View Large Image Macarons Recipe Check the humidity. The best time to make macarons is on a dry day when humidity is low (50% or below). If possible, separate the egg whites 24 hours before baking. Keep the egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge. Get ingredients: 3 egg whites (102 g) (large, room temperature) 99 g (1 cup) almond flour 1 g (1/4 tsp) cream of tartar 192 g (1 3/4 cups) icing sugar 3 g (1/2 tsp) salt 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar (white, granulated) 2 g (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract (pure) food colouring (optional) hand mixer 4 baking trays mixing bowl (large) mixing bowl (medium) 2 piping bags (large) 1/4-inch round piping tip (eg. Wilton 12) 1/2-inch round piping tip (eg. Wilton 1A) (or no tip) sifter spatula whisk parchment paper If the eggs are not room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Line the baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside. Optionally, print a macaron template and place it under the parchment paper; or use a round cookie cutter to trace circles onto the parchment paper, then flip the parchment paper upside down. The circles should be about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, spaced about 1 inch apart. You should be able to fit 15 shells per 13"×9" quarter sheet baking tray (3 rows by 5 columns). Fit a piping bag with the 1/4-inch round piping tip. Set aside. Sift into medium mixing bowl: 192 g (1 3/4 cups) icing sugar Sift into another medium mixing bowl: more than 99 g (1 cup) almond flour (discard large chunks rather than forcing them through; this is why you need more than 1 cup; almond flour is course, so 1 1/2 cups would be good) Pour the ingredients in one bowl into the other bowl. Add to medium mixing bowl: 3 g (1/2 tsp) salt Whisk until combined. Sift together twice. (The finer, the better.) Set aside. Add to large mixing bowl: 3 egg whites (102 g) Using a hand mixer, mix on slow-then-medium speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Add to large mixing bowl: 1 g (1/4 tsp) cream of tartar Mix on medium speed until soft peaks form (about 2 minutes). Continue mixing and slowly add to large mixing bowl: 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar Add to large mixing bowl: food colouring Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes). Do not over-mix. Add to large mixing bowl: 2 g (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract Mix until just combined (a few seconds). Turn off the hand mixer. Add the dry ingredients: Sift about a third of the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl. (Discard large chunks rather than forcing them through the sifter.) Using a spatula, gently fold together until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Repeat until all the dry ingredients have been added. Using a spatula, keep folding until the batter looks like wet sand and falls into ribbons (about 2-3 minutes). Press the batter against the bowl to remove air bubbles. When done, you should be able to draw a figure 8 by dripping the batter from the spatula into the bowl without the ribbon breaking. Do not over-mix. Using a spatula, scoop the batter into the piping bag. Remove the parchment paper from the baking tray temporarily. Pipe a small dot of batter in each corner of the baking baking tray (so the parchment paper will stick to the baking tray). Place the parchment paper back on the baking tray. Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper. Hold the piping bag straight up. Hold the piping tip about 1/4 inch above the paper. With one hand, hold the piping bag steady near the bottom. With the other hand, squeeze from the top of the piping bag. Apply pressure evenly to all sides. When the circle is almost full, stop squeezing, and flick/twist in a single circular motion while lifting up and away. The batter will spread, so don't overfill. Do not move the piping bag. Remove the template from under the parchment paper. Tap the bottom of the baking tray against the table five times firmly to remove air bubbles. Using a plastic toothpick, pop any air bubbles or bumps. Let rest at room temperature until they are dry to the touch (about 30-60 minutes). You should be able to brush your finger back and forth on the macaron without indenting it. Prepare buttercream icing for the filling. (Use 3/4 of the original recipe, so 3 cups icing sugar instead of 4. Use at least 1 tbsp milk.) Set the oven to bake, 300° F (149° C). Ensure the oven rack is in the middle position. Bake for 10 minutes (or until the feet are well-risen, the macarons don't stick to the paper, and if you nudge the macaron, the top doesn't wiggle away from the bottom). Do not open the oven door while baking. Let cool at room temperature on the baking tray for 15 minutes (or until the bottoms are not sticky), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until the macarons have cooled completely before filling. Assembly Fit a second piping bag with a 1/2-inch round piping tip (or no tip). Using a spatula, scoop the icing into the second piping bag. Flip half of the shells upside down. Pipe a dollop of icing on top of each upside down shell in the centre. Leave about 1/4 inch around the edges. Place a right-side-up shell on top of each upside down shell to create a sandwich. Press down lightly. Place the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours. Remove from the fridge and bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.
