Macarons

No, it's spelled correctly. Macarons are French Macaroons. They are light airy and look divine! I've seen these made in such bright, vibrant colors and a variety of flavors. This recipe is a traditional macaron that can be taken in multiple directions. Fill them with your favorite preserves, fillings or frosting to wow the crowd. 

 Tips:

No specks - if you are looking for a smoother look to your macarons, buy blanched almonds and run them to the food processor until finely ground. The specks in my photo are from the hulls of the almonds.

Color happy - in order to get a vivid color, you may need to add 10+ drops of food coloring. The color of the cookie will lighten when you fold in the egg whites. 

Tracing circle - In order to make uniform circle, I traced a 1 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter on one side of my parchment paper; I then flipped it over to pipe on the batter.

Fill' er up - if you want more filling in the middle, feel free to experiment to suit your tastes. 

Oven Temperature: 300 degrees  

Prep Time: 60-70 minutes 

Bake Time: 10-12 minutes  

Servings: 3 - 4 dozen cookies

3 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon flavoring (optional)

Food coloring (optional)

1 cup ground almonds

1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar 

1 1/2 - 2 cups filling or frosting

Directions:

1) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; trace on circle, like instructed above, if you choose.

2) In a large bowl, beat egg whites until they are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy and hold soft peaks. 

3) Sift together the confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl and gently fold the almond mixture into the egg whites (about 30 strokes).

4) Spoon the batter into a plastic bag with a small corner cut off and pipe a small test disk of batter onto the prepared baking sheet. If the disk of batter holds a peak instead of flattening immediately, gently knead the batter a few more times in the bag and retest. 

5) Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in about 1 1/2 inches in diameter circles, leaving space between the disks. 

6) Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top, about 1 hour. 

7) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  

8) Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes.

9) Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes, then use a spatula to carefully separate them from the parchment paper. 

10) Cool the cookies completely before filling.