French Macaroons Makes about 84 cookies (42 sandwiches) Prep time: 30 minutes Stand time: 30 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 cup slivered almonds (or skinless hazelnuts or pistachios) 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, divided 3 large egg whites Pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 6-8 drops gel food coloring, color of choice Tip: Having trouble finding skinned nuts at the store? Remove them yourself by dropping the nuts into a combination of boiling water and a few tablespoons of baking soda. Let the nuts sit in the pot for 3-4 minutes, then drain, rinse under cold water and rub dry with a towel. The skins should fall off with ease. INSTRUCTIONS Macaroons In Progress Pastry Bag Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In a food processor, combine nuts and 1 cup sugar. Pulse 5-6 times to break down the nuts, then process until mixture is finely ground. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, salt, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Shift your mixer to high speed and gradually add the remaining cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add gel food coloring to achieve desired shade. Pour approximately one quarter of the nut mixture over the egg mixture, then fold the two together with a large spoon. Repeat process, one quarter at a time, until all of the nut mixture is folded into the egg mixture. Stand an extra-large plastic food storage bag on its base, then fold back the top about 4” to create a cuff. Pour half of your batter into the bag. Unfold the cuff and seal the bag shut. Use scissors to snip off one of the bottom corners of your bag, creating your own piping tool. Hold the bag upright, about 1” above the cookie sheet, then gently squeeze the batter out into 1” mounds. Refill the bag and repeat with remaining batter. Let cookies stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. While you wait, preheat oven to 325° F. Bake 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Once cool, pipe 1 teaspoon filling (see our ideas below) onto half of your cookies, then top each with a second cookie to create a sandwich. Tip: You can freeze unfilled cookies for up to 3 months. Simply stow them between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container. Thaw your cookies at room temperature before filling with fresh fruit spreads and sauces. French Macaroon Filling Variations Our basic cookie recipe is the perfect canvas for endless colors and flavors. Before you combine your nut and egg mixtures, try tinting the wet mixture with 4 to 5 drops of gel food coloring. Let the color inspire your cookies’ yummy fruit filling. Yellow-Tinted Cookies with Lemon Curd Filling: Strike a cheerful note by tinting your egg mixture with yellow food coloring, then fill each sandwich cookie with 1 teaspoon store-bought lemon curd spread. Red-Tinted Cookies with Raspberry Jam Filling: Get festive and tint your egg mixture with red food coloring. Echo the color by spreading 1 teaspoon seedless raspberry or strawberry jam between your sandwich cookies. Orange-Tinted Cookies with Orange Marmalade Filling: Create elegant orange macaroons by adding equal drops red and yellow food coloring to your egg mixture. Complete the treats by adding 1 teaspoon orange marmalade to each sandwich cookie. Tip: Lovely to look at and even better to eat, French Macaroons are the perfect cookie to set out at a holiday party. Set them aside other bite-size snacks, like our easy crostinis. Chocolate Ganache Add another layer of dense, delicious flavor with our easy-to-make chocolate ganache. We love placing a teaspoon of it on top of our lemon curd or raspberry jam filling. INGREDIENTS 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped INSTRUCTIONS Pour cream into a microwave-safe container. Heat in the microwave on full power for 1 1/2-2 minutes, or until very hot. Place the chocolate pieces in the bowl of a food processor or blender. With the processor or blender at medium speed, slowly pour the hot cream through the feed tube. Continue processing until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let the ganache cool slightly, then spoon or pipe it onto your cookies. Tip: You can save extra chocolate ganache by placing it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let it soften at room temperature, then microwave 1 minute to melt. Pour it over ice cream, waffles or create a simple fondue setup!
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 20:14:07 +0000
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