Macarons are one of those indulgent treats that you only have once every so often. For me, this is just because they aren’t available on every street corner like they are in paris. But now that I have the perfect recipe, this never has to be a problem again! Macarons are a parisian specialty, famous for their thin, crisp outer layer (similar to a meringue, but a little drier) which crumbles when bitten into, revealing a soft and  slightly chewy centre with a beautiful, subtle, sweet almond flavour.  Once you have the basic recipe, you can experiment with the flavours until your heart’s content. I used the recipe from ‘ottolenghi the cookbook’, but substituted the flavours to better suit my tastebuds. The flavours in the cookbook are lime with basil filling, and salty peanut with caramel filling I”m going to try this one next time). I have made chocolate with pistachio filling, and pandanus with coconut filling. Thanks to Louise, Josh’s mother, who had a beautiful chocolate cake topped with macarons at her 50th, which inspired me to post this recipe.

ingredients

chocolate macarons

110g icing sugar
50g ground almonds
12g cocoa powder
2 free range egg whites (60g)
40g castor sugar

pistachio filling

100g unsalted butter
45g icing sugar
50g finely chopped roasted pistachios
2 tsps vanilla essence

method

Heat oven to 170 degrees celcius. using a fine sieve, sift the icing sugar, cocoa and ground almonds into a bowl. Place the egg whites and castor sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and start whisking on full speed until the whites are a thick and aerated meringue like texture – firm but not too dry. Remove the bowl and take a third of the egg white and fold it gently into the sifted almond and sugar mix. once incorporated, add another third, follow the same process until all the egg white has been added, and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Stick a piece of baking paper on a baking tray with a dot of the macaron mixture on each corner. Use a piping bag to create uniform shallow discs about the size of the 50 cent coins about 2 cm apart from each other.  Alternatively, you can dip your hands in icing sugar and roll balls of the mixture to form a similar shape. Now tap the bottom of the tray on the bench lightly to help smooth out the macarons. Leave the tray sit for 15 minutes before baking for abou 12 minutes (depending on the oven). When ready, they will come freely off the paper with a palette knife. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling as follows. Place the butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a spatula until pale in colour and light in texture. Add the pistachio and essence, and beat until incorporated.

To assemble, use a piping bag or small spoon to place a pea sized amount of filling on the flat side of a macaron. Gently sandwich together with another macaron half and leave to set somewhere cool (preferably not the fridge as they shouldn’t be served cold).

 

ingredients

pandanus macarons

120g icing sugar
60g ground almonds
2 free range egg whites (60g)
40g castor sugar
2 teaspoons pandanus flavouring

coconut filling

100g unsalted butter
45g icing sugar
50g dessicated coconut
2 tsp vanilla essence

method

Heat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Using a fine sieve, sift the icing sugar, cocoa and ground almonds into a bowl. Place the egg whites, pandanus flavouring and castor sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and start whisking on full speed until the whites are a thick and aerated meringue like texture – firm but not too dry. Remove the bowl and take a third of the egg white and fold it gently into the sifted almond and sugar mix. Once incorporated, add another third, follow the same process until all the egg white has been added, and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Stick a piece of baking paper on a baking tray with a dot of the macaron mixture on each corner. Use a piping bag to create uniform shallow discs about the size of the 50 cent coins about 2 cm apart from each other.  Alternatively, you can dip your hands in icing sugar and roll balls of the mixture to form a similar shape. Now tap the bottom of the tray on the bench lightly to help smooth out the macarons. Leave the tray sit for 15 minutes before baking for abou 12 minutes (depending on the oven). When ready, they will come freely off the paper with a palette knife. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling as follows. Place the butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a spatula until pale in colour and light in texture. Add the coconut and essence, and beat until incorporated.

To assemble, use a piping bag or small spoon to place a pea sized amount of filling on the flat side of a macaron. Gently sandwich together with another macaron half and leave to set somewhere cool (preferably not in the fridge as they shouldn’t be served cold).

other combinations I hope to try…

chocolate with rosewater filling
peanut with caramel filling
chocolate with chocolate and sea salt ganache
mint with raspberry jam butter cream