Macarons
100g aged egg whites (about 3, depending on the size of the eggs, aged 3-5 days in the fridge)
50g white sugar
200g cups confectioners' sugar
110g finely ground almonds
food colouring, powdered or gel (optional)
1) Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. (parchment paper is fine. Do not use greaseproof or wax paper)
2) Sift confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. (I’ve found that you can skip sifting the ground almonds, but you must must must sift the icing sugar)
3) Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold stiff peaks. (this is where you turn the beaters upside down. If the egg white stands up like a pointy tower by itself without drooping, it is ready)
4) Add food colouring, if using. Colour the batter slightly darker than what you want because the colour tends to lighten up after baking. Try to use a colour that you can associate the filling with.
5) Quickly fold the almond and confectioners’ mixture into the egg whites. (use the cut in the middle and fold around the edges method to mix. When the batter clings to the spatula and slowly drops off like lava, then it is mixed enough. Usually, this is about 60-70 strokes for me. Try not to over-mix or under-mix)
6) Spoon batter into a piping bag with the tip cut off (not too big a hole) and pipe a test disk of batter, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, onto prepared baking sheet. If the disk of batter holds a peak instead of flattening immediately, gently fold the batter a few more times and retest.
7) When batter is mixed enough to flatten immediately into an even disk, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. (you can just use the disposable bags without a tip.) Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. (Bang bang bang the baking sheet on the counter until you see tiny air bubbles coming out. Maybe 10-15 times. This is important so the cookie doesn’t crack)
8) Let the piped cookies stand out in an air-conditioned room until they form a hard skin on top, about 20 mins.
9) Preheat oven to 285 degrees F (140C). (please experiment with your oven. The ideal temperature for me is 150C. If the oven is too hot, you will see the foot of the macaron spread). Bake cookies until set but not browned. (I leave them in for 23 minutes).
10) Let cookies cool completely before filling. (remember to “match” cookies of the same size)
