Macarons are sweet meringue-based confection made with eggs, confectioner’s sugar, ground almonds, and granulated sugar. Macarons can be filled with buttercream, ganache, or jam filling and then sandwiched into another macaron. It’s truly a French delicacy…
Making French macarons had been on my top to-do lists. Now, I can gladly strike that off and always feel proud that my first ever macaron baking experience turned out amazing. I’d tasted macarons at a pastry shop in Vancouver, a couple of years ago. Since then I’d been wanting to make this, I have no idea why it took so long for me to try it. Better late than never, right?
Last week, I looked at some of the macaron recipes online and was amazed to learn that they can be made with just 3 or 4 ingredients. Instead of all-purpose flour ground almonds are used, ground almonds are first combined with confectioners sugar. Since it’s a meringue-based cookie, egg whites are whipped along with granulated sugar till stiff peaks are formed. The ground almond mix is then folded into the whipped egg whites till a smooth batter is formed. That’s it, you are now ready to pipe the batter into round shapes. Could it get any easier??? It takes only 13 minutes to bake in the oven. Usually, two macarons are sandwiched together, and any kind of filling can be used in between them.
Yet another amazing part is that different colors can be added to the whipped egg whites, colorful macarons are indeed a treat to the eyes. Macarons have a crunchy brittle outside and soft inside, it just melts into your mouth. Do not try to count the number of macarons you had eaten, you’ll lose your count. It’s that delicious and homemade macarons are the best.
Follow the recipe and instructions as it is, you’ll be glad that you made these. Honestly, these macarons tasted exactly like the ones that I tasted in the pastry shop. Yay, doing a victory dance!
I’ve been talking wildly about my macaron baking experience to my Man non-stop, he might wear an earplug soon 😀
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Preparation pictures
Ground almond and confectioner’s sugar mix
Sifted ground almond and confectioner’s sugar
Combine egg white and granulated sugar
Whip till stiff peaks are formed
Add food coloring and vanilla extract
Fold the ground almond-sugar mix into the whipped egg whites
Fold till the batter resembles to a lava
Pipe into round shape on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Baked macarons
Spread the chocolate whipped cream filling
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Please read this article before making the macarons, click here :you will get a better understanding of what to do and what not to do.
- Ground almonds- ⅔ cup
- Confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar or icing sugar- 1 cup
- Egg whites, at room temperature- from 2 large eggs
- Cream of tartar- ¼ tsp (optional)
- Powdered sugar- ¼ cup
- Food color of your choice- ½ tsp
- Vanilla extract- ½ tsp
- Buttercream frosting, ganache, whipped cream or jam
- Heavy cream- 1 cup
- Confectioner's sugar- 4 tbsp
- Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
- Cocoa powder- 2 tbsp
- Preheat the oven to 325 F or 160 C, place the rack on the lower third in the oven.
- You could either use blanched almonds and ground it in a food processor to a fine powder or if you have already ground almonds use that.
- The ground almonds must be very fine, grind in the food processor for a few minutes.
- Add the ground almonds and confectioner's sugar to a food processor, process until combined for 3 minutes.
- Sift the almond and sugar mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. If there are any lumps in the sieve, grind that and sift it again. Keep aside the mixture.
- Whip the egg whites using an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer.
- Very important, egg whites must be at room temperature.
- Separate the egg whites from 2 large eggs, add to the stand mixer bowl, add cream of tartar if using, beat for a minute at high speed.
- Add ¼ cup powdered sugar to the egg whites.
- Beat at medium speed (4 on Kitchen Aid) for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high (6 on Kitchen Aid) for 2 minutes. Then beat at high speed (8 on Kitchen Aid) for another 2 minutes.
- The egg whites will form a stiff peak. As soon as stiff peaks have formed stop whipping.
- Do not overbeat the egg whites.
- Add the food coloring and vanilla extract to the whipped egg whites, beat at the highest speed for 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Immediately add the prepared almond-sugar mixture to the whipped egg whites.
- Fold using a spatula from the bottom of the bowl to upwards, then press the flat side of the spatula firmly through the middle of the mixture. Repeat this till the batter resembles lava consistency.
- The batter shouldn't be watery, avoid over mixing the batter.
- For piping the batter: Use a ⅜ inch round tip. Fit a piping bag with the round tip.
- Transfer the batter to the piping bag.
- Have two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper ready.
- Carefully, pipe the batter into ¾ inch round, then swirl tip off to one side.
- To have precise round shapes, you can mark round shapes on the parchment paper.
- Repeat this, make sure to leave 1 inch spacing between the macarons as it will rise while baking.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly against the countertop 3 times to release the air bubbles.
- Bake one sheet at a time, for total 13 minutes. After 6 minutes of baking, rotate the sheet, this is for even baking. Again bake for the remaining 7 minutes.
- After total 13 minutes of baking, take the baking sheet out of the oven.
- Let the macarons cool down on wire racks.
- Spread one macaron with your choice of filling and sandwich with another macaron. Repeat this with other macarons.
- You could munch on it right away. Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container and kept in the freezer, stays fresh for 6 months.
- When these are kept in the freezer, it turns crispier and tastes delicious.
- I used chocolate whipped cream for the filling: Combine all the above mentioned ingredients "for making chocolate whipped cream" into a stand mixer bowl. Use the whisk beater and whip at high speed till soft peaks are formed.
Please refer this article for troubleshooting, click here.
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