The third of my series of macaron recipe tutorials. Today, we move on from the exotic Matcha Macarons from last week to yet another exotic flavor: the Black Sesame Macaron. This flavor is unique, and really enhances the fragrance of the macaron cookie.

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Step 1: Gather the Ingredients

First, gather everything you need for this recipe. The ingredients for the macaron cookies are...

2 Large Egg Whites
40g Superfine Sugar
120g Powdered Sugar
65g Almond Meal
1 tbsp Ground Black Sesame Seeds
Pinch of Salt

And for the filling, you will need...

1 bar Butter
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tbsp Ground Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Heavy Cream

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Pour all your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together until the ingredients are well blended.

The dry ingredients are...

120g Powdered Sugar
65g Almond Meal
1 tbsp Ground Black Sesame Seeds
Pinch of Salt

Step 3: Prepare the Egg Meringue

In the bowl of a stand mixer, separate your eggs (whites in bowl). Discard or set aside egg yolks as we will not be needing them for this recipe. Add in the superfine sugar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (for help, see my plain macaron tutorial video on my YouTube channel).

Step 4: Fold the Dry Into the Wet

Sift your dry ingredients into your egg mixture. Be sure to discard any large chunks that don't make it though the sieve. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until the mixture resembles molten lava. When lifted out of the bowl, the mixture should ribbon unevenly, but slowly melt back into the bulk mixture (again, see videos on YouTube channel for help).

Step 5: Pipe Your Cookies

Fill your mixture into a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe into quarter sized mounds onto baking mats or parchment paper. After your cookies are all piped out (be sure to leave space between each mound), tap the sheets on a counter top a few times until cookies are nice flat disks. This process also allows large air bubbles to rise out of the surface (do this before the macarons dry out, or else the bubbles won't be able to break the surface!). Then let your macarons sit on the counter for 30 minutes or more (depending on heat and humidity) until a skin or "shell" forms over the top.

Step 6: Step 6: Bake

Bake your macarons for 18-20 minutes at 300-305 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on your oven, you may need to adjust the temperature. Your macarons are done when only a few crumbs stick to your parchment paper upon removing. The heat within the macarons will continue to cook them inside out so that they should remove cleanly after completely cooked.

Step 7: Make the Filling

In the bowl of a stand mixer, put your butter, and let it sit until softened (room temperature). Beat on medium speed until smooth, fluffy, and pale. Sift in your powdered sugar all at once and reduce the speed to a low churn. Once the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated, add in the vanilla extract. After that has also been incorporated, pour in your ground black sesame, and mix until incorporated (it will be a little bit lumpy because the sesame will be grainier than the sugar). Finally, once the sesame is well and evenly distributed throughout the buttercream, add in up to 1 tbsp of the heavy cream to bring it to the soft creamy texture.

Step 8: Fill the Macarons

Fill the buttercream into a piping bag with a big round tip, and pipe a small mound on the middle of a macaron cookie. Sandwich with another cookie, and there you have it, a full macaron cookie.

Step 9: Enjoy!

These macarons are great for parties, gatherings, showing off, being bourgeois, making friends, or self-indulgence. If this video/Instructable was helpful, please <3 it, and subscribe. Also, find me on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube @joshpancooking. The greatest gift to me would be if everyone subscribed to my YouTube Channel. Well, thanks for your time, and I shall see you all soon. Goodbye!