If you know me from when I was younger at all, you know I went through a phase where I was completely obsessed with all things Paris related. So getting the chance to make French Macaroons...YUM!!
These were a little difficult to make, but when all is said and done, you feel like a fancy pastry chef! AND THEY ARE DELISH!
So here is the recipe I used:
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 4.5 oz
3/4 cup almond flour, 2.5 oz. (Found mine at Lassen's)
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar, 1.5 oz. (also called baker’s sugar)
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, for filling
How to:
1. Pulse confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times. (I found sifting difficult with the almond flour. The almond flour was too thick to go through any sifter. But a few good extra pulses in the food processor was enough without the sifting to get a smoother texture.
2. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy.
Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form.
Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, (for me it took only 3 to 4 minutes, take care not to over-whip). If you’re going to add color, I added food coloring towards the end of whipping my whites.
I used only three drops and got a really nice color!
3. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. I found the amount of folding to be crucial. About 50 fold was just right. The right amount of fold is super important! Too many, and it will be too runny, too few, you wont get a nice smooth "cap" look on top of your macaroons. You can test a daub on a plate, and if a small peak remains, turn the batter a couple times more. If the batter forms a round cap but doesn’t run, it is just right. When I spooned my batter into the pastry bag, the perfect batter started to just ooze out of the tip once the bag was full. If it stayed stiff inside the bag it was too stiff, if it dripped out too fast the batter was too runny.
4. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip.
5. Pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. I put the tip right in the middle of where I wanted each macaron and let the batter billow up around it, then I drug the tip to the side of the round. (You can pipe 1-inch to 2-inch rounds, but you will need to add cooking time).
(This batch got a little too thin, so a couple ran together)
Let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. (Different recipes recommend anywhere from no rest time to 2 hours rest time. I was most happy with 30 to 45 minutes rest time, once the caps looked more dull and had formed a slight skin.) While they’re resting, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees. Every oven is different, so you may need to play with your oven temperature. The tops of the macaron shells should not brown.
7. Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
8. Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon jam. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months. It takes only 30 minutes out of the freezer for macarons to be ready to serve. THEN INHALE!!!!
What's the latest fun thing you've made? I hooe you guys try these out! They are so pretty to look at...and so fun to eat!
Special thanks to giverslog.com for your amazing tips!
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