Never thought that my macarons would turn out to be a hit the first time. I did go through a lot of recipes and tips before I baked. Adapted from Martha Stewart’s recipe which was easy to follow, but I have gone with aging the egg whites whereas the recipe uses egg whites at room temperature. One of the website says to time each process so the next time when you bake the shells you know where to correct if you have gone wrong the previous time and I think this is a very useful tip for any baking and here especially with beating the egg whites as you don’t want to over beat the whites but beat it enough to form a stiff glossy peak. The other crucial point is when mixing the egg whites with the flour and sugar mixture. You must be careful not make the batter runny as you will end up with the macarons not rising as they should. Macarons are particularly sensitive to heat, so it’s crucial that you adjust cooking times according to your oven’s power.
You could choose the filling of your choice. I have used white chocolate Ganache. Happy Baking! …And don’t lose heart if they don’t turn out so perfect the first time.. Practice makes it perfect..:-)
You need –
For The Macarons
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 large egg whites, aged for a 2 days (Please see here on how to age the egg whites)
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- Food color of your choice
Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
How to –
- In food processor, process the almond flour and icing sugar. Sift the flour and sugar mixture in sieve twice discarding any almond lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve.
- Whisk the egg whites in clean dry bowl (no trace of water please) till soft peaks are formed. Add the caster sugar, and beat on a low speed. Once combined increase the speed to high and whisk till glossy and stiff peaks are formed (For me, it took 7 minutes on electric hand beater on a high speed). Add the food colour of your choice and beat for 25-30 seconds. Please make sure not to over beat the egg whites.
- Sift the flour mixture over the whites and fold gently using a flexible spatula. You need a smooth and shinny mix. Do not make the batter too runny or the macaroons won’t rise as they should. When you lift the batter up and let it drop down, it should slowly disappear into itself without leaving a peak.
- Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. On a parchment-lined baking sheet pipe the ¾ inch rounds leaving 1-2 inch gap between each piping. Drag the pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air.
- Allow the piped macarons to stand on a room temperature for 30-45 minutes. The stand time varies with temperature at different places. What you need is the piped macarons to form a very thin, smooth crust, when you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.
- Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.
- When fully cooled, Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with the filling of your choice.
For the white chocolate ganache
- 70 grams white chocolate
- 70 mls double cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence
How to-
Heat cream in saucepan until it comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir in a circular motion from the centre of the bowl and slowly incorporate more and more of the cream until the chocolate and cream comes together into a smooth emulsion. Let it cool at room temperature and the in fridge until firm enough to pipe.
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