French Macarons

By Naperville Magazine
December 2018 View more Recipe

Yield: 24 cookies

3 egg whites, room temperature
¼ cup white sugar
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar and white sugar, and beat egg white mixture until stiff peaks form (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add food coloring for desired macaron color.

Tip #1: For best results use gel food coloring, not liquid.

Mix the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together in a food processor and pulse until mixed. The dry mixture must be very fine.

Fold the egg mixture into the almond flour mixture together; do not over mix. The batter should look flowy and shiny, without any air pockets.

Tip #2: Use about 70 strokes. The mixture should fall in a stream from the spatula to the bowl.

Transfer the mixture to a pastry piping bag and pipe one-inch rounds on a parchment- or silicone- lined baking sheet, spacing one inch apart (cookies will spread slightly). Tap the pan twice to remove any air bubbles that form.

Tip #3: Tapping the macarons before baking helps to achieve a nice smooth surface.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Let the macarons sit for 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature, until the tops are dry, not sticky. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating once. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Arrange shells in pairs and pipe a small amount of your favorite butter cream frosting on the flat side of the shell, then put the other shell on top. The flavor of the macaron is determined by the flavor you make the butter cream frosting.

Recipe courtesy of Suzette’s Creperie