These things are a pain to make. It usually takes me two days per batch and I had to start practicing months in advance before Teresa’s bridal shower. My first batch was bright neon blue. My second batch was burnt. The third batch didn’t rise and had no feet. Even after so many tries, I still can’t get those little feet to show up on the macaroons consistently. I’ve tried many different recipes, but Cooks Illustrated is my go-to recipe, as always.
Photo by Denise Collier
FRENCH-STYLE MACAROONS (MACARONS)
Makes 20 sandwich cookies. From The Best International Recipe.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
INGREDIENTS
3 ¾ cups (15 ounces) almond flour
3 ⅓ cups (13 1/3 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 large egg whites , at room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar
5 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Coffee Buttercream Frosting, or Orange Buttercream Frosting, or Ganache (Andrew’s favorite)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip; set aside. Process half of the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt together in a food processor until the mixture is very finely ground, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining almond flour and confectioners sugar; stir together and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to whip, watching carefully, until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in the granulated sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form and the sugar is incorporated, about 60 seconds (see illustration below).
- Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl in order to accommodate the remaining ingredients. Gently fold one quarter of the almond flour mixture into the whites, followed by the vanilla. Gradually fold in the remaining almond mixture until a thick, gloppy batter forms.
- Following the illustrations below, fill the prepared pastry bag with the batter. Twisting the top of the bag to apply pressure, push the batter toward the bag tip and pipe onto the prepared baking sheets into forty 2-inch mounds, spaced about 1-inch apart. Use the back of a teaspoon or your finger dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped mounds. Let the macaroons rest at room temperature until the tops are dry and a smooth skin has formed, 1 to 2 hours.
- Thirty minutes before baking, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through the baking time. Directly after baking, carefully slide the parchment with cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely. (The unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 weeks; if frozen, let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours before filling.)
- TO FILL THE COOKIES: Spread about 1 tablespoon of the buttercream over the flat sides of half the cookies and gently cover with the flat sides of the remaining cookies to form sandwiches; serve.
STEP-BY-STEP
Piping the Paste
1. Fill the pastry bag with paste, push paste to bottom of bag using hands or bench scraper, and twist top of bag to seal.
2. Pipe paste into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch mounds (2-inch mounds if making gougères) on prepared baking sheet.
3. Use back of teaspoon dipped in water to even out shape and smooth surface of mounds.
TECHNIQUE
Beating Egg Whites
The egg whites should be beaten until smooth and creamy. When the beater is lifted out of the bowl, the egg whites should hold a soft peak.
If the egg whites are beaten too long, they will look dry and grainy and begin to separate.
