Now here’s the big one, the holy grail of baking - the french Macaron. These tiny but revered sandwich cookie are almost legendary in the baking world for being incredibly hard to make. Whist this is half true, they can be hard to perfect, but they are easy to make, and even if they do not look perfect, they always taste amazing! And they do say practice makes perfect, the irony here is the first batch I made were very handsome indeed, then it was downhill for my second attempt. But after a third batch I was on a roll again. But each time they were tasty and definitely did not last long before they were all scoffed up! I’ve made this recipe to produce more consistent results, hence the Italian meringue base, although more scary due to the hot sugar, these are far more stable and also teaches you some key baking techniques! Win win! 

So the moral of the story is definitely give these a try, not only will you be incredibly proud of yourself you will be able to brag on instagram that you made french macarons no problem! I recommend the tag Macaronstagram, as i’m a sucker for word play! 

Ingredients  

 For the macarons: 

205 g icing sugar 

190 g ground almonds 

144 g egg whites (split into two 72 g batches)

Food colour paste - I used Wilton gel colour in Teal.

190 g caster sugar 

60 ml water

1 tsp Cream of tartar

For the filling: 

300 g good quality white chocolate

100 g double cream

150g Lemon Curd (you will have some left over) 

To decorate: 

Sprinkles (optional)

Recommended Equipment:

Method

For the macarons:

1 -

First, we need to prepare our equipment. Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment you are using thoroughly with vinegar to remove any traces of oil and/or grease. This will ensure that the egg whites whisk up properly.

2 -

Measure out all of the ingredients and set them to one side. Prepare a piping bag with a medium round tip and line two baking sheets with a silicone sheet (or parchment/baking paper). You can use a template to draw out circles to help with piping later or you can get silicone sheets with templates already on them; see above link for details. 

3 -

Combine the pre-measured ground almonds and icing sugar in a bowl. Once together, sift the mixture to remove any lumps, discarding them. Mix everything together to break up any lumps that have formed.

4 -

Add your first 72 g of pre-measured egg whites into the dry mixture and fold together until blended. To this, add the gel food colouring and mix well until fully incorporated. It is better to go for a darker/stronger colour than intended as the colour will lighten once we add the meringue. The finished mix will be a thick paste. Cover this tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.

5 -

If you have a candy thermometer, fit this to the side of a medium saucepan. If you don’t have one, an instant read thermometer works well. Heat the sugar and water over a medium heat until the thermometer reads 118 degrees C. Keep in mind we are aiming for a temp of 118 degrees C before adding this to the whisked egg whites.

6 -

Once the thermometer's temperature reaches approximately 110 degrees C, place the remaining 72 grams of measured egg whites and cream of tartar in the immaculately clean bowl of your mixer and whisk on medium speed, to soft peaks.

7 -

If the egg whites are at soft peaks before the syrup reaches 118 degrees C, turn the mixer down to low speed to keep the egg whites moving. As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 118 degrees C, remove them from the heat.

8 -

Working quickly but carefully, increase your mixer to medium speed and begin slowly pouring the sugar syrup down the side of your mixing bowl into the meringue. Take care not to let the hot sugar hit the whisk as this can make the hot mixture splash and may risk burning yourself.

7 -

Once all the syrup has been added, increase the speed of your mixer to high and whisk the sugar and meringue together until glossy and stiff peaks form. At this point, the meringue should have cooled down and, if you feel the side of the bowl, it should feel cool and the meringue should hold its shape.

9 -

Gently transfer a third of the finished meringue into the almond/powdered sugar mixture, making sure that it's fully incorporated before adding the remaining meringue. Fold the mixture in gently, ensuring you scrape the bowl thoroughly to ensure the mixture is fully combined.

 10 -

Continue to fold the batter in a circular motion, going around the edges of the bowl and then once through the centre. Repeat this process until smooth and thick ribbons of batter run off the spatula and the ribbons do not fully incorporate back into the mixture. You want the batter to be slightly thick. You will know if it too thin if it does not hold the ribbon shape in the batter at all.

11 -

Transfer batter to the prepped piping bag(s).

Holding the piping bag vertically about 1 inch directly above the baking sheet, pipe 1.5 inch rounds about one inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Alternatively, follow the template as previously mentioned. Continue to pipe until you've filled an entire baking sheet. Gently, but firmly, tap/bang the baking sheet on the counter three times to release any air bubbles and help flatten out the macarons. Using a toothpick, pop any air bubbles that might've come to the surface. Lightly sprinkle with your sprinkles if using, ensuring they stick to the surface of the macarons. Set these aside uncovered for 20-30 mins so they form a firm skin. You should be able to touch the surface of the macarons gently and no mix should stick to your fingers. If you live in a warmer/humid environment, this may take longer. My best advice is to go by the touch test, not the time. 

12 -

Whilst the macarons rest, preheat oven to 165 degrees C.

13 -

Once dry to the touch and your oven is has pre-heated, place the macarons in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. They should feel firm when poked from the side and shouldn’t move away from the foot that has formed in the oven. If they feel soft or wiggle when poked, continue to bake and check every 1-2 mins until ready. You do not want the macarons to brown so keep an eye on them, turning down the heat if needed.

14 -

Remove the macarons from the oven and allow 15-20 minutes to cool before attempting to remove them from the silpat/parchment paper. Once the macarons are completely cool, gently remove them from  the parchment paper/silpat. Repeat the same steps to bake the remaining macaron batter. Now, they're ready to fill!

White chocolate ganache: 

1 -

Chop your white chocolate into small rough chunks, place them in a heatproof bowl and set aside. They don’t need to be super fine so don’t worry too much about the exact size.

2 -

In a saucepan over medium-low heat or heatproof bowl in the microwave, heat your cream until it just begins to bubble. When hot enough, pour the cream over the prepared white chocolate and leave it alone for 1-2 mins. Then, begin to stir it all together until all the chocolate has melted and fully incorporated. If the chocolate has not fully melted, you can blast it in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. 

3 -

Let the ganache cool to room temperature and then put it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 10-20 mins. Once cool, transfer it all to a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until it is pale white and super fluffy. It is now ready to use. This can be stored in an air tight container for up to 1 week in the fridge, bringing it to room temperature and giving it a mix/whisk before using. 

To assemble: 

1 -

Begin by laying out your macaron halves as they are to be assembled (one up one face down) to make assembling easier. 

2 -

Pipe a circle of white chocolate ganache on one macaron shell, leaving a little space in the middle to add the lemon curd filling. Once piped and filled, top with another macaron shell and gently press together to force the filling outwards to the edge and ensure the macaron sticks together. Set this aside and repeat with the rest of your macarons. 

3 -

Once they have all been filled and sandwiched together, place your macarons an airtight container and refrigerate for 1-2 days to cure. I know it is tempting to tuck into them now but trust me! This is where they get their iconic crispy and chewy texture that make them such a delight to eat. You can eat them the same day they have been made but they will improve over time. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.