Annabelle Serendipity

Macaroon Recipe.

I think I have fallen in love ... again ... only this time with the eye candy colours and sweet sumptuous taste of Macaroons. They have always been available in France in most patisseries but now seem to be available here in London in some of the more expensive food shops and cafes such as The Laduree Café in Harrods. I think they may have taken over where cup cakes have left off and appear to be the new 'style food', as I am now seeing them everywhere. Unfortunately they are terribly expensive, costing anything from £2-£3 each and upwards, so I thought that today I might just have a try at making some myself.

They Are Sold In All Colours And Flavours

I Can Just About Force Myself To Eat These

And These Are For Mr Whizz Kid

The simplest recipe that I have found seems to be this one ...

Multi Coloured And Multi Flavoured Macaroons

Ingredients

175g icing sugar
125g ground almonds
3 large free-range egg whites
75g caster sugar

For the filling

150g butter, softened
75g icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Whizz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture, then sift into a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy. (At this point you can stir in flavour extract, such as peppermint or lemon, and corresponding colouring such as blue or yellow, to your meringue mixture, depending on what kind of macaroons you want. Or divide the meringue among different bowls if you want to make more than one colour.)

3. Fold half the almond and icing sugar mixture into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining half, making sure you use a spatula to cut and fold the mixture until it is shiny and has a thick, ribbon-like consistency as it falls from the spatula. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle.

4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Pipe small rounds of the macaroon mixture, about 3cm across, onto the baking sheets. Give the baking sheets a sharp tap on the work surface to ensure a good ‘foot’. Leave to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to form a slight skin. This is important – you should be able to touch them lightly without any mixture sticking to your finger. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

5. Meanwhile, make the fillings. In a bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar. (You can now add flavouring or nuts, and colour ) Use to sandwich pairs of macaroons together.

6. I am making vanilla as I have no food colouring today.

(I will post some pictures when they are ready (and very quickly before they get eaten by the friends and family!)

LATER:

Made fourteen - just these left! There was quite a lot of puckering and cracks, which I think means that I did not let them sit long enough before the bake.