French Macarons

Macarons are a french staple that are very easy to make, but look utterly stunning and quite impressive.

Ingredients:

For the cookie:

Egg whites from 3 large eggs

1/2 cup of almond flour

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of powdered sugar

1/3 teaspoon of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

For the buttercream:

1/4 cup of unsalted softened butter

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 tablespoons of water

1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

For the cookie:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar.

3. In a large bowl whisk egg whites until foamy and stiff peaks form.

4. Add the cream of tartar and then gradually add the granulated sugar.

5. Add food coloring (if desired) and then add in vanilla extract.

6. Begin to slowly fold in dry ingredients in small batches.

7. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe 1-inch dollops onto the baking sheet.

8. Bake in the oven for about 14 minutes, turning the pan every 7 minutes.

   French Buttercream Filling:

   1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, after the sugar dissolves bring to a boil.

   2. Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat until thick and foamly.

   3. Slowly pour sugar mixture into the egg yolks and mix until the bottom of the bowl in room temperature.

   4. Add in butter, vanilla and salt, mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

   Assembly:

   Add a small bit of buttercream inside 2 cookies and you have your french macarons!

   Tip: For best results refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving. This allows the buttercream flavor to seep into the cookies.