Orange (Basketball) Macarons with

Triple Sec Chocolate Ganache Filling

May: National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs

Long before we lived in Texas, we were fans of the San Antonio Spurs because of Center David Robinson. We admired “The Admiral” for his athletic talents, philantropic efforts and service to his country as an officer in the United States Navy (Islander is a Navy brat). Having won several awards and championships in his 14-year basketball career with the Spurs, Robinson retired from the NBA in 2003 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Once in a while, we would see this legend sitting courtside at the games cheering on his former team.

The Spurs won four NBA championship titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, and made it to the playoffs again this year (19 out of 20 times so far) but unfortunately did not advance to the next round. Nevertheless, we still support the “Silver, Black and White” team and like all the hoop-la! Whether watching them on TV or at the AT&T Center, we enjoy the Spurs’ energetic games with Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan leading the other skilled players.

We made macarons in the spirit of the Spurs and as part of MacAttack Challenge #19 for a sporty snack. The “basketball” shells are flavored with orange essence and filled and decorated with Triple Sec (orange liqueur) chocolate ganache. Here’s a tip (off): the Triple Sec represents our hope for more Spurs three-point shots—on the court and not just in a glass!

Have a ball while watching the NBA playoffs this month with orange macarons.

Recipe

For the orange macarons (Italian meringue method)

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar, granulated white (we used C&H brand)
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon orange extract or essence
• orange food coloring (we used Wilton brand’s orange concentrated gel icing color)

Directions

Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. Grind in a food processor in batches to remove any lumps (optional). Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage).

Pour into the egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy. Mix in the orange flavoring. Fold in the almond flour/meal-sugar until the consistency “flows like magma.”

Tint the macaronage with orange to make a “basketball” shade. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs. Make the Triple Sec (orange liqueur) chocolate ganache filling.

For the Triple Sec chocolate ganache filling

• 1 bar (125 grams) orange-flavored dark chocolate [or 4 squares/4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (we used Baker’s brand)]
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon Triple Sec

Directions

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces to melt. Heat the whipping cream and add to the melted chocolate. Stir until smooth.

Add the Triple Sec and mix well. Remove any orange peel pieces. Let cool to thicken but not harden. Whip the ganache to a spreadable consistency. Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip (Wilton tip #12). Pipe in the filling and sandwich the macarons together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the filling set.

Using the leftover chocolate ganache, change the pastry bag tip to a small round one (Wilton tip #3). Pipe a cross then curves to make a “basketball” design. If decorating both sides of the macaron shell, cool to set the chocolate before piping the other side. Refrigerate the macarons and bring them to room temperature before serving as a sporty snack.

Notes

• The final photo above was styled by placing three “basketball” macarons on Highlander’s Spurs tee-shirt. The orange hue contrasted nicely with the team’s colors.
• Islander was neither a lettered athlete nor a perky cheerleader. But she was a hard-driving tutor and mentor to basketball, football and baseball players and wrestlers at the academic services center in our university’s athletic department many years ago.
• Thanks to Lisa L. for the orange-infused chocolate bar from Málaga, Spain. The bittersweet bar balanced out the sugary shells of the macarons for a winning combination of flavors.
• For an overdose of orange flavor, add ½ – 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest to the ganache filling before whipping to a spreadable consistency.
• Insert sticks into the cooled macaron filling to make “basketball” pops. These are perfect party favors for game day gatherings!
• Even Big Elmo roots for the San Antonio Spurs (see photo set below). Thanks to our friends Edgar and Patty R. for giving him the #1 fan glove!
• Search our site for more macaron recipes. Or click on our MacAttack page to see our macaron entries. Visit the MacTweets blog, hosted by Jamie S. and Deeba R., to learn more about each month’s macaron challenge.