Baking with Clara!- French Macaroons (Macarons)

Bake with Me

French Macaroons (Macarons)

A sweet crunchy shell with a soft, chewy inside, macarons are a dessert you don’t want to miss out on. Many are drawn back from the idea of baking these treats, as they can be difficult to work with if not made correctly. But, if you follow the recipe to a T, you will create delectable cookies that melt in your mouth. And, honestly, they are not all that hard to create. 

Ingredients:

Macarons:

• ¾ cup + 2 tbsp almond flour
• ¾ cup + 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 egg whites at room temperature
• A small pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp sugar (granulated)
• Food coloring of your choice (This is not a required ingredient but it will make them more appealing to the eye.)

Buttercream Frosting:

• ⅓ cup butter (This is equal to about ⅔ of a stick of butter)
• 1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• Here you also have the option to add lemon juice to balance some of the sweetness of the frosting, and if you decide to do so replace the milk with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and add the zest of one lemon. 

Other Materials:

• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons
• 2 bowls for mixing 
• An electric mixer, electric whisk, or normal whisk (It is possible to make this using a normal whisk, but it will be difficult.)
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• 2 Piping Bags
• Piping tip

Recipe:

Begin by sifting the almond flour into a bowl to remove any chunks. Mix in the powdered sugar and transfer the mixture to another bowl, sifting it once more. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy (until they are filled with bubbles and beginning to turn a white color). Add the salt. Add the granulated sugar slowly, continuously whisking. Once you are left with a thick white merengue, your mixture is done. (Note: You should be able to hold the bowl upside down over your head without the mixture spilling out, thet is how you know it is ready.) Fold in the food coloring using a rubber spatula. Next, slowly add your almond flour to the merengue, using the rubber spatula to fold it in until you reach a smooth texture. Finally, place your batter into a piping bag. 

Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper, and pipe the macaron shapes onto the paper, making them about 1 ¼ inches in diameter, and leaving about 1 ½ inches of room between each cookie. The piping size should look something like this: 

After piping the macarons, tap the sheet onto the counter to release any air bubbles in the batter. Next, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 40 minutes, or until you can touch their surface without the batter sticking to your hands. (This will give them a crunchy shell.) 

While letting your macarons dry, preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they are dry to the touch, bake the cookies for about 18 minutes. Once they are baked, allow them to cool and they will be ready to frost.

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To make the frosting, begin by mixing the butter and powdered sugar using a whisk or electric mixer. Add in the milk or lemon juice and continue to mix. Finally, add the vanilla extract and transfer the frosting to a piping bag. Pipe frosting onto the bottom of one cookie, and place another on top, to finish off the macarons. 

There you have it, surprisingly simple macarons, that will melt in your mouth and create a symphony of flavor on your taste buds. I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and may even want to try it yourself one day!