French Macarons
Macaron Shells
Yield: 42 shells
Ingredients:
- 130 grams – almond flour
- 130 grams – powdered sugar
- 90 grams – extra fine sugar (baker's sugar)
- 100 grams – egg whites, aged 24 hours
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- GEL color of your choice
Instructions:
- Set aged egg whites out on counter until it reaches room temperature.
- Whip egg whites in a stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar.
- 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.
- Once all the sugar has been fully incorporated and before reaching stiff peaks, add 1-3 drops of gel color to your liking. Whip until Stiff Peaks.
- Test meringue stiffness. It should have pointed peaks when the whisk is pulled out. They should not flop over. The meringue will ball up in the whisk. Stop as soon as you reach stiff peaks.
- 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. Fold by scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl and smearing the batter against the bowl sides. You are actually deflating the meringue.
- 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. Don't let it get too runny. It is better to be slightly undermixed that overmixed.
- On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the batter to the size of the circle on the template.
- Remove the paper template from underneath the parchment paper or mat, if using.
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 320 F.
- Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 15-20 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 with your favorite filling.
- Leave them in the fridge in an airtight container and let them mature for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours of maturation in the fridge, bring them back to room temperature 30 min. before serving. ENJOY!
