French meringue macarons

Makes 50 to 60 shells, for 25 to 30 filled macarons

French meringue macarons

Ingredients:
2¾ cups (8.8 ounces/250 grams) almond fl our
2¾ cups (12.4 ounces/350 grams)
powdered sugar
1 cup egg whites (fr om 7 or 8 eggs),
at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons powdered egg whites,
if weather is humid
¾ cup (5.3 ounces/150 grams) super fine
granulated sugar
5 to 7 dr ops gel paste food coloring (optional)

French meringue macarons color brown

Method:
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.Blend the almond ® our with the powdered sugar in the food processor to make a ¨ ne powder (or sift together, discarding any large crumbs and adding a bit more almond ® our and powdered sugar as needed to compensate).

Then sift the mixture through a strainer until it’s as ¨ ne as you can get it. This keeps crumbs from forming on the macaron tops as they bake.

With the wire whip attachment on the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt and the powdered egg whites (if you’re using them), starting slowly and then increasing speed as the whites start to rise. Add the granulated sugar and the food coloring. Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks and your meringue is ¨ rm and shiny.

Pour the beaten egg whites onto your almond ® our mixture and gently fold them in, using a rubber spatula. Move your spatula from the bottom of the bowl to the edges with one hand, using your other hand to rotate the bowl.

Now hit the spatula against the rim of the bowl until the batter falls in a wide ribbon when you raise the spatula. When you can’t see any crumbs of almond ® our and the mixture is shiny and ® owing, you’re ready to start piping.


Fit your pastry bag with a number-8 tip and ¨ ll with batter. Start by squeezing out a small amount of mix onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a 2½-inch circle. Be sure to leave 1 inch of space between macarons so they will not touch each other while they bake. If the peak that forms on the top of the macaron does not disappear after piping, it means the batter could have been beaten a little more.

To eliminate the peaks, tap the baking sheet on the tabletop, making sure to hold the parchment paper in place with your thumbs. Let the piped macarons rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300°F (325°F for a non-convection oven).

Notes and Tips:
Using a pastr y bag requires some practice. It may seem awkwar d at fi rst, but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Prepare the bag (if it hasn’t been used before) by cutting about 2 inches off the narrow end just enough so that when you insert a number-8 decorating tip, about a thir d of the tip extends outside the bag. Push the tip fi rmly in place and spoon in your fi lling, leaving enough room at the top to twist the bag shut. It’s best to fi ll the bag with half of the batter at a time so it’s not too heavy . To make it easier to fi ll your pastr y bag, place it upright in an empty jar or other straight-sided container. This will help steady the bag while you fi ll it with batter. Squeezing the bag slowly, pipe each macaron shell out in a single dollop. Lift the bag quickly to fi nish.


Bake for 14 minutes. After the ¨ rst 5 minutes, open the oven door brie® y to let the steam out. Let the macarons cool completely on a rack before taking them off
the parchment paper.

Press the bottom of a cooled baked macaron shell with your ¨ nger; it should be soft. If the bottom of the shell is hard, reduce the baking time for the rest of your macarons from 14 minutes to 13 minutes.

French meringue macarons color green