Weekend Project Time! Make Your Own Macarons
Be a Baker: Make a Macaron
Now that you’ve thought to yourself I should open my own bakery after multiple successes in at-home baking, try your hand at macarons. Ah — not so tough now, are we? Master this soft-peak** meringue treat, and then we can discuss bakery names and logo designs.
We’re not going to lie: These cookies have a little bit of a reputation for being fussy to make. So delicate. So fragile. But all the more reason to try your baking hand at this multiple-step recipe.
See More: 10 New Ways to Use Leftover Bacon Grease
For your first time at the rodeo, try white chocolate as your filling. It’s simple, delicious, and the perfect creaminess for a macaron center. Did you know that the pale yellow confection normally seen in macadamia nut cookies is not actually chocolate? Yep, you heard it here. It’s actually cocoa butter mixed with milk, sugar, and vanilla to make the treat we all love. Sorry to ruin your white chocolate life.
**Soft peaks: when cream or egg whites form into peaks at the end of the whisk when removed from bowl.
4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) whole almonds, well toasted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
4 ounces white chocolate
1. Pulse almonds in a food processor until very finely ground. Sift through a medium-fine sieve into a bowl, returning any remaining large pieces to food processor. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla seeds and pulse until very finely ground. Sift through sieve and discard any remaining large bits. (There shouldn’t be more than 1/4 cup; if there is, continue to pulse.)
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Sift almond mixture over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula until batter is smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip (Ateco #804). Pipe 1-inch flat mounds 1 inch apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets, pressing down any peaks with a dampened finger. Tap each baking sheet on work surface to release trapped air in batter. Let stand 15 minutes.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 12 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees. Let macarons cool on baking sheets 3 minutes, then peel off parchment and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, place white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Sandwich flat sides of 2 macarons with 1/4 teaspoon melted white chocolate. Repeat with remaining macarons and white chocolate. Let set in refrigerator 5 minutes, then return to room temperature before serving.
More from Martha Stewart:
The Science Behind the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
35 Beyond Delicious No-Bake Dessert Recipes
Quick, One-Pot Meal Ideas To Feed the Whole Family
15-Minute Dinner Recipes for Everyone
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