The following definitions may be helpful:
Macaroon: A coconut-based cookie
Macaron: A meringue-based cookie available in many colors and flavors
Macron: The president of France
Today, I’ll be talking about the meringue-based macaron cookies (pronounced mack-ah-ROHN).
These were some of our favorite cookies when we lived in France. They could be found in nearly every bakery, but most city centers also had a specialty macaron shop. My favorite flavors were coffee, raspberry, lemon and maple praline. One macaron shop stands out in my memory in the charming town of Chamonix Mont Blanc, at the foot of one of Europe’s largest and most majestic glaciers.
Since I can’t hop on over to Chamonix right now to pick these up, a friend of mine made these for me and shared her baking tips below.
Macarons
Interested in other flavors? Substitute 1/4 cup of either flour with 1/4 cup cocoa powder or 1/4 cup coffee powder. Photos by Abbi Bull
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 2 cups of confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Salt
- 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
Raspberry Butter Cream:
- 1/4 cup of salted butter
- 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons raspberry jelly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Use a stand mixer to beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and sugar. Mix for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Whip until soft peaks appear. Add food coloring.
- Sift flours and powdered sugar. Fold in the egg mixture, turning 65-70 times with a spatula.
- Transfer the mixture into a piping bag.
- Place parchment paper on baking trays. Pipe out 1-inch molds of the batter onto the parchment paper.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Raspberry Butter Cream:
- In a mixer, add butter and whip until pale. Add sugar. Add jelly or jam.
- Transfer buttercream into a piping bag.
- Turn cookie shells over on their backs and pipe out a small amount of buttercream. Top with another cookie.