Salted Caramel Macarons

As usual, I am very behind on blogging, although most of it was caused by school starting and all that jazz.  So, after realizing that my last post was titled 4th of July recap, which was 3 months ago, I decided I really needed to update this thing.  So. I know have posted about macarons before, but these have caramel inside.  No, its not caramel sauce, not caramel frosting but pure, salted caramel.

And of course, I don't have a nice camera yet (still stuck with an old i-phone) so my photo's are less than perfect. These Macarons are perfect for dessert tables, constant snacking, or a popcorn replacement. I used Martha Stewart's Parisian macaron recipe:

• 1 1/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely ground sliced, blanched almonds
• 6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra-large eggs)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. To make the macarons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macarons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.
3. Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macarons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

And the caramel recipe is from Gourmet Mom on the Go.  This is always my go-to recipe for caramel because it only takes 10 minutes and a microwave.  How easy is that(plus its super easy to memorize)!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup (not dark-doesn't set right)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup SWEETENED CONDENSED milk
1 t. vanilla
Sea Salt (I used Hawaiian sea salt)

Directions:
Melt butter in large microwave bowl. Stir in Karo syrup, both sugars and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until dissolved. Microwave on high 5 minutes, stirring in between.  You may need to play around with the cooking time.  I made mine too thin, but if yours is too thin, melt it again (if necessary) and stir in some milk or cream. . Stir in vanilla. Pour into buttered dish and refrigerate until set.  Shmear some on half of each macaron and enjoy!