Perfect macarons
Updated: Apr 30, 2020
I started baking Macarons are the perfect gift for someone if you can resist eating them all at once. I started baking macarons after watching a YouTube video by cupcake Jemma and Dan. I heard so many myths about macarons “it takes about 4 days” “you can’t eat them straight away” and bla-bla-bla. Macarons are so easy to make once your technique is mastered. They are the perfect almond biscuit with a soft inside and a slight bit. The only way to describe them is as macarons
You can fill you macarons with curd, buttercream, ganache…
My biggest tip is read the recipe before you start. I will link in this blog a video from YouTube where you can see a tutorial and some link to products you will maybe use.
I must admit I didn’t hit the road running when it comes to macarons . There were many failed attempts but once I got it down. I couldn’t stop. I love baking macarons they make for a perfect gift.
So, I am just going to jump in:
Ingredients:
205g icing sugar
190g ground almonds
144g egg whites ( 4 eggs)
Food colour paste (optional)
190g caster sugar
60ml water
You will also need
A stand mixer or hand mixer
A spatula
A piping bag and round nozzle
A silicon mat, baking parchment
A frosting of your choice
1. Prepare your baking sheets. You can either use a silicone mat or just parchment paper.
2. Sift your almond flour and icing sugar into a bowl. You can put it in a food processor and pulse 2-3 times but a sift would do. If any almond bits are left in the sieve just through them away.
3. Add 72g of egg whites to the almond mix and stir with a spatula into a thick paste. Add the colouring if you want, a little goes a long way so don't add too much you can always add more later. Cover with clingfilm and leave until later.
4. Add the other 72g grams of egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a balloon whisk.
5. Add the water and granulated sugar into a small saucepan and place on a medium with a sugar thermometer attached. Do not stir it just let it bubble away.
6. When the sugar hits 100*C turn your eggs whites on to a medium-high speed.
7. This is where you have to multi-task.
8. Watch your egg whites and your sugar water closely. You only want the egg whites to get foamy like the milk foam on a coffee.
9. We want the sugar to get to 118* C. If your egg whites are ready before your sugar, just turn the mixer down to low.
10. When your sugar water reaches 118 * C, remove the sugar thermometer and with the mixer on medium low, slowly pour the sugar water into the egg whites.
11. As soon as all the sugar water is added, turn the mixer on a high speed.
12. We want the temperature of the meringue to lower. Place your hand on the lower portion of the outside of the bowl to feel the heat. Once it is at room temperature, the egg whites are usually ready. We want a glossy meringue. The meringue needs to be floppy.
13. Remove the plastic wrap from your flour sugar mixture and place a spoonful of meringue into the bowl to loosen the mixture. Fold this until you don't see any white streaks (from the egg) or dark clumps (from the flour mixture).
14. Add more of egg whites to the bowl. Fold the mixture. It will still be somewhat thick, but it will also flow off of the spatula. With your spatula pick up a scoop of macaron mix. You want it to form a figure of 8.
Tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG6thH6UZao
15. Place a piping nozzle into a piping bag, cut of the end enough for the nozzle to stick out. twist the end with the tip (keeps the batter from oozing out), and place into a glass. Scoop or pour the batter into the piping bag.
16. Pipe circles onto your prepared baking sheets about a 3 cm apart. Pipe until the inner circles of your sheet.
17. After your baking sheet is full of shells, bang it down on the counter 4 times. If there are any air bubbles you can pop them with a toothpick.
18. Turn your oven on to 165*C. Your shells will be drying while your oven preheats.
19. Let the macarons dry for roughly 20-40 minutes. I test them by lightly touching the shell. If the batter sticks to your finger, it is not ready to be baked! They will be ready your finger comes away clean.
20. Place into the oven for 11 minutes, to check if they are done, touch the side of a shell and if it does not wiggle then it’s ready.
21. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before attempting to remove from the tray. The shells should peel off.
22. Match up your cookies by size and fill! I love curds, swiss meringue buttercream or ganache.
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