French Macarons
I prefer to make these myself at home and just play around with the flavors, as there's really nowhere to buy them where I live...not to mention they can be pricy when I do find them (anywhere from $2-$5 per cookie!) They can be finicky and they require patience. Once you master the basic recipe, you can make endless flavor variations. I'm by no means an expert, but this is the basic recipe that I use. To make them different colors, use 2-4 drops of gel food coloring and add it to the eggs once soft peaks have formed, then continue to whip them into stiff peaks. Keep in mind that they will turn out a shade or so lighter after baking than the batter is initially. You can also add up to 1/4 tsp. of a flavored extract at the same time as the food coloring.
French Macarons
I prefer to make these myself at home and just play around with the flavors, as there's really nowhere to buy them where I live...not to mention they can be pricy when I do find them (anywhere from $2-$5 per cookie!) They can be finicky and they require patience. Once you master the basic recipe, you can make endless flavor variations. I'm by no means an expert, but this is the basic recipe that I use. To make them different colors, use 2-4 drops of gel food coloring and add it to the eggs once soft peaks have formed, then continue to whip them into stiff peaks. Keep in mind that they will turn out a shade or so lighter after baking than the batter is initially. You can also add up to 1/4 tsp. of a flavored extract at the same time as the food coloring.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Begin by separating the eggs. This is easier to do when the egg is cold, so separate the yolks from the whites and then let the whites sit out for an hour or so to come to room temperature. Line 2-3 baking trays with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside. Use a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl to sift the confectioners sugar and the almond flour, then set that aside.
- 2
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until they become frothy. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add in the granulated sugar. Increase speed to high and continue to mix until stiff peaks form. If using food coloring, add in a couple of drops of gel food coloring at this time.
- 3
Add the sifted dry mixture to the whipped egg whites. Then use a rubber spatula to very gently fold the batter together. Once the ingredients are incorporated in, continue to fold until the batter slowly runs off the spatula...as the batter falls off of it back into the bowl, it should briefly hold its shape before sinking into the batter. It's important not to undermix or overmix, as both will result in the cookies not coming out right.
- 4
Prepare a piping bag with a round top and place the batter into it. Pipe circles about 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide about 1 inch apart from each other on the prepared baking sheets. Try to be as consistent as you can with the sizes. Once done piping, tap the sheets 3 or 4 times against a hard countertop or table. This will release air bubbles from the piped batter.
- 5
Let the piped batter sit out for 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, until a "skin" develops. When you can touch the piped batter and your finger comes away dry, they are ready to be baked. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- 6
Bake them for 7 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 7 minutes more, or until they release easily from the parchment. Bake 1 batch at a time. They should have risen up slightly and developed a crinkly bottom, called "feet". Transfer them very carefully onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- 7
When they are cooled completely, match up couples that are similar in size. Place a small amount of whatever filling you'd like to use onto the bottom center of half of the cookies. Then gently twist an unfilled cookie shell over the top of a filled one, to make a macaron. The cookies are delicate, so be careful not to crack the shells.
- 8
That's it! You are finally done and ready to enjoy your macarons. Store these wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3-4 days. Allow them to come up to room temperature before serving.
- 9
For these pictured, I colored them with 2 drops of red gel food coloring and I just filled them with a basic vanilla buttercream frosting: 1 stick softened butter, 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and anywhere from 2-4 tbsp of heavy cream. Beat the butter using a hand mixer until soft and creamy, then beat in the rest of the ingredients until it reaches your desired consistency. Place in a piping bag and pipe onto the macaron shells.
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