Vanilla Macarons

Macarons.. A classic french delight. Apparently they are most challenging dessert to make and so I thought it was about time to give them a try. I researched many different recipes for the Macarons and eventually I combined a few recipes and tips to come up with the perfect recipe. So.. Let see how they are done...

Essential Tips for a Successful Macaron 

1.  Make sure you run through all the ingredients with a sieve so that everything is finely ground and powdery as possible which will give you that smooth macaron and make them really light. 

2. After you have sieved the ingredients you will be left with whole pieces of almonds that didnt make it through the sieve. These you want to discard.

3. Make sure your egg whits are at room temperature as this is critical to make a stiff egg white. ( You can create a room temperature egg by submerging them into a jug of warm water, leave for 5 minutes and you will have room temperature eggs )

4. Mixing stage: If you over mix you will end up with a macaron that is flat without the little ridges around the bottom and that is the mark of a true macaron. If you undermix, then you will be left with a macaron that will crack on the top.

5. Bang the trays on your kitchen top to pop the air bubbles in the macaroons. Bang a couple times and then turn the tray around and bang another couple times.

6. Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes before placing into the oven. 

Ingredients

4 Large Egg Whites or (5 small) (140g)

70g Caster Sugar

230g Icing Sugar

120g Ground Almonds

Tiny Pinch of Salt

250ml Double Cream 

2tsp Vanilla Extract

250g Icing Sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees (130 in a fan assisted oven)

2. Place the egg whites into a a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until they begin to turn white and fluffy and then slowly add the caster sugar. Mix until they are stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out.

3. Sift the ground almonds and icing sugar and salt TWICE. Discarding any almond lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve. 

4. Fold the sieved mixture into the egg white mixture using the spatula. To fold the mixture correctly make the figure 8 with the spatula until all the ingredients have been incorporated. The mixture should be smooth and very viscous, not running. 

5. Pipe onto trays lined with baking paper.

6. Bang the trays on the kitchen top firmly to make sure that any air bubbles into the mixture will pop preventing cracking. 

7. Leave them to then rest for 25 minutes.

8. Bake for 30 minutes ( check that one comes off cleanly, if not then bake for a little longer).

Whilst they are baking you can make the filling:

I made up my own vanilla filling, here how it is done. 

1. Pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk until thick, then add the icing sugar and whisk again until very thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix by hand. Place the contents into a piping bag and thats ready to go.

Bon Appetit 

xx