My first easy macarons

Macarons. I listened so much about them, read so much on other blogs, looked at them in series, pastry showcases, and magazine pages – and there was always the same thing: they looked so simple, but the preparation descriptions were so complicated. Everyone who ever tried to make Macaroons has the same theory: complicated, too much to handle, lots of wondering how they will turn out – and then you make them, without much trouble. Well, I think it’s just pastries.

I did my homework, read a couple of tips, watched a couple of videos and – made them in one go! I made three batches and they all succeeded – so macarons are easy to make. Do not be scare of long descriptions – I went into details so you can follow it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

So for about 15 macarons you will need:

1. 70 g of egg whites (2 egg whites medium size eggs or 2.46oz)
2. 35 g of sugar (1.235oz)
3. 60 g of ground almonds (2.116oz)
4. 165 g of powdered sugar (5.82oz)
5. Food color powder

Filling:

• White ganache
• 200 g of white chocolate (one whole chocolate)
• 100 g of sweet cream (3.527oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

• Black ganache
• 150 g black chocolate 70% cocoa (5.291oz)
• 75 ml of sweet cream (2,54oz)
• zest of one orange

Instructions:

1. Place egg whites in a large bowl and mix until they begin to squeeze. The pods should stand upright to make the least amount of air into the egg whites and mix them at the lowest speed.
2. Then add half the sugar and accelerate the mixing to medium speed. Mix for about 1 minute and add the rest of the sugar.
3. Increase the speed to the maximum and mix for another 2-3 minutes, the egg whites must be very firm.
4. Color is added at this stage – the powder is very intense and so put slightly to the start (maybe 1/4 teaspoon), then add it as desired. Instead of the color you can also place cocoa powder. Mix until everything is united, I repeat, the shawl must be very firm.
5. Mix almond flour (buy almond flour or make the flour yourself – put the almonds in boiling water for 30 secs, remove and peel the skin off, then dry them well and grind them in to the powder) and sugar and sift through the site. Throw larger pieces that have not passed through the site. Then sift them again while adding to the firm egg whites.
6. Using a silicone spatula, mix the mixture vigorously – outwardly, collecting the mixture from the rim edges. You will need about 40-45 spatula movements. Everything must fit well, there must be no bubbles and air, and the mixture must fall from the spatula and unite with the rest within 10 seconds. Then it was mixed enough.
7. Cover the baking tray with the baking paper you have fixed using a small mixture at the corners.

You can previously draw circles on the other side of the paper, I was too lazy to do that, so my circles were different sizes J

• Put the mixture in a icing bag with the largest extension you have, or into a regular freezer bag that you cut off the edge- for me it was easier with the icing bag. Squeeze the mixture in small circles, about 2 cm – they will flatten and spread, so leave spaces between each circle.
• Now, this is important: from the macrons you need to push the air out, so beat the tray three times on the kitchen surface, and on each side. You will see the bubbles on the top, that air comes out and that’s how it should be.
• Then you should be patient and wait – macarons should be dried for about 30 minutes, until there is a membrane that causes the fingers do not stick to the mixture.
• Turn the oven on 140^oC or 284^oF. When the oven is heated put the tray with the macaroons in and bake them around 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 minutes check if they are ready – they have to move a little bit, then they’re done.
• Take it out of the oven, immediately pull the baking paper on the kitchen element to stop them from baking more.  Now it is necessary to wait for them to cool and separate them from paper.
• While you wait for them to cool down make the ganache. Warm the sweet cream (for the white one add the cinnamon into the cream) to the point of boiling. Remove from the fire. Pour over the chocolate. After a minute start to stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the cream is even. You can add the orange zest in to the black ganache now. Leave both creams to cool down for 30 minutes.
• After both the macarons and creams are cooled down. Put the cream into the icing bag, squeeze the cream on the one half of the macaron, press the other half gently and you are done. Take lots of photos of your masterpiece :). After place them in to the box, and leave them for 24 hours so they can soften.
• Easy right?