I bought some pistachio flour end of last year which I didn't use so I decided to make some macarons with it. Although many bakers advise against using only pistachio meal for making the shells, they don't mention what happens if you do. To satisfy my curiosity, I made some macarons without using any almond flour at all. Presenting my 100% pistachio macarons as cute dinosaurs!
If this design looks familiar, it's because I re-used my old dino design from some years ago.
I did a 1:1 replacement of almond flour with pistachio flour by weight to see what happens. Before that, I dried the pistachio meal to pick up excess oil which can ruin the bake. To my surprise, the paper towels didn't pick up as much oil as almond flour. Surprised because some bakers warned about the oil from pistachios ruining the bake.
I went ahead to make the batter and immediately realised what's different. Besides the obvious visible dark specks from the flour, the batter turns runny quickly despite taking care in making sure the meringue is tight and stable and the batter is not overfolded. I went ahead to pipe and bake the macarons thinking it's a failed bake but they turned out beautiful! See the awesome feet and full interior!
In conclusion, unlike what the other bakers warned against, I would say go ahead and make macaron shells out of pistachio flour alone because the aroma and taste is amazing. Just give more room for the batter to spread after piping and intricate shapes are not a good idea due to the runnier batter. Do make sure proper technique in preparing the batter is used and you are good to go!
Here's the reel of the process of making the dinosaur macarons:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHqI39JynMq/?igsh=MXBhc2k4YzhzNml3cg==
I re-used leftover dark chocolate ganache and coffee ganache from a test bake at a new studio as fillings so you may use pistachio ganache or buttercream instead to make the pistachio flavour pop, and pair it with milk chocolate or raspberries if you wish!
with love,
Phay Shing
