How to Make French Macarons

A macaron is a sweet meringue-like cookie which is filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam.  It is shell-like on the outside a little chewy on the inside and easily melts in your mouth. We love macarons because they are sweet and beautiful and the flavor possibilities are endless! Each one is a treat to eat and a combination of flavors makes a beautiful and thoughtful gift! Macarons have a enviable reputation for being difficult to make. They aren't the easiest, but they are not so difficult as you can see with this recipe. My 14 year old daughter learned how to make em, so it's not that hard :)

There is a lot of Videos on Youtube that shows how to make these. Just watch a few and make your own.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Egg Whites (room temp)
¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
2 cups confectioners sugar (200 g)
1 cup almond flour (120 g)
¼ tsp cream of tartar (2 ml)

BUTTER CREAM FILLING:
1/4 cup softened butter (60g)
3/4 cup powdered sugar (75 g) or 1/2 cup
3-4 tbsp of jam /My favorite is Raspberry
2/3 cup of softened cream cheese (5oz)

DIRECTIONS:
Beat egg whites until foamy, add white sugar and,  cream of tartar, whip for 5 mins.

TIP: #1 egg whites should be room temp. To create room temp eggs, submerge in warm water for 5 mins. Or just leave them out for like 30 min.
Then add the food coloring.

TIP#2 Color does fade as it cooks, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.

TIP#3 Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just toss those. You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your macaroons.
Add flour/powdered sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.

TIP#4 This is where all your hard work can really go wrong. Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and cracked when the bake with no feet, over mix and your macaroons will be flat and won't have feet, the mark of a well-made macaroon. In my experience 55-65 turns of your spatula when folding is about the right amount of folds.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag.
Draw circles on parchment paper using cookie cutter. Then flip over the parchment paper so that your macaroons won't have pencil marks on them. Pipe out 1 1/2 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 280*F

TIP#5: Let them sit out for 15-25 mins. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macaroons develop feet!

TIP#6: Bang the pan hard at the table at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.

Bake for 20-30 mins. DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray.
Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip softened butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar. Then place sifter on top of a bowl the same size. Work jam through with a spoon if it has seeds or clumps.
Add jam to buttercream, and whip until combined. Next add your cream cheese and mix. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Reverse macaroons shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell!