Gold Leaf Macarons

I made gold leaf macarons as a gift a few weeks ago. I also thought this would be the perfect post for my 1 year blog anniversary. Mini Munchie is one year old! Thanks for everyone’s support through my first year of blogging.  Looking back at the pictures I took for my first chocolate chip cookie post I realize that I have really come a long way with my photography skills. Thanks to all my friends who have helped me navigate through the fancy cameras and lighting kits. I still have a ton to learn and many blog posts to come!

This post is mainly about decorating macarons and other pastries using edible gold leaf. If you are looking for a macaron recipe, see my French Macarons post for the basic shell recipe. Macarons are already expensive little treats so what can we do to make them even more extravagant? Cover them with shiny gold! Edible gold leaf is difficult to find in stores so I browsed through a few vendors online including Amazon, Sur La Table, and other gourmet grocery stores. Amazon had a great selection but I needed them fairly soon so I ordered these 23-kt edible gold leaf from Alma Gourmet. The estimated shipping time was 3-5 business days but it was delivered in 2 days, probably because New York and Boston are so close. I highly recommend them!

Edible golf leaf is extremely delicate so you will need a few tools to apply them on the macaron shell or any other pastry.  You want to avoid touching the gold leaf directly with your fingers because they will stick onto your finger and become unusable. The sheets are super thin and as ridiculous as it sounds, you should look away to breathe to prevent the sheets from wrinkling or blowing away! They aren’t cheap so you want to be very gentle and patient with the gold leaf.

I would recommend a brown or dark brown color as a base for gold leaf macarons. It blends in well in case there are spots that are not completely covered with gold leaf. You will need a small, dry and soft paintbrush, wax paper, and a tweezer. A paring knife will also help easily cut the gold leaf if you are only using a small piece. You want to work on top of wax paper so that the gold leaf does not get stuck on your counters or other surfaces.

Use the paring knife to cut out a piece of gold leaf that you would like to apply. Gently pick up the piece of gold leaf with a tweezer and place it on top of your macaron. Use the brush to gently pat down the gold leaf then press down lightly on the macaron shell. The gold leaf should fall into place almost like a sticker. Again, avoid using your fingers although it’s very tempting! Even a tiny piece of edible gold leaf can add a beautiful elegant touch to a pastry.

Continue to transfer the gold leaf with a tweezer and gently brush over the macaron using the paintbrush until the entire macaron shell is covered with gold!

Look at that gold and shiny macaron! Edible gold leaf does not taste like anything by itself. You can make any flavored macaron, pastry, cakes, and cookies with edible gold leaf and it will not alter the flavors. You still want to handle gold leaf decorated desserts carefully as it can be rubbed or scratched off.

To decorate pastries with gold leaf:

Edible gold leaf
Paintbrush (small, soft, and dry)
Tweezer
Pairing Knife
Wax Paper

1. Cut off a piece of gold leaf with a pairing knife.

2. Pick up the piece of gold leaf with a tweezer and slowly transfer it to the surface to be applied on.

3. Use the paintbrush to gently push the gold leaf down on the surface so it is attached to the pastry.

4. Brush over the gold leaf a few times until has stick to the surface evenly.

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