“May I have another one of those little green hamburgers?” the young grandson asked at the family Christmas dinner last year.
He was referring to my macarons (pronounced mah-kah-ROHN), sweet, tiny green cookies with an almond flavor sandwiched around homemade buttercream frosting. I didn't blame him for wanting another, I did, too. These little cookies are so good, and almost melt in your mouth.
Most of the recipes I feature for my Food Page columns are more Ozarks in nature, but I was looking up candy and cookie recipes a few years ago and wanted to try something new, something perhaps a little more difficult. Something pretty for a Christmas dessert around the holidays.
Well, I found my match in trying to make French macarons.
The word “tedious” comes to mind when I think about making these delicate cookies. It is not hard to make them, but it takes patience and practice. Lots of patience and lots of practice. But (you’ll know what I’m talking about it when it happens) you’ll want to jump up and down with joy the first time the tops are smooth and the little “feet” form and the center of the cookie is consistent all the way through. Yes, all kinds of things can go wrong.
The consistency of the batter is key, and it really does help to count how many times you fold it over on itself. It needs to slowly drip off the spatula like ribbons.
Once you have piped it into perfect little circles on your parchment paper, slam (maybe slam is too harsh of a term) the cookie sheet down on the countertop a few times because you’ll want to get all of the air pockets out of the batter.
And, if while baking, the tops crack and the little feet do not spread out as they should, the cookies will still taste good. Oh, and sometimes, if not done correctly, the inside of the cookie will be hollow.
It’s a labor of love to make these cute little bite-size cookies. I like to make a few batches and add food coloring to fit the season.
So, I encourage you to give macarons a try, at least once, if you’re an experimental baker like I am. When the stars align and the cookies turn out nearly perfect, it will make you feel like a professional baker. My recipe comes from my favorite, Bigger Bolder Baker at https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
¼-cup white sugar
2 cups of confectioners’ sugar
1 cup almond flour
Pinch of salt
¼-cup cream of tartar
• In a small bowl, sift together the almond meal and powdered sugar. Remove any almond lumps if necessary.
• In a medium bowl, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, whip the eggs until frothy.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on low speed for about two minutes, until they start to thicken.
• With the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar, two teaspoons at a time, and beat until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Once all the sugar has been added, whip for two minutes more or until stiff peaks.
• Re-sift the dry ingredients over the meringue. If using food coloring, add in at this time. Fold it in very gently with a thin-edged spoon until no dry streaks remain.
• Once the batter is homogenous, continue to gently fold until shiny and the texture resembles slow-flowing lava off the spoon. To test the consistency, gently lift some batter over itself in a slow stream. Once the ribbon of batter disappears into itself after 15 to 30 seconds then you’re ready to pipe.
• Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. If using, place your macaron stencil on a thick-bottomed baking sheet and lay parchment paper over it. Otherwise, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe macarons at least 1 ½” apart from each other. Gently tap your baking sheets on your countertop to remove any air bubbles from the piped macarons.
• Rest the shells uncovered in a dry area for about an hour or until a “skin” develops on the top of the cookies, roughly 40-60 minutes. You’ll know your cookies are ready to bake when you lightly press the surface and it’s dry and not sticky. They should look matte and not shiny like when you first piped them.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place a second baking sheet underneath your piped cookie sheets. Double panning helps ensure even heat distribution, therefore leveled feet on your macarons.
• Bake for roughly 15-20 minutes or until the feet are dry and not sticky when gently touched.
• Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer the entire sheet of parchment on a wire rack to cool completely. Gently peel the cookies from the parchment. (if your macarons seem a little wet pop them into the oven with the door open to dry out a little longer.
• Pipe or dollop the buttercream onto one shell and top with a matching sized shell. Place in an airtight container and allow filled macarons to mature in the fridge overnight.
