French Macarons - Delicious Challenge
The hardest - yet most fun and delicious - challenge that I have ever given myself so far. French macarons! To be honest, I was really worried about how successful I would be.
I followed the weight measurements used in the blog "Sally's Baking Addiction" Step by Step Guide to French Macarons. I went through the extra step of double-sifting the almond flour and icing sugar...just to be on the very safe side.
She did mention that the granulated sugar needed to be sifted...I ran it through the food processor and then sifted it twice...just to make it finer.
As you can see, I beat the egg whites and sugar and then slowly added the dry mixture in three batches so as not to knock the air out of the egg whites.
I filled a large pastry bag - less handling of the mixture, the better. I tried to make a simple heart shape, but that was an utter failure. So I settled for simple rounds instead. I'll try the fancy shapes next time. IF I can successfully pipe a Hello Kitty shape, I'd be the happiest person ever! (Yes, I love Hello Kitty that much.) After piping, I knocked the air out of the macarons, as per the recipe, by slamming the tray on a thin cushion I used to protect the kitchen counter. You do still have to use a thin toothpick to burst the bubbles that stubbornly remain no matter how many times you knock the tray. After an hour or two (I waited 2 hours) I baked the cookies at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes with the rack in the middle of the oven. You do have to watch carefully, because my first tray was slightly closer to the top of the oven and turned the macarons a dark brown colour. I moved the tray directly to the middle to avoid over browning.
While waiting for the cookies to cool, I whipped a simple buttercream icing (icing sugar and butter with a little almond essence) and put it in the fridge.
When the cookies were completely cool (make sure there are no other people around to sneak bites when you aren't looking) I piped the buttercream along the edges of the cookie and left the middle empty. Personally, I hate too much icing and find that this is the best way to ensure that I'm not gagging on too much icing. Because when you bite down, the icing is soft enough to smoosh into the middle where there isn't any icing. I would like to add fresh berries next time though, I think that would add to the freshness and help balance the sweetness.
I'm sure you can see in the picture below that there were some air bubbles that I had missed. But taste-wise, my family and friends absolutely loved it and enjoyed it a lot. I hope you will too! Let me know what you think or if you have a better recipe you like to use.
Comments