this step since it creates such a poofy meringue.

7. Add the batter to a piping bag.  Pipe in rows using your template onto parchment paper.

8. Pick up the pan and beat until the counter.  The cookies need to rest on the counter between 30-60 minutes.  They are ready to go in the oven when they are dry to touch (the shell shouldn’t stick to your finger)

9.  Set the oven to 300F.

10. Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes one sheet at a time. They are done when they look kind of matte and seem firm when you lightly tap on them.  You can always rescue a slightly overcooked one with the maturation process that comes later, but you cannot rescue an undercooked one!!

11.  Remove from paper once completely cool. If they stick they stick to the paper, they aren’t cool yet.

 

Chocolate Orange Ganache Filling (adopted from this French website)

150g dark chocolate, finely chopped

100g heavy cream

zest of one orange (or clementine/satsuma)

50g of fresh squeezed orange juice

 

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the zest of one orange.  Do not let it boil, just when it starts to steam.  Leave it to infuse for 30 minutes.  I turned it off the heat and covered the saucepan while it infused.

2. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

3. After 30 minutes, bring the cream just to a simmer (just to get the cream hot enough to melt the chocolate)
4. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute. Then, gently stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate has melted. Do not whip it, you want to gently stir it as not to add air into the ganache. Next, add the orange juice and gently mix in until combined.
5. Next, pour into a dish and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before placing in your macaron shells. You can store the ganache in the fridge for longer (I do not know how long, probably until the cream expires?)

Assembly
Either pipe or spread the ganache over one macaron shell, then place another on top. Store in an airtight container for 24 hours in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge 2 hours before eating them. Resist the urge to eat them immediately – I promise they will be better on the second day!
*note* You can use either fresh orange, clementine, or satsuma for these cookies – they will all taste good!

 

Chocolate Orange Ganache Macarons

I thought these were a great alternative to the peppermint chocolate ganache to make for the Christmas holidays as I know there are quite a few peppermint haters.

This is a great website with lots of info on Macaron Troubleshooting!

Chocolate Orange Ganache Macarons

They are really really good.  You can’t eat just one.

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