French Macarons
AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyIntermediateColourful, light as air cookies that will transport you to the roadside cafes in France.
Separate the egg whites from the yolk in a bowl. Cover with cling wrap and poke a few tiny holes. Let this rest in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. You can pull this out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to start making the macarons to bring it back to room temperature.
Blitz the almond flour and confectioner's sugar together for a couple of seconds to combine them well. Sift this mix and set it aside.
Get the egg whites into your mixing bowl. Add the salt and cream of tartar and let it sit while you prepare the sugar syrup.
In a sauce pan, heat the sugar and water together until it comes to a rolling boil. Take it off heat and set it aside.
Start whipping the eggs immediately. Once it has doubled in volume and can hold up a weak peak, add the sugar syrup, while continuing to whip.
You'll notice that your eggs are starting to have a glean to it. Whip until they can hold up a nice, stiff peak. Add a few drops of colour if you'd like.
If you are using a stand or hand held mixture, we start using our hands from this point on. Gently fold in the almond flour mix into the eggs. The batter will become more runny. Keep mixing until it falls down like ribbons and it takes abut 10 seconds for the ribbons to disappear.
Use a piping bad or a teaspoon to lay out circular blobs on the baking try lined with parchment paper. You are essentially looking for the batter to flatten out and not sit there like a tall mountain. Since the macarons won't spread sideways in the oven, you can place them close to each other.
Allow this to rest for couple of hours in a dry, ventilated area. I normally just leave them on my dining table. After the resting, gently touch the top of the macaron to check. You should be able to feel the hardness of the shell and more importantly, your fingers should come back clean.
Preheat the oven to 275 and bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely on the tray. Use a thin spatula to carefully separate them from the parchment paper.
For the filling you can use jam, frosting, ganache, or anything your heart desires. I 've used plain Nutella, and it was heaven, but my new favourite is this strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, making sure you keep a piece of parchment paper between each layer to make sure that they don't stick.
Whip the cream cheese for a minute a two, until it becomes a bit fluffy. Alternate between adding the sugar, strawberry jam, and cream until they are all well incorporated.
Use a consistent measure like 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp (depending on the size of your macarons) to fill your them.
Ingredients
Directions
Separate the egg whites from the yolk in a bowl. Cover with cling wrap and poke a few tiny holes. Let this rest in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. You can pull this out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to start making the macarons to bring it back to room temperature.
Blitz the almond flour and confectioner's sugar together for a couple of seconds to combine them well. Sift this mix and set it aside.
Get the egg whites into your mixing bowl. Add the salt and cream of tartar and let it sit while you prepare the sugar syrup.
In a sauce pan, heat the sugar and water together until it comes to a rolling boil. Take it off heat and set it aside.
Start whipping the eggs immediately. Once it has doubled in volume and can hold up a weak peak, add the sugar syrup, while continuing to whip.
You'll notice that your eggs are starting to have a glean to it. Whip until they can hold up a nice, stiff peak. Add a few drops of colour if you'd like.
If you are using a stand or hand held mixture, we start using our hands from this point on. Gently fold in the almond flour mix into the eggs. The batter will become more runny. Keep mixing until it falls down like ribbons and it takes abut 10 seconds for the ribbons to disappear.
Use a piping bad or a teaspoon to lay out circular blobs on the baking try lined with parchment paper. You are essentially looking for the batter to flatten out and not sit there like a tall mountain. Since the macarons won't spread sideways in the oven, you can place them close to each other.
Allow this to rest for couple of hours in a dry, ventilated area. I normally just leave them on my dining table. After the resting, gently touch the top of the macaron to check. You should be able to feel the hardness of the shell and more importantly, your fingers should come back clean.
Preheat the oven to 275 and bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely on the tray. Use a thin spatula to carefully separate them from the parchment paper.
For the filling you can use jam, frosting, ganache, or anything your heart desires. I 've used plain Nutella, and it was heaven, but my new favourite is this strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, making sure you keep a piece of parchment paper between each layer to make sure that they don't stick.
Whip the cream cheese for a minute a two, until it becomes a bit fluffy. Alternate between adding the sugar, strawberry jam, and cream until they are all well incorporated.
Use a consistent measure like 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp (depending on the size of your macarons) to fill your them.
Notes