One of my Christmas presents from my husband (last year!) was a Macaron Gift Set – I’ve been very hit and miss with my macaron making for ages so I hoped this would help just a little! The set comprised of piping equipment, palette knife and spatula, a little recipe book and also a silicone macaron mat. This was the bit of equipment I really hoped would help, as I am atrocious, and I mean diabolically atrocious at piping!
My first go with the mat was a bit disastrous – I completely underbaked the macarons, which left the undersides gooey, and they wouldn’t come off the mat. The second attempt, as you can see from the pics, was a little bit better! The mat was really helpful, both for keeping the shells a regular size and guiding you on how much to pipe into each one.
These ones I made I flavoured with strawberry essence, and a touch of red food colouring and filled with a marshmallow buttercream.
Makes about 40 shells (20 macarons)
Ingredients:
For the shells
- 2 large egg whites (ideally separated the day before, and left in the fridge overnight, then bought to room temp before cooking)
- 20g caster sugar
- 60g ground almonds
- 110g caster sugar
- red food colouring
- 2-3 drops strawberry essence
For the filling
- 40g butter
- 80g marshmallow fluff
- 80g icing sugar
Method:
- Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor (the aim is to get them as fine as possible) and then sieve into a bowl.
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Whisk the egg whites either by hand or in a mixer into soft peaks, then slowly add the caster sugar beating well, and continue to whisk until firm and glossy
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Add in the strawberry essence, and a couple of drops of red food colouring (continue to mix and add the colouring until you reach your desired ‘pink’ colour
4. Fold in the almond & icing sugar mixture in 3 or 4 batches with a large metal spoon to the egg white mixture.
5. Continue to fold in a figure of 8 until it is all combined in a smooth glossy batter
6. Put into a piping bag and pipe into small rounds onto the silicone mat.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly to get rid of air bubbles and leave for 1 hours to form a skin.
8. Bake the macaroons on the middle shelf of the oven at 150 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool completely before filling.
- To make the filling beat all the ingredients together until light and fluffy, then pipe onto one shell, and then sandwich with another shell!
Happy eating :)
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If you’re a macaron fan you could check out my friend Emilys Illustrated Guide with handy hints and tips and for flavor inspiration why not look at these ideas:
Mini Pistachio Macarons from Emilys Recipes and Reviews
Double Raspberry Macarons from Super Golden Bakes
Nigellas Chocolate Macarons from Tin & Thyme
