Macarons

17/11/2023

I can provide you with a basic recipe to prepare macarons, these delicious French sweets that have conquered the world with their crispy crust and soft core. However, allow me to add an Italian touch to the recipe with a suggestion for the filling.

Ingredients

100 g of almond flour
100-110 g of egg white (about 3 medium)
200 g of powdered sugar
30 g of granulated sugar
Gel food coloring (optional)

Preparation

Sift the almond flour with powdered sugar in a bowl and mix well.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and, little by little, add the granulated sugar until you obtain a shiny and frothy meringue.
If you wish to color your macarons, now add the food coloring to the meringue and gently mix to obtain an even color.
Gradually incorporate the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture into the meringue, mixing with a spatula with gentle movements from top to bottom to not deflate the mixture.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a round tip and pipe small circles (about 3 cm in diameter) on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving a bit of space between each.
Let the macarons rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until they develop a slight crust to the touch.
Preheat the oven to 140-150 °C and bake the macarons for about 12-15 minutes, being careful not to let them color too much.
Let the macaron shells cool completely on the tray before gently removing them.

For the filling, I suggest an Italian chocolate ganache, possibly flavored with amaretto liqueur to give a distinctive note. You can prepare the ganache by melting cream and chocolate and adding amaretto once the chocolate is melted.

Curiosity

Macarons have become famous thanks to French patisserie, but their origins can be traced back to Italy during the Renaissance, a period in which they were called “maccherones”. They were then imported into France by the Italian cook of Queen Catherine de’ Medici.

Happy preparing and experimenting with your personalized macarons!