Colorful Gulab Jamun Rangoli Macarons

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COLORFUL GULAB JAMUN RANGOLI MACARONS

Rangoli was one of my favorite art things to do as a kid. I would participate in rangoli competitions in school and college. I did not win, but does that really matter in the bigger realm of things? I loved participating and showing off my art to whatever ability. 

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

Every Diwali, my mom and I would make rangolis outside the front entrance of our home. It was a ritual that I truly enjoyed with my mother. We would start off in the morning, she would help me with the design, and decide on what colors go where. I would continue into the wee hours of the afternoon to completion. We would then light them up with diyas, and there was such a beautiful pretty rangoli by our doorstep. 

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

 

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

In those days there were no iphones 😉 so all I have are the memories etched in my mind. Diwali was celebrated in all zeal and enthusiasm, and love. It was THE festival when sweets were exchanged between friends, family and even business partners. It was the festival when we all got new clothes, mom got new jewelry, and we cleaned the house inside out, top to bottom to welcome guests during this busy time, into our homes.

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

 

In the south of India, and an art that originated in Tamil Nadu, I was inspired to make these Gulab Jamun Rangoli Macarons by the beautiful art of Kolam, which is making rangoli designs traditionally with rice flour. Over the years, folks use white chalk, or white powder to make the designs. 

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

I really wanted the macarons to signify color, and brightness, by making tri-color macarons. The first set of macarons were made with orange, pink and yellow colors. The second set of macarons were made with purple, blue and green colors – almost peacock colors. The white royal icing piping stands out quite beautifully on the macarons.

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

Macarons are finicky and my previous macaron posts have tons of tips and tricks on what all to do to get perfect macarons.

 

This post is in partnership with my favorite flour brand – Bob’s Red Mill ! Their Super Fine Almond Flour is truly my favorite. They do make the best macarons ever! So if you are looking for an excellent brand to make macarons – go with Bob’s Red Mill! I use their all purpose flour, oat flour, semolina flour amongst other ones, regularly as part of my cooking/baking needs. I talk about the history of Bob’s Red Mill in this blog post – so please do check it out!

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

Macaron Shells are made with basically few ingredients:

  • Almond Flour: Use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour for best results!
  • Confectioner’s Sugar: Almond flour and confectioner’s sugar are ground together as the first step always.
  • Egg Whites: I have seen recipes that use cold egg whites, however i have always used room temperature egg whites.
  • Cream of Tartar: This is used to stabilize the meringue.
  • Granulated Sugar: This is used to make the meringue as well, in conjunction with the egg whites.
  • Vanilla Extract or in this case Rose Water: I use a tad bit to add flavor to the shells.

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

Some tips for the macarons and the tri-colored macarons:

  • Always ensure that you sift the almond flour and the confectioner’s sugar, atleast 4-5 times, and discard the bigger pieces that are left behind in the sifting process.
  • Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar for about 5 minutes in total, and ensure that when you turn the whisk, there are stiff peaks formed for the meringue. Do not over whip.
  • For the tri-colored macarons, ensure that the plastic wrap is tightly sealed on the top and the bottom, and when putting it into the piping bag, make sure to pull the wrap through the piping tip and then cut it off, before piping the macs.
  • Bang the tray atleast 10 times for the macs to settle, and no bubbles to form on the top.
  • Always let it set for atleast 40 minutes.
  • If you are not decorating the macs on the same day, lay them on the tray and cover with a plastic wrap, so no air goes into the macs and hardens them. This will ensure that the center remains chewy.

For the white chocolate ganache that is infused with saffron and rose, I have to attribute and give due credit to Chef Karina Rivera who has inspired me to make this ganache for these macarons. Her feed is truly inspiring and her macaron flavors are just drop dead gorgeous! You can find her at this website

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

These macarons are Gulab Jamun flavored Macarons. Gulab Jamuns are these golf ball sized desserts, made with mawa, or even milk powder, and ghee, bound into little balls and deep fried. Then they are dunked into a cardamom, saffron, and rose water syrup to give it its signature sweetness. This sweet is HUGELY popular in India, and all across the globe. I got the idea to use white chocolate ganache for the inside of the macaron, infused with saffron and rose water from the gulab jamun syrup.

 

The white chocolate ganache is made with good quality white chocolate. Use Valrhona if you can. I infuse the heavy cream with saffron, add it with white chocolate and the corn syrup. Once the chocolate is melted, using a hand blender, blend the ganache until smooth. Add the rose water at this time, to give it a beautiful saffron rose flavor. 

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

The macarons are filled with a piping of the ganache, and filled with ready made gulab jamun pieces in the middle. This makes for a very festive, delicious, bite sized beauty, that is absolutely divine!! I shared these macarons with a lot of my friends, and they all loved these macarons SO much – could not have made me happier to have positive reinforcement from my friends!

 

The gulab jamuns are ready made from this famous brand Haldiram linked here. They are cheaper at the Indian grocery store, and that is what I would recommend if you are making these macarons.

colorful gulab jamun rangoli macarons

I loved making the kolam designs on top of the macaron shells! It was absolutely therapeutic and my favorite thing to do with these macarons.

 

I hope you get to make these macarons, and always feel free to holler at me, if you have any questions. If you do make them, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment for me on this blog post.

 

Always appreciate your love! Hope you enjoyed this Diwali recipe! 

 

XO

Amisha

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