Macarons

A foolproof recipe for classic vanilla French macarons

Macarons are a sweet meringue-based confection, thought to have originated in France. They can be made in a variety of flavours, and are a delicate, melt-in-the mouth treat. They are notoriously tricky to make, but with this recipe you will have perfect macarons in no time!

Ingredients:

For the macaron shells

For the filling

Instructions:

Macaron shells

  1. Place egg whites and salt in a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Slowly add 30g of the granulated sugar while mixer is running. Continue whipping until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 5 minutes).
  2. While egg whites are whipping, place almond flour and powdered sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine, ensuring there are no clumps.
  3. Once egg whites are ready, fold them into the dry ingredients with a spatula. Keep folding until mixture is smooth and shiny, and you are able to make a figure 8 with the batter when holding the spatula up. Take care not to overmix.
  4. Place batter into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe the macarons onto a sheet of parchment paper in approximately 3cm circles. You can print out a template and place it underneath the parchment paper to help guide you.
  5. Let the macarons stand for around half an hour, until the tops are dry to the touch.
  6. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  7. Bake the macarons for 12 minutes, turning the pan halfway.
  8. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling

  1. Beat butter in a stand mixer until smooth.
  2. Slowly add powdered sugar while mixer is running until it is all incorporated.
  3. Add vanilla bean paste and milk, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Assemble the macarons

  1. Tranfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a round tip.
  2. Pipe a small amount of buttercream on one shell and top it with another shell to sandwich the buttercream between the two shells.
  3. Store in an airtight container.

Coded by Carine Wessels