RECIPE | MACARONS!

Macarons seem to be all the buzz lately so I decided to try my hand at these notoriously tricky treats.  I found a very helpful video (watch here) by Entertaining with Beth on YouTube that explained the steps  to making macarons along with six tips to ensure your cookies come out right.  I was incredibly proud that my first batch came out quite nicely *pats self on back*  My sister even called these her "new favorite cookie ever" and asked me to bake another batch.

Since the almond flour I had contained the almond skins, my macarons had speckles, unlike those perfectly smooth ones you see in stores but the result was equally delicious.  Also, I tried the raspberry cream filling Beth provides for my second batch but honestly, I preferred plain 'ol Nutella so I'll be trying a chocolate ganache next time.

Ingredients:
-3 egg whites
-1/4 cup white sugar
-2 cups confectioner's sugar
-1 cup almond flour
-pinch of salt
-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
-food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 300

2. Set out the egg whites.  *Egg whites should be at room temperature.  You can place the whole eggs in warm water for 5 minutes if you are in a rush

3. Sift the almond flour and confectioner's sugar in one large bowl.

4. Beat egg whites and add salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form (cream of tartar is an acid and helps form the peaks)

5. Add the sugar and food coloring.

6. Fold in the almond flour/sugar mixture gently.  *Make sure everything is mixed in but do not overmix.  The batter should start to become more viscous.

7. Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a 1/2 inch diameter tip.

8. Pipe out one inch circles onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.  *Hold the tip in the center so that it forms an even 3/4 sphere.

9.  Bang the tray on the counter a few times.  You should see air bubbles rise to the surface.  *Banging the tray causes the batter to flatten so if you would like thicker cookies, pipe out the cookies more vertically.  Also, my second tray seemed to fall after piping more so than the first, so work quickly or else the batter will start to melt.

10. Let the cookies rest for 30 minutes before baking for 20 minutes.

Raspberry Buttercream Filling:

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup butter

-3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

-3 tbsp fresh squeezed raspberry juice

In Beth's video, she says to use 1/2 a stick of butter but the description states 1/2 cup of butter. I used 1/2 cup of butter but ended up adding a few extra spoonfuls of powdered sugar and raspberry juice to achieve the desired flavor and texture.

1.  Beat the butter until it turns pale yellow (should take 5-8 minutes)

2. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar and continue to beat.

3.  Add the raspberry juice and beat until well blended.  

Best of luck!!