Sep 14, 2018 by Solveig

Tags Cooking

French Macarons

Before you start making macarons, be sure you have a good amount of time and the right equipment. Also prepare yourself for the macarons to not turn out perfectly - which is just fine! Many times at camp we talk about how forgiving our food can be - and that it still tastes great!

There are many different methods to make these beauties, I’m sharing the simplest (I believe) recipe that I’ve had great luck with. Understanding the method of macaronage can be contradictory to your use with egg whites previously. Be sure when you whip your egg whites they reach the stiff stage. After all that hard work whipping, you’ll need to fold and mash (yup, there it is - mash whipped egg whites?). By making quarter turns of the bowl and trading every other stroke for a fold and a mash, you’ll be able to incorporate the almond flour into the batter and deflate the egg whites to help form the “thickish” ribbon like batter.

Under mixing will leave you with a stiff batter - keep “mishmashing.” Overmixing will give you a runny batter which will make it difficult to pipe your macarons. Take your time and evaluate your batter slowly. The best consistency will mound a bit in the middle and then spread.

To rest or not to rest, that is THE question. It is often recommended to let your macaroons dry until the tops are no longer tacky - let me know your success with your method. Whatever you do, these guys should taste great. They’ll taste even better if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge and let them mature a day or two. I like them best when they aren’t right out of the fridge - I recommend taking them out an hour or two before serving.

When it comes to filling - simplest are the best. Try using the chia seed jams. You can add a little cream cheese or mascarpone to the jams for a cheesecake filling. Buttercream is classic and you can add anything to make a great filling - espresso powder, high quality cocoa powder and a drop of grand marnier is my favorite.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups/200g confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup/96g almond flour
  • 4 large/115g egg whites, room temperature preferred
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup/66g sugar
  • Food coloring (gel is easiest, powders take more, liquids can change your batter)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring
  • Fillings of your choice
  1. Assemble your pastry bag(s) with their tips before you begin. Nestle your pastry bag over a container (I use mason jars) that will be your third hand so you can control the batter.Preheat the oven to 290 degrees F. Line baking sheets with silicone mats (there are specific macaron silicone mats with circle guides preprinted on them. You can make your own by tracing circles onto parchment paper. These are good guides to place under unmarked silicone mats or to use just parchment, flip them over so the ink doesn’t get on your cookies.)
  2. Measure the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Sift the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. You may have to sift a few times before everything passes into the bowl. If there’s some that just won’t go through - no worries.
  3. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar(optional) and salt with a mixer on low to medium speed just until it gets foamy. Increase the speed to medium high; add the sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes. You want the egg whites to be stiff and actually stick in the middle of your whip(s). Beat your flavoring and color in now, if you are using.
  4. Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Fold and mash alternately, turning your bowl a quarter turn after each stroke. Continue the fold, mash, turn, scrape cycle until the batter is no longer dry, free of lumps, and drops from the spatula continuously. If you feel your oven runs hot, try doubling the half sheet pans.
  5. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag (best not to overfill - try filling half the bag) fitted with a plain round tip (I tend to go on the small side to help control the batter.) Be sure to twist the bag at the top and squeeze from the top with the bag in a vertical position. The batter should mound upon itself and then fall into the circle so only pipe about ⅓ to ½ of the diameter of your circles. Just like our cakes at camp, tap the pans firmly against your counter to get the air bubbles out - just a few times should do the trick. You may choose to let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky - you can put them straight into the oven.
  6. Bake until the tops are shiny and rise to form a “foot,” about 20 minutes. Cool the macarons on a cooling racks. You are now ready to fill!
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