French Macarons

BON JOUR!

You know you are nervous about this one, aren't you?  What if I beat the egg whites to much, or not enough.  What if I over mix or undermix.  Overbake or underbake.  OH the stress of it all!!!

Don't worry!  I was equally as worried.  First grab a glass of wine, I mean, HELLO, they are French, it requires wine!  Then, I found a recipe I wanted to try, compliments of sugaryum.com.  This was not a recipe I was about to tweak and twist or "fix" for my own taste and opinions.  This was my first French Macaron rodeo and I was not about to get bucked of this bronco right out of the shoot!

Let me tell you how this went down.  I could not find almond flour.  So I ground my own in my food processor.  I was concerned it wouldn't grind it down enough, but it worked beautifully so keep that in mind if you can't find almond flour.  I just bought slivered almonds in a bag and used those.

I was also concerned about the overmixing, undermixing part.  Pfftt....just mix it until it is all incorporated and you are golden.  When you put some on a spoon and it slowly runs off and folds over itself, it is perfect. 

Truth be told, I never had eaten these and I never had some "OMG" moment when I knew I had to learn to make them.  I have seen them on a couple of videos lately and frankly, I was up for the challenge!  I came, I saw and I conquered.  Now my friends........it is YOUR turn! 

Here is what you will need

3 egg whites (room temp)
5 tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring (optional)
buttercream and/or nutella

Equipment you MUST have:
2 large cookie sheets
parchment paper
Piping bag or ziploc bag

First, put your almond flour and powdered sugar through a sifter or fine mesh sieve.  Sift into a bowl.   Set aside and work on eggs.  Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat your eggs, adding your granulated sugar 1 tbsp at a time. Also while beating add in vanilla and food color if you choose.    Beat until you have stiff peaks.  (CONFESSION, mine wasn't fine enough to go through the sifter, and the still turned out) SHOCK!

Now combine half of the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the eggs. FOLDING them together gently, when almost combined, add in the rest and continue to fold until it is all incorporated. 

 

 



Line both baking sheets with parchment paper.  This is a MUST!  Fill your pastry bag with your mixture and pipe 1-2 inch dots.  Pipe them 2 inches apart!  I made mine a wee bit big but it makes no difference really.  If they have a little peak on top, dip your finger in water and push it down.  When your cookie sheets are full (this should make 36 at least) firmly rap the cookie trays on your counter, to release any air bubbles, this is VERY important.  It will also spread them evenly on the cookie sheet.   

Now, preheat your oven to 280 degrees and place your oven racks at the very top or very bottom of the oven.   Let your cookies sit for 15-20 minutes or until they become firm.  You should be able to touch the tops without it leaving an mark or dent.  At that time, put them in the oven.  After 2 minutes, open the oven door to let out any humidity.  Close the oven and bake for 7 more minutes and then switch the pans positions AND turn them around.  This will ensure even baking.  Bake 6-7 more minutes until they are firm and easily come away from the parchment paper.  Let cool.  Fill with filling of your choice, buttercream or nutella (I used both) and sandwich them together.  They are DELICIOUS!!

Now don't be frightened...........just do it!  They are SOOOO worth it!

Bon Appetit!

Your "mademoiselle"chefwannabe