So we all know money is tight these days and with so many social events doing secret Santa I thought something made by my fair hands might not just be affordable but also more personal as well. Muffins and french macaroons have been all the rage for the last 18 months with 8 macaroons costing anything up to £15.
Baking has never been my strongest point but using a recipe from http://www.deliciousmagazine.com I thought it looked pretty straight forward.
Step 1 get the ingredients :
Bind 4 egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then add 150gms of caster sugar and fold it through. In another bowl bind 175gms of ground almonds with 125gms of icing sugar and then sift it. At this point take the meringue mix and split into as many bowls as flavours your making and add your colouring/flavourings. Then add to his half the volume of almond mix to the meringue. Mix then repeat with the other half.
Get your oven trays and cover with parchment. Get your piping bag and pipe 3/4cm in diameter macaroons safely apart. You should have enough mix for 20 macaroons. Once piped leave for 15 minutes to allow a skin to form. Finally bake for 10/12 minutes in a 160 degree oven. Once baked allow to cool.
For my icing I mixed Nutella, icing sugar and butter and piped. Finished result below. I loved making an enjoying
