So light and tasty, you’ll want to eat them by the dozen!
I know, macarons have been all the rage for a few years, and here I am posting my first macaron recipe. Call me behind the times if you’d like. I don’t mind.
It’s taken me some time to venture into the land of macarons. I never was a fan of meringue cookies in my youth. My mom often bought them at a local bakery, but I found them to be boring and of an odd texture. Rather than being open-minded, I held onto this belief into my adult years. Imagine my shock last fall when I had some meringue cookies at the Green Room at Hotel du Pont and found them to be utterly delicious.
With a new adoration for these cookies, it seemed time to try my hand not only at meringues but also at their delightful sandwich creation, the macaron. If a cookie is yummy and then you add a filling to it, how can it not be doubly yummy? Especially when you use a filling of homemade buttercream!
For those who think these cookies may be daunting to make, I would encourage you to give them a try. As long as you follow a few key pointers:
- Line your trays with parchment paper
- Use a piping bag
- Don’t rush the recipe; follow times carefully
I will continue to make these cookies, as I’m excited to try different flavor combinations. I played this first macaron safe, keeping the cookie plain, but there are so many options out there. I’m also excited to work on my shaping. Although the cookies I photographed are nicely rounded, the same can’t be said for all of the batch. However, practice makes perfect. And practice also makes for more sweet treats!
- Macarons
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- Frosting
- 4 Tb. butter, softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tb. seedless raspberry jam, room temperature
- Whisk egg whites in bowl of stand mixer until foamy.
- Add sugar and continue whisking until firm peaks are formed.
- Add salt, and whisk for 10 seconds.
- Sift powdered sugar into separate bowl.
- Add almond flour to powdered sugar, using fingers to break up clumps.*
- Whisk sugar and flour to combine.
- Add powdered sugar mixture to egg whites in 4 parts, folding between each.
- Draw 2” circles approximately 2 inches apart on parchment paper.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper (written side down).
- Using a small, plain nozzle, pipe cookie batter into circles.
- Bang trays on counter to remove air, and allow to sit for 30 minutes before baking.**
- Preheat oven to 300.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating trays halfway through baking.
- Allow to cool on pans for 10 minutes.
- Cream butter in bowl of stand mixer, using paddle attachment.
- Turn mixer off, add powdered sugar and turn to low speed to combine.
- Add jam, and mix at speed 2 until combined.
- Remove cookies from parchment paper and match like-sized cookies.
- Transfer buttercream to pastry bag fitted with small, plain nozzle.
- Pipe a small amount of frosting to bottom of one cookie in each pair; top with other cookie.
- To allow frosting to set up, place finished macarons in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Typically the almond flour is sifted, but I found it difficult to sift. Rubbing with my fingers removed all lumps.
- The tops of the macarons should feel firm before baking.
