French macarons

Have you ever wondered how the French create those colourful, delicious macarons? Here’s how.

Note: Be sure to weigh your ingredients accurately, as macarons are a finicky recipe to create.

Makes: 8

Ingredients:

• 100g of egg whites
• 50g  of white sugar
• 200g of confectioners’ sugar
• 110g of almonds, very finely ground
• Gel food colouring
• Filling of your choice (buttercream, icing, chocolate, etc.) 

Method:

1. In a bowl of a standing mixer, whisk egg whites until foamy.
2. Add white sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy and softly peaked.
3. In a bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar and almonds together.
4. Fold mixture into egg whites, being careful not to mix too much.
5. Add a small amount of gel food colouring. Do not over-fold as this can disturb the mixture.
6. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking mat.
7. Place some test batter into a plastic bag, cutting off the corner.
8. On the baking sheet, make a disk of batter, about 4cm in diameter.
9. The batter should flatten right away. If it doesn’t, fold your batter a few more times and try again.
10. Once your batter is at the right consistency to form a flattened disk, spoon into the bag and create more disks, leaving space in between each.
11. Let disks sit out until they form a shell on top, which should take about an hour.
12. Preheat oven to 140°C and bake for about 10 minutes until cookies are set.
13. Let cool and add filling, sandwiching between two macarons.

We know what to eat to stay healthy. So why is it so hard to make the right choices?

Related links:

Classic pumpkin pie

Banana and chocolate crepes

Red velvet cheesecake bars