Macarons guaranteed to succeed

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 36 g egg white, approx. 1 m.-sized egg
• 45 g almonds, finely ground (almond powder)
• 75 g powdered sugar
• 10 g sugar
• n. B. Food coloring (color powder or color paste)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

Basic recipe including helpful tips

When it comes to macarons, the ratio of wet/liquid ingredients to solid ingredients is of utmost importance. Therefore, you should weigh all the ingredients – including the egg. A digital scale is ideal for this. First, pass the almond powder and powdered sugar through a sieve into a bowl. You want very fine powder in the bowl, no coarse pieces. Then beat the egg whites. As soon as they become foamy, add the sugar and continue beating. Now you can add coloring, if desired. Powdered or paste coloring is best for this. Liquid colors distort the “liquid-to-solid ratio,” and the macarons may not turn out well. The egg whites should be nice and stiff so that they don’t run out of the bowl when you turn it upside down. Fold in the powdered sugar and almond powder mixture in three steps. This works best with a wooden spoon. The resulting batter should be very sticky. Don’t mix for too long, or it will become too runny again. The ingredients should be just combined. Fill the batter into a piping bag fitted with a perforated nozzle. I always use a perforated nozzle with an 8 mm diameter. This ensures the macarons aren’t too big and you don’t inject too much air. Pipe the macarons either onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper or onto a macaron baking mat. If you’re using baking paper, it’s best to adhere the four corners to the underside of the sheet with a small dollop of honey or Nutella so it doesn’t curl up or slip. Hold the piping bag as vertically as possible and pipe on small dollops. This is easiest if you keep the piping bag centred while piping and move it upwards slightly. This will ensure the batter is distributed evenly in all directions, giving you beautifully round macarons. Then tap the bottom of the baking sheet lightly several times to remove any air bubbles. The macarons need to dry at room temperature for at least 40 minutes to develop their characteristic little feet. As soon as a small skin has formed on top (finger test), you can bake them in the oven at 140°C (284°F) for 12-15 minutes. Every oven bakes slightly differently, so you can check the temperature with an oven thermometer. Remove from the oven and let cool. If the macarons are difficult to remove from the baking paper, simply lift the paper off the tray, pour a little cold water onto the tray, and place the baking paper on top. Be careful not to let the water get onto the macarons. The cool water under the baking paper should make them easy to remove. Now place two macaron halves that fit together, keeping their feet flat. A chocolate ganache or jam works best between them. If you want to eat them straight away, you can also fill them with cream. However, as this will soften the macarons, this version is not suitable for storing. Unfilled macaron halves will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze them, then take them out and fill them when needed.