Ingredients
- 4 .5 ounce (1 3/4 cup) almond flour or meal*
- 7. 5 ounce (2 cups minus 3 tablespoons) Imperial Sugar Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- Pinch salt
- 4 ounce (1/2 cup) egg whites (no yolk traces)
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 3-5 drops red food color in gel or paste form (optional)
- Chocolate Ganache or Sauce
- 1 tablespoon berry flavored liquor (optional)
- 1 pint raspberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Set aside either 2-3 cookie sheets lined with silicone baking mats or lined with parchment paper.
- Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch (Ateco 806) plain round pastry tip and set aside.
- Combine almond flour/meal, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and mix until almond flour feels super fine. Set aside.
- In a bowl whip egg whites and granulated sugar to very stiff peaks.
- Stop whipping and immediately add food color and almond meal mixture. Using a rubber spatula mix until batter is smooth but do not overmix to avoid making the batter too runny. The batter should appear like thick pancake batter.
- Fill pastry bag with filling and pipe into heart shapes about 1/2 inch apart. Macarons will spread a little just after piping.
- Allow macarons to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before placing in oven. However, if you notice that macarons are still spreading and not holding their shape place immediately in oven.
- Bake for about 20-23 minutes or until you can lift one up from the baking sheet without tearing it apart. If you see golden or light brown color develop on surface they are completely done.
- When cooled flip half of macarons upside down.
- If desired add liquor to ganache and allow to cool until set to a similar consistency as peanut butter. If needed you can speed up the setting process by placing the ganache bowl briefly in another bowl filled with ice. However at the first signs of thickening remove from ice as it will quickly set from here. If gone too far you may reheat for a few seconds in a microwave oven.
- Fit piping bag with a pastry tip and ganache and pipe onto macaron halves. Place a halved raspberry on top and cover with macaron halve.
Imperial Sugar Insight
For more macaron tips, read Chef Eddy's Tips for the Perfect French Macaron.