Best Macaron Recipe By Mimi

BETH'S FOOLPROOF FRENCH MACARON RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F degrees
• Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10 mins.
• Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Think Seattle Space needle.
• Then add the food coloring.
• Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just discard those, or use them to snack on :) You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.
• Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. About 65-75 good strokes.
• Transfer batter to a pastry bag.
• Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.
• Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons develop feet! When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up. That's what creates the feet!
• Bake for 20 mins. DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray.
• Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Then place sieve on top of a bowl the same size. Work raspberries through the sieve with a spatula, pushing them through, mashing them around until you extract their juice. You want 3 tablespoons of juice.
• Add juice to buttercream, and whip until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ " in diameter)
• Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell et Voila!
• If not eating right away, keep refrigerated.

BEST MACARON RECIPE BY MIMI

Steps:

• Complete all the PREP WORK as listed in post.
• In a big bowl, sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar.
• In a separate bowl, whip room temperature egg whites on low speed with a handheld mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar. (Further reading: How to make perfect meringue for macarons.)
• Once the beater starts leaving tracks in the egg whites and the bubbles have tightened up in size, add granulated sugar 1/3 at a time. Increase to med speed.
• Once all the sugar has been fully incorporated and before reaching stiff peaks, add 1-3 drops of gel color to your liking. Whip on med-high until Stiff Peaks.
• Test meringue stiffness. It should have pointed peaks when the whisk is pulled out.
• Pour a third of the almond/powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold it into the egg whites. Then add the rest of the mixture and fold.
• Stop folding once the dry ingredients have been fully incorporated and the batter has reached a "lava" like or honey consistency. The batter should pass the figure-8 test. (Watch video: How to Macaronage for No Hollows)
• On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the batter to the size of the circle on the template. Sign up to my newsletter to get free templates of various sizes. (Further reading: Proper macaron batter consistency while piping.)
• Remove the paper template from underneath the parchment paper or mat.
• Rap the tray several times on the counter to rid of excess bubbles.
• Before the batter dries, pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.
• Let it rest on the counter for 30 min. AND until a "skin" has developed. This will prevent the shells from cracking during baking. (Further reading: Resting the macaron shell.)
• Preheat oven to 320 F. (Further reading: How to use your home oven for baking macarons.)
• Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes. Bake only one tray at a time.
• Take them out and test doneness. The feet should not push back and the shell should not be wobbly.
• Let them cool off on the pan (or off if they are overdone).
• Fill macarons with an easy 3 ingredient chocolate filling or your own favorite filling. (Further reading: Yummy Macaron Filling Ideas)
• Leave them in the fridge in an airtight container and let them mature for 24 hours. (Further reading: Can macaron shells be frozen?)
• After 24 hours of maturation in the fridge, bring them back to room temperature 30 min. before serving. They will remain fresh stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, depending on filling used. ENJOY!