Description
Delicate French Macarons bring Parisian elegance to your dessert table with their crisp shells and silky smooth filling. Delightful almond meringue cookies offer a perfect balance of texture and sweetness that will enchant pastry enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
- 1 3/4 cups (200 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 3 large egg whites (about 100 grams)
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Ingredients:
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Meticulously sift almond flour and powdered sugar through a fine-mesh strainer to eliminate any lumps and create a smooth, uniform powder blend.
- Whip egg whites in a clean, dry bowl using an electric mixer, gradually introducing granulated sugar until the mixture transforms into glossy, stiff peaks with a meringue-like consistency.
- Gently fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue, incorporating food coloring delicately to maintain the delicate air structure; continue blending until the batter achieves a molten, ribbon-like flow.
- Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a round tip, carefully creating uniform circular shells on parchment-lined baking sheets, maintaining consistent size and spacing.
- Firmly tap the baking trays against the countertop to dislodge trapped air bubbles, then allow macarons to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes, developing a protective skin.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), then bake the delicate shells for approximately 16-18 minutes, rotating the tray midway to ensure even coloration and crisp texture.
- Remove from oven and allow shells to cool completely on the baking sheet before gently lifting and assembling with chosen filling between matching macaron shells.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements to ensure consistent macaron texture.
- Aged egg whites at room temperature create more stable meringue with better volume.
- Sifting dry ingredients multiple times prevents lumps and creates smoother macaron shells.
- Macaronage technique requires gentle folding to maintain meringue’s delicate structure and achieve perfect consistency.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 94 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg