Makes: 20
Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus standing time
Baking time: 12-15 minutes
Oven temperature: 150°C
• 225g icing sugar
• 125g ground, flaked or diced almonds
• 110g egg whites at room temperature (approximately 4 large egg whites)
• 30g sugar
• gel food colouring of your choice
• filling of your choice (try chocolate ganache or butter icing)
1 Draw 40 circles with a 4,5cm diameter onto a piece of baking paper. Turn the paper over and place onto a large baking tray. Use two trays with 20 circles each if you don’t have one tray that is big enough.
2 Grind the almonds as finely as possible in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
3 Sift the icing sugar and ground almonds together with a pinch of salt into a bowl.
4 Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar gradually and beat until stiff peaks form.
5 Beat in the food colouring. Light colours don’t work well because the macarons brown slightly when baked.
6 Fold the dry ingredients in very gently. Fold the mixture over a few more times until it flows slightly but can still hold its shape. In other words, ribbons, made by lifting some of the mixture out, should disappear only after about 10 seconds.
7 Pipe the mixture into the circles on the baking paper. Tap gently to remove any air bubbles. Set aside for one hour. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Open the oven door so it is slightly ajar and leave the macarons in the oven for a further five minutes.
8 Transfer the baking paper and macarons to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, the macarons can be lifted carefully from the baking paper. Pipe the filling onto half the macarons and sandwich closed.
Good Idea After filling, refrigerate for a couple of hours, or ideally for 24 hours. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
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