This recipe for macarons is a mix of various recipes that I have seen and tried. Even so, sometimes they turn out well and other times they crack. So, I am still not sure of the perfect recipe for appearance, but these always taste delicious. I’ve given recipes for many different fillings, which my friends and I have tried over the years. For the macarons themselves, I do not add any flavour but I do add colour paste.
Macarons are not easy nor quick to make. However, once you start, you can make many at once, and they freeze pretty well. Therefore, I recommend making a big batch with a variety of fillings. Then you can freeze them and eat them whenever you feel like a sweet treat. This is definitely more cost-effective than buying them! And since you can customise the recipe for macarons to your taste, you can make the flavour combinations that you like best. However, it is still nice to enjoy macarons from Laduree, my favourite, or your favourite shop without all of the work!
Ingredients
Macarons
250g ground almonds
350 g icing sugar
200g egg whites (around 7 eggs), at room temperature
150g granulated/ caster sugar
gel food colouring (not vinegar-based)
Vanilla filling
150 g butter, softened
4 egg yolks
50 ml water
150 g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Raspberry filling
450 g fresh raspberries
130 g granulated sugars
8 g pectin
Instructions
Macarons
First, add ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined and without lumps.
Second, in a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites on high speed until they are firm. Next, add sugar slowly and continue to beat the mixture. There should be stiff peaks but do not overmix or it may get dry. Use a spatula to fold in the almond/icing sugar mixture slowly, keeping the air in the mixture. Fold in food colouring gel. You can choose the colour based on the filling flavour (example green = pistachio or matcha, pink= raspberry or yellow = lemon).
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 150C.
Then use a piping bag with a circular tip (around size Number 7 or Number 10) and pipe out evenly spaced circles. They will spread slightly so keep space of at least 2 cm between each circle.
Bake for about 17-19 minutes. or until they have risen and look crispy on the outside.
Remove from the oven and cool on cooling racks. The macarons are delicate so handle gently.
Note: for chocolate macarons you can replace about 25g of the icing sugar with pure 100% cocoa powder
Vanilla filling
Next, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the egg yolks while mixing vigorously and constantly. When it has cooled slightly, whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Finally, mix until smooth then chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
For matcha variation, use the basic vanilla cream recipe above but use 70 ml of water instead of 50 ml, and leave out the vanilla bean paste. Add 1 Tbsp matcha powder and mix well.
Raspberry filling
In a medium sized saucepan, heat raspberries and 100g sugar over medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes. Mix the other 30g sugar with pectin. Add the pectin/sugar mixture and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and refrigerate until needed.
Or a shortcut is to heat raspberry jam and evaporate some of the liquid, then cool and use that as the filling.
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