French Macarons

Google French Macarons and you’ll find that lots of places are selling these petite sandwich cookies for $40 onward.

I made my own and I have to say it cost me less than $10.  No overnight frozen shipping or waiting required.  When you make it from scratch with your own two hands, you’re entitled to a feeling of ownership.  Therefore, you can gift and share from the heart.  Not to mention, quality control.  “Only the finest ingredients” is a fickle phrase.

Now if you’re in the states, these are probably the best damn things next to hopping on a plane to Paris.  Also, less than $10 I, (and probably most people can do).  $2000 plane tickets are another story

Give these a try!  You’ve got nothing to lose.  If you can whip up meringue (which is a fancy term for fluffy beaten egg whites), and you have a little bit of patience (ahhh that word again)! you can definitely pop these out to share…or all for yourself.  Whatever, it’s your perogative

French Macarons

 

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

*Make your own by processing blanched almonds into a fine meal **Just crack your whites into a bowl and set/cover in the fridge for a day or two.

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• 4 oz almond flour*
• 8 oz powdered sugar
• 5 oz aged egg whites**
• Pinch of cream of tarter
• 2½ oz caster sugar
• 2 ts pure vanilla extract
• ½ ts fine salt

Instructions

1. Sift together your almonds and powdered sugar twice. Process larger bits again.
2. In a stand mixer, fit with a whisk attachment, whip your egg whites, granulated sugar, and salt at speed 4 for 3 minutes. Increase to speed 7 for 3 minutes and speed 8 for 3 minutes. Whip for 1 final minute with any desired extracts/color.
3. Tip in your sifted almonds plus powdered sugar. Press and fold into your whipped whites.
4. Pipe into quarter sizes, rap your cookie sheet to release air bubbles and allow to sit for about 30 minutes for the cookies to develop a “shell.”
5. Bake at 300 for 10-15 minutes and cool before filling.

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Here are some combos that I’ve done before and love:

-Pink strawberry & strawberry jam (just add in 1/4 cup of dried crushed strawberries in with the nuts/sugar)
-The cookies as is filled with almond butter (easy and yummy)!!
-Ground pistachio instead of ground almonds with a bit of green dye & buttercream (this tastes like one of my favorite pistachio ice creams)!!
-Green tea (matcha) Powder mixed in with the nuts/sugar with green tea buttercream
-Lemon extract in the cookie paired with fresh lemon curd — a bit of yellow dye livens it up too.

Now these are just some that I’ve made but the possibilities are endless, endless I say!!

Enjoy the yum as well as the savings!!

XOXO, Your Squishy Monster =D

buttercream, dessert, french cookies, ganache, macarons, macaroons, patisserie

‹ Well that is just Ridunkulous! Catchin’ up with Mama =D ›