PB Cap'n Crunch Macarons

Yes you heard me right....No, this is not a test... IT'S  Peanut Butter Cap'N Crunch Macrons! I sure did take your fancy french cookies and laced it with sugary cereal and it was FANTASTIC! I absolutely love cereal and I also love pretending that those grown up bland cereals are good for me when secretly, I eat half the bowl of my sons'. HEY... we wouldn't want it to go to waste RIGHT!? 

Anyways, I'm going to share a little secret with you. This is my VERY first time making macarons! I was so nervous before but when I stumbled upon the fruity pebble macarons featured on The Novice Chef blog I became obsessed! Day and night I would whine to my husband and very best friend:

"All I want to do is make Cap'N Crunch macarons!!"

Needless to say I think they were praying for a sunny day just to shut me up. Finally it came and I was in bliss. Unfortunately, I just have to stare at them because these cookies take a full 24 hours of maturation before they are to be enjoyed... I foresee myself waking up at midnight and eating one. Not 24 hours you say? Well.. I wont tell if you don't!

For the Macarons:

3/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup Captain Crunch Meal**

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

3 large older egg whites

3 tablespoons meringue powder

** Grind about 2 cups of the cereal in your food processor until a fine meal/flour is formed. 

You don't need to go out and purchase older egg whites, you can simply use the eggs that you've had in the refrigerator for the last 4 or 5 days. After you separate the eggs, make sure you allow the egg whites to come to room temperature before whipping. 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Prep 2 half sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Sift together your almond meal, cereal meal and powdered sugar and set aside. I like to use the large, finer sifters with the long handle and push the flour mixture through.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy. Begin sprinkling in the meringue powder as you beat. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form. When you get to soft peaks (the peaks will curl when the whisk is lifted from the mixture), carefully proceed; you want firm glossy peaks in your meringue, you do not want to beat all the way to stiff peaks (peaks stand up straight when a whisk is lifted from the mixture).

Some recipes will tell you to add the flour mixture in thirds but I like to add mine all at once. I think it helps to not allow over mixing. I spooned the mixture into a large zip-lock bag and cut a medium size tip on the bottom. Pipe 1 inch mounds onto prepared pans and use a wet fingertip to gently press down mounds to a smooth tip. Once your sheet is filled, pick up your sheet and holding level, tap firmly on to counter several times. Allow the cookies to rest 30-60 minutes depending on the humidity outside, even on a sunny day 45 minutes is always safe.

Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, 1 sheet at a time. Let the cookies cool.

 You can fill your cookies with whatever you like, I used a basic chocolate frosting but the options are endless: Marshmallow fluff, ganache, peanut butter frosting oooh even a Captain Crunch buttercream would be delicious! And please feel free to sub in YOUR favorite cereal. Crunch berries? Yum. Fruity pebbles? Yummier. Reeses? Yummiest. Ok I'll stop :)

I hope you all have an opportunity to make these for yourselves because they are divine!*

*Updated after tasting :)