Macarons
Ingredients
- 125 g Ground almonds
- 275 g White icing sugar
- 4 (approx. 120 g) Egg whites
- 25 g Caster sugar (white)
- 100 g Double cream
- 200 g Milk or dark chocolate (chips / drops / chopped bar)
- 40 g Unsalted butter
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract (optional)
Accompaniment
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Description
Much tastier than most shop-bought ones. This is a basic recipe using the simplest French meringue method. Play around with colours, flavours and fillings.
Method
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1
Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with baking paper**.
Using a metal sieve, sift the ground almonds and icing sugar into a bowl.
Whisk the egg whites until they start to thicken, add the 25 g caster sugar and keep whisking until you get glossy stiff peaks, as with a meringue.
Sift in the ground almonds and sugar, and carefully fold together.
Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1 or 2 cm nozzle.
Pipe little rounds, approx. 2-4 cm in diameter and about 2 cm apart, onto your lined baking sheets. If you are looking for perfection, use a template*** and gently press any little points down with a wet finger.
Lift the baking sheets and tap several times on the work surface to remove any air bubbles.
Leave for half an hour until a skin forms. If the room is warm or it is a humid day, you may need to wait a little longer. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.
Bake for 15 minutes****. They should have risen a little and dried out. If they are small, check after 12 minutes. Large ones may need 18 minutes.
Leave on the baking sheets for at least 15 minutes before gently peeling from the paper and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the filling, put the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until just before boiling point, when bubbles start to appear around the edges. Put the chocolate in a bowl, pour over the hot cream and add the butter (and vanilla extract, if using) and leave for 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate and butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, then beat with an electric hand whisk - it will thicken slightly and also become a little lighter in colour.
When the macarons are cold, spread or pipe a little filling on the base of one and place another one on top.
They are just as good the day after you make them, if not better. Keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 days.
Chef's Tips
* This is just one idea. Other filling ideas include jam, caramel, fruit puree and / or buttercream. Nutella makes a great easy filling - buy a 400 g jar and use as much or as little as you like.
**Make sure you use baking paper and not greaseproof paper, as they will stick to greaseproof and break when you try to peel them off (this is from experience!). I do not have a silicone baking mat but if you do, use that instead.
***By hand, or on the computer, draw circles in black ink on a sheet of A4. Place this template sheet under the baking paper.
****I find I get the best results on the top shelf, so if you are looking for perfection, cook in batches on the top shelf. It probably depends on individual ovens, however.
For chocolate macaroons, reduce the icing sugar to 250 g and add 25 g cocoa powder (again, sifted). I find they don't rise quite as much as the plain ones, but are absolutely delicious. (I divided my mixture in 2 and made half plain and half chocolate).
For coloured macaroons, simply add a little food colouring to the meringue. You could also add a little flavouring, e.g. rosewater. Any additions may affect the baking a little, as with the chocolate ones.
Optional - Melt an additional 50 g chocolate and drizzle or pipe over the tops of the finished macaroons.
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