Ingredients:

100g / 1 cup icing / powder sugar

100g / 1 cup ground almonds
2 medium, free-range egg whites
Small pinch salt
55g / cup caster / fine sugar
For the filling:
150g / 1 cups unsalted butter, softened
75 g / 2/3 cup icing / powder sugar
Preparation:
This is the basic recipe for macarons. You can make coloured
macarons by (sparingly) using a food colouring paste rather than
liquid food colouring. The colour should be added to the egg
whites before whisking.
Macarons need a steady, lowish temperature to cook properly, too
high and they easily burn, too low and they don't cook through.
These temperatures are a guideline, adjust to suit your oven.
Preheat the oven to 140C/300 F/Gas for fan oven, 160 C/
325F/gas 3 regular oven
Sieve the icing sugar, followed by the ground almonds, into a
large mixing bowl and carefully mix together.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and salt until they form
soft peaks. Add the caster / fine sugar, a little at a time and
continue to whisk until the whites are very thick and glossy
(ideally, you should be able to hold the bowl upside down without
the whites falling out - go on, I dare you !) Gently stir in the
icing sugar and almond mix. The mixture will lose some air and
become quite loose, don't worry, this is the way it should be.
Using a piping bag with a 1cm / 1/3" nozzle, fill with the
macaron mixture. Place the silicon mat (see note in the
introduction) or paper template onto a baking sheet. Pipe small
blobs onto the sheet remembering that less is more at this stage
because the mixture will settle and form into the allotted
spaces.
Gently tap the baking sheet a few times on the work surface to
help the macaron mixture to settle and to break any air bubbles,
then leave to dry for 20 minutes - the surface of the macaron
will become smooth and shiny
Bake the macarons in the preheated for 7 - 8 minutes minutes,
open the door to release any steam, close the oven door and cook
for a further 7 - 8 minutes. The macarons are cooked when they
feel firm and are slightly risen.
Slide the mat or greaseproof paper onto a wire cooling rack and
leave to cool completely Do not be tempted to remove the macarons
from the mat until they are cold or you will break them.
Make the Filling
Beat the softened butter until it is fluffy, then gradually beat
in the icing sugar. At this point you can beat in any flavourings
you may choose. See examples below.

Place approx 1/2 a tsp of the filling to the flat side of one
macaroon and sandwich together with another then twist ever so
slightly to create a bond. Continue with the remaining macaroons.
The macarons can be eaten immediately but will benefit from being
refrigerated for 24 hours (that's if you can resist them for that
long) as this will make them even more chewy and tasty.
Filling Variations for Macarons
For pink macarons: raspberry, strawberry are good matches, or for
contrast add a little vanilla flavouring to the buttercream.
Green macarons work very well with a pistachio flavoured cream,
use either food flavouring or finely ground, pistachio nuts.
Alternatively, add a little coconut flavouring, fresh lime zest
and a tiny squeeze of the juice for a zingy filling.
Purple, blueberry flavour is perfect.
Cream coloured, use vanilla extract for an extra creamy flavour.
Yellow, lemon works really well.
My Top Tips for Making Perfect Macarons - Every Time
Use a Mat: If you can, buy a Moule Macaron, a silicon mat
designed specifically for making macarons. My favourite is from
Lakeland in the UK, but shop around where you are. You don't have
to buy a mat; you can draw a template onto greaseproof paper; the
advantage to the mat is the indentations help to create a perfect
shape.
Coloured Macarons: For coloured macarons, use food colouring
paste not a liquid; using a liquid alters the macaron texture.
Colourings should be added to the liquid egg whites. Add more
rather than less at this stage, this will make a darker colour
than you ultimately want; however, it will lighten considerably
with whisking and the addition of the sugar.
Chocolate macarons are slightly different, check out the recipe
to see the difference.
Be Prepared: Weigh and measure all your ingredients before you
start and always sieve the icing sugar and the ground almond; you
may think skipping this step will not matter; it does. Not
sieving, you risk lumps in the mixture which will flatten the
macaron mixture.
Clean and Sparkly: Use egg whites that are a few days old and at
room temperature. Before whisking make sure your whisk and bowl
are sparkling clean and grease free.
Slowly Does it: Don't add all the sugar to the egg whites in one

go, in three parts is usually best. Whisk the egg whites really,
really well, they should be so stiff you can turn the bowl upside
down, and they will not fall out.
Do not be heavy-handed: When mixing the almond / icing sugar to
the beaten egg whites, use a slim spatula and fold quickly and
gently. You will lose a lot of the air, but the resulting batter
should still be thick and airy. Too runny and you have over
worked it.
Less is More: Use a simple round nozzle in your piping bag,
anything fancier is a waste of time. Less is more when piping
onto the mat or greaseproof paper; you do not have to fill to the
brim as the mixture will settle and fill the indent.
Tap and Wait: Once piped, tap the baking sheet sharply on the
work top to remove any air bubbles and to help the mixture
settle. Leave the piped macarons to dry before cooking; 20 - 30
mins is best; the macarons surface will dry and become smooth.
Waft, Waft: Half way through cooking, open the oven door and
quickly waft it a few times to allow any steam to escape. Close
the door and finish the cooking.
Be Patient: Once cooked, slide the mat / greaseproof onto a
cooling rack and leave the macarons to go completely cold. DO NOT
be tempted to remove the macarons until they are cold, you will
be upset if you do; the macarons will stick.
Gently Does it and More Patience: Pipe the filling on to the flat
side of one macaron, place the other on top and twist gently to
spread the cream. Once the macarons are filled and you are about
to think of eating them, just know; they are best kept in a
container inside the fridge overnight. The end result is a more
chewy and better flavoured macaron. It's tough I know but it does
work.
And Finally: If you do not have the time to complete making the
macarons once cooked, or want to prepare some in advance, the
shells freeze really well. Put them into strong container so they
don't break and keep in the freezer for no longer than a month.
Always make the buttercream filling fresh, this does not freeze
very well.
-------------------------INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MACARONS

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
SUGGESTED FILLINGS FOR MACARONS
Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache
Coconut: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup
angel-flake coconut.
Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam,
or peanut butter.
Pistachio: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup
finely chopped pistachios.
Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor
until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
STEP 2
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium
speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft
peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar.
Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8
minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture
is smooth and shiny.
STEP 3
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain
round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchmentlined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds
rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work
surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for
15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet
at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and
firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven
temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to
325 degrees.
STEP 4
Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to
a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment
on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)
STEP 5

Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve

immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in
plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.
-------------------------Here are my ten tips for making macarons at home:
1. Almond meal (finely ground almonds) will save you a lot of
time, but you can also use regular almonds that you can grind
yourself with a food processor. They do not have to be blanched!
Other nuts also work Ive made successful macarons using
pistachios or hazelnuts to replace almonds entirely.
2. You do not need to slowly add in granulated sugar to the egg
white mixture when beating the egg whites. Many recipes insist
you must add it in slowly, but Ive always tossed it all in at
once, which saves me the annoyance of having to turn off my hand
mixer every minute to add a small amount in it has never made a
difference.
3. You dont have to use aged egg whites (Ive made macarons with
egg whites at room temperature for about an hour or two and
theyve turned out just fine), but when the climate is humid or
rainy, this tends to have an adverse effect on the macaron
shells Im not sure why but Ive learned my lesson and avoid
baking them on a rainy day!
4. Buy a piping bag with a round tip. The bags are available in
disposable and reusable versions; I find them handy not only for
macarons but also decorating cakes and cupcakes, and there are a
huge variety of tips to choose from. This allows better control
when piping the circles onto the mat for baking!
5. Use gel food coloring instead of liquid. Liquids can alter the
consistency of the macarons and ruin results.
6. I like to toss the gel food coloring into the egg white
mixture while Im beating it to properly distribute the color.
This works better for me than folding it in, since the electric
beater does a better job. I would not recommend trying this with
liquid coloring as it would alter the egg whites consistency but
with the gel or powdered colors, it does fine!
7. When you are beating the egg whites till glossy/stiff, beat
them till they literally do not move when you turn your bowl this
way and that. If you can hold the bowl above your head and
nothing moves, (and you dont have egg whites in your hair), its
ready!
8. When folding the egg whites with the almonds and sugar, use a
flexible spatula. Fold by repeatedly scraping around the bowl and
moving towards the middle. Do it no more than 50 times so as not

to overmix (Yes, I used to count them!). Many recipes say the

consistency should be of molten lava (that comparison doesnt
help me) but if you make it to runny pancake batter, youve gone
too far. When you lift it with the spatula, it should spread but
not too much or too far.
9. After piping the macarons onto the baking mat, let the tray
sit out for at least 15-25 minutes or until the tops of the
macarons look dried out and are no longer spreading. Leave spaces
between them when piping to allow them to spread!
10. Halfway through the baking time, rotate the pans in the oven
in case you have an oven that heats one side more than the other.
------------------------Ingredients:
3 large egg whites, ~95-100g, aged overnight
1/4 tps cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar, 50g
pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar, 200g
1 cup almond flour, 120g
Directions:
1. Sift the salt, powdered sugar, and almond flour into a large
container. Discard any clumps in the sieve.
2. Using a whisk attachment, beat egg whites with cream of tartar
until foamy. Add sugar in 3 batches. Continue beating until stiff
peaks form. Add gel food coloring, if desired, whisk again.
3. Add 1/3 of the almond mixture into the egg whites. Fold until
incorporated - about 15-20 turns. Then add another 1/3. Fold
again. Repeat one last time. It will take about 65 folds for the
right consistency.
4. Pipe small circles onto a baking sheet/tray lined with a
baking mat or parchment paper. I used 3 half-sheets/trays.
5. Let rest until a skin forms. It should no longer be sticky.
30-60 minutes.
6. Bake at 275F for 17 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before attempting to peel them off.
Tips and Tricks for perfect Macarons:
1. Buy/Get a food scale. Macarons are so delicate. You want
precise measurements.
2. Almond flour can be made at home or bought at a store.
Regardless of how you obtained it, sieve only the almond
flour/meal before starting the recipe. You should remove all the
almond bits that are not powdered-like. You want to start your
recipe with real almond flour, not just finely grounded almonds.
Now, from the sieved/sifted almond flour, measure out the 120
grams to start the recipe.
3. Aged egg whites are important. Don't use fresh eggs. Crack and

separate your eggs whites into a small bowl. Loosely cover it

with a paper towel on your counter overnight.
4. Always sift your icing sugar and almond flour, even if no
clumps are visible. This will prevent cracks.
5. Beat your egg whites until foamy before adding sugar. Foamy
like a thick cloud in a bubble bath. Then add your sugar in 3
batches. This helps dissolve the sugar.
6. Beat your egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stiff but not
dry. It should still be shiny and glossy. Add gel food coloring
now if desired. Whisk to blend.
7. The consistency you are looking for after folding all the
almond mixture is "magma." It should flow like magma from your
spatula when you lift some batter up with your spatula. A ribbon
should also form in the batter when the magma falls down. This
takes me about 65 folds.
8. The batter should not be super thick, or too runny. Too thick,
and you will have peaks in your piped circles. Too runny and you
will never have perfect circles. A piped circle should lose any
peaks within 45 seconds if your batter is correct.
9. After you pipe your circles, bang your baking sheet gently on
the counter several times to pop any air bubbles. Do this to all
your baking sheets.
10. Let the skin form. This can take 30 to 60 minutes. A skin
should form around the macaron. The sides and top should not be
sticky. Touch it before baking.
11. After the skin forms, preheat your oven to 275F. Bake for 10
minutes. Then spin/rotate the tray, and bake for another 7
minutes. This ensures even browning and prevents the oven from
getting too hot. If it is too hot, the macarons will crack.
Double pan your sheets if necessary.
12. After the macarons are done baking. Let them cool completely.
If they are still warm, it won't peel off the parchment paper.
-----------------------Ingredients
Original recipe makes 16 macarons
3 egg whites
1/4 cup white sugar
1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup finely ground almonds
Directions
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
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
soft peaks. Sift confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a
separate bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg
whites, about 30 strokes.
Spoon a small amount of batter into a plastic bag with a small

corner cut off 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.
When batter is mixed enough to flatten immediately into an even
disk, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe
the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between
the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature
until they form a hard skin on top, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 285 degrees F (140 degrees C).
Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let
cookies cool completely before filling.
Cook's Notes:
To measure by weight, use these amounts: 100 grams egg whites 50
grams white sugar 200 grams confectioners' sugar 110 grams ground
almonds
If you do not have a sifter, you can use a blender or food
processor to thoroughly mix the almonds and confectioners' sugar.
Just blend or pulse for thirty seconds. Remember that because the
consistency of the mix is like cake batter, you're going to have
to be quick about piping it onto the silicone mat. Hold the
pastry bag sideways between piping so it doesn't spill.
----------------Ingredienti per circa 50 Macarons
180 gr farina mandorle
150 gr albumi a temperatura ambiente
270 gr zucchero a velo
75 zucchero
4 gocce di limone
Colorante
In un recipiente setacciare la farina e lo zucchero a velo.
Montare a neve gli albumi, aggiungendo lo zucchero in 2/3 volte e
le gocce di limone. Se si vogliono fare di un solo colore
aggiungere ora il colorante.
Quando saranno ben montati aggiungete in 2 volte il mix di
mandorle e zucchero (io lo setaccio nuovamente) e con una spatola
amalgamate il tutto, con movimenti dal basso verso laltro. (Se
invece si vogliono fare diversi colori, dividere limpasto e
aggiungere i vari coloranti) .
Trasferire il composto in una sac a poche con beccuccio liscio e
su una teglia rivestita di carta forno formate tanti mucchietti
di impasto rotondi.
Lasciate asciugare i macarons a temperatura ambiente almeno 2 ore
prima di infornarle.
Infornare a 145 (forno preriscaldato ventilato) per circa 13
minuti (dopo circa 8 minuti aprire velocemente il forno e
richiuderlo per far uscire il vapore).
A cottura ultimata sfornateli e poggiandoli con la carta forno su
un piano freddo e lasciateli riposare almeno 15 minuti prima di

staccarli.
N.b.: E ideale farli riposare una notte in frigorifero prima di
servirli.
Per il ripieno si pu utilizzare ganache, crema al burro,
marmellata.In questo caso ho farcito con ganache al cioccolato
fondente.
----------------------Ricetta per le conchiglie :
215 gr di farina di mandorle finissima
350 gr di zucchero a velo
30 gr di farina 00
190 gr di albumi (a temperatura ambiente e non freschissimi)
90 gr di zucchero semolato
coloranti alimentari vari.
Per prima cosa setacciare assieme la farina di mandorle, lo
zucchero e la farina.(foto1)
Iniziare a montare gli albumi e quando cominceranno ad acquistare
consistenza, aggiungere un po' alla volta lo zucchero semolato,
continuando a montare, fino ad ottenere una meringa fermissima
(foto2)
Aggiungere un po' alla volta il mix setacciato(foto3) mescolando
con delicatezza dal basso verso l'altro, per non far smontare il
tutto, questa sicuramente la fase pi delicata.(foto5)
Dovrete ottenere un pasta liscia , che non deve colare. ( foto6)
la vostra pasta (foto 7 e 8), mettetela in una sac a poche con
bocchetta liscia da 8-10 mm (foto9)
Foderate delle placche con carta da forno e con la sac a poche
create dei ciuffi di pasta di 3 cm di diametro, ben distanziati
l'uno dall'altro.(foto 10, 11, 12, 13)
Lasciate asciugare per almeno mezz'ora i vostri macarons e poi
infornate.
Lo chef consiglia di infornare a 180 per 2 minuti per poi
abbassare la temperatura a 160per altri 7-8 minuti.
Con queste temperature nel mio forno ho avuto problemi , allora
dopo la prima infornata, ho usato i consigli di Serveau che
inforna a 150 per 12, 13 minuti. (foto14)Decisamente meglio
secondo le mie esigenze.
Aspettare che i dolcetti si raffreddino e staccarli dalla carta.
Per la crema al burro:
125 gr di burro molto morbido
1 uovo intero e 2 tuorli
88 gr di zucchero semolato
25 gr di acqua.

Mettete in un recipiente il burro molto morbido (foto15)

con le fruste elettriche lavorarlo , fino a ridurlo a "pomata" e
mettetelo da parte.(foto16 e 17)
Versate l'acqua e lo zucchero in un pentolino e portate lo
sciroppo ad ebollizione, fino al raggiungimento di 121C che
misurete con un termometro specifico per lo sciroppo.(foto 18)
Mentre lo sciroppo raggiunge la temperatura, cominciate a montare
le uova, facendole diventare spumose.(foto19)
Quando lo sciroppo sar pronto, versatelo a filo sulle uova,
senza mai smettere di mescolare , fino a quando il tutto non si
sar intiepidito (foto 20, 21, 22)
Quando il composto si sar raffreddato unite il burro a pomata,
amalgamandolo con l'aiuto delle fruste elettriche.
La vostra crema delicatissima pronta! (foto 23)
Non vi resta che metterla in frigo a solidificare.
Poi aromatizzatela come meglio credete.
--------------PER LA MERINGA
Zucchero
a velo 200 gr
Zucchero
semolato 200 gr
Uova
albumi a temperatura ambiente 150 gr (5 albumi circa)
Acqua
50 ml
Coloranti alimentari
una punta di cucchiaino
Farina
di mandorle 200 gr
PER LA FARCITURA
Limoni
biologici 2
Uova
tuorli 4
Zucchero
semolato 120 gr
Burro
120 gr
PREPARAZIONE
Macarons
Per preparare la meringa base dei macarons, mescolate in una
ciotola la farina di mandorle con lo zucchero a velo (1), passate
poi il composto attraverso un passino per eliminare eventuali
grumi. In un padellino dal fondo spesso aggiungete lo zucchero
semolato e lacqua (2), mescolate e iniziate a scaldare a fuoco

dolce; controllate con un termometro la temperatura dello

sciroppo che dovr arrivare a 118 C circa (3).
Macarons
Nel frattempo montate a neve la met degli albumi (75gr) e quando
saranno ben fermi abbassate la velocit della frusta e
incorporate poco a poco lo sciroppo di zucchero. Incorporate
quindi il colorante per alimenti che desiderate (in questo caso
giallo) e continuate a montare a neve, fino a quando la meringa
si sar raffreddata completamente e avr un aspetto denso, liscio
e lucido (4). Aggiungete alla farina di mandorle e allo zucchero
a velo i restanti albumi (5) (75 gr) e mescolate con un cucchiaio
di legno, fino a quando otterrete un sorta di pasta di mandorle
abbastanza solida (6).
Incorporate quindi un cucchiaio di albumi montati e mescolate per
rendere il composto pi morbido (7), aggiungete poi i restanti
albumi con una spatola di gomma e mescolate dal basso verso
lalto (8) facendo attenzione a non smontarli. Versate il
composto cos ottenuto in una tasca da pasticciere (9) con una
bocchetta liscia di 8/9 mm di diametro
Macarons
e formate delle piccole palline (10) che lascerete riposare
almeno per 20 minuti su una teglia foderata con carta da forno.
Le palline si appiattiranno leggermente da sole e diventeranno
perfettamente lisce in superficie. Infornate in forno ventilato
preriscaldato a 160C per circa 10 minuti oppure in forno statico
a 180C; trascorso quel tempo lasciarli nel forno semiaperto per
altri 2 minuti. Sfornate le meringhe per i macarons e lasciatele
raffreddare, nel frattempo dedicatevi alla preparazione del
ripieno, in questo caso abbiamo preparato una farcitura al
limone. Per prima cosa grattugiate la scorza dei limoni e
spremetene il succo. Sbattete i tuorli con lo zucchero (11) con
una frusta e mettete il composto in una casseruola aggiungendo il
succo di limone e la scorza. Mescolate bene riscaldando a fuoco
dolce, portate a ebollizione e cuocete 2/3 minuti fino a che il
composto non si sar rappreso. Togliete dal fuoco e incorporate
il burro a temperatura ambiente (12) mescolando fino a farlo
sciogliere.
Macarons
Versate la farcitura in una ciotola (13) e lasciatela in frigo
per unora a rapprendersi. Infine disponete la farcitura al
limone con un cucchiaio o con una siringa sulla parte piatta
delle piccole meringhe (14) e ricoprite con laltra met (15)
molto delicatamente; ripetere lo stesso procedimento con tutti i
macarons. Prima di servire i macarons consigliabile conservarli
in frigorifero per una notte.
----------------