Macarons

Course Dessert

Ingredients

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 2 egg whites  (make sure these are at room temp)
  • 1/4 cup super fine granulated sugar  (bakers or caster if you have it)
  • food coloring paste (optional)

Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk

Instructions

Tips:  If your almond flour is not super fine, you will want to pulse it in your Eco Chop or food processor a little before sifting.  Plan to sift your powdered sugar and almond flour twice.  Make sure your egg whites are at room temp and no yolks are in your whites.  If coloring, use a paste not a liquid coloring.

  • Preheat oven to 300°F degrees.
  • Sift powdered sugar and almond flour, twice and set aside.  In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium high until they start to foam.  Add half of the ¼ cup sugar (so 1/8 of cup first).  Beat on medium high for another minute and then add the other half of the sugar.  Beat until soft peaks form (approx. 2-3 minutes).  At soft peak stage you can add food coloring.  You will add just a tiny bit of coloring paste, I use my spice spoon and only a hint of color.  After adding color, beat on high until stiff peaks form. 
  • Fold (using your blender spatula) half of your dry ingredients into the egg white meringue.  Once incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients and fold gently.  However, you also want to fold enough to make the batter smooth and fully incorporated with no lumps. 
  • your macaron bonMat to be slightly inside the black lines.  Once all rounds are created, tap baking sheet to make sure macarons are smooth and consistent.  After tapping these out, your macarons will now be covering the black lines.  NOW, let these sit for 30 minutes – 1 hour before baking.  The macarons will form a skin like outer coating so when you touch then gently, no finger print or intent will happen.  You now know they are ready to bake. 
  • Bake for 18 minutes (some ovens might only take 15 minutes and others might take 20 minutes so watch the clock).  Once baked, not browned…remove from oven to cool.  You can fill with anything, frosting (see buttercream frosting recipe below), lemon curd, ganache, jam… be creative!  Fill one side with filling and top with a second macaron. Enjoy!

Buttercream Frosting:

  • Beat softened butter until smooth.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cream.  Beat on low to incorporated and once incorporated beat on high until smooth.  If mixture seems too thick, add more cream.  If mixture seems to thin, add more sugar.

Notes

Bon COOK tools to make these easier:
  • Macaron bonMat
  • Perforated baking sheet
  • Stainless Mixing bowl
  • Egg Separator
  • Eco Chop
  • Pastry Bag Stand
  • Pastry Bag and Tips
  • Scraper
  • Blender Spatula