French Macarons

Prepare your ingredients so that everything is on hand when you need it. This includes flavoring (vanilla/cocoa) and food coloring, if using. If making the chocolate cookies, do not include the vanilla extract. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE "PLAIN COOKIES" INGREDIENTS ARE FOR ONE BATCH OF COOKIES, NOT ALL THREE FLAVORS. The recipe makes about 24 1.5" sandwiched macarons.

Pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar (and cocoa powder, if using) in a food processor for 2 minutes to ensure the batter will be smooth, you cannot skip this step. I like to run the food processor for 1 minute uninterrupted, then open and stir, 30 seconds, stir, and the final 30 seconds. I do this because the powdered sugar tends to get stuck in the bottom of my food processor.

Sift the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Set aside.

Separate the eggs if you haven't already (let them come up to room temperature if possible). Whites won't whip up if there's any egg yolk in them, so to prevent breaking I crack each egg into a separate bowl, use my hand to separate the yolk (passing between shells can puncture it), then pour the egg white into my mixing bowl.

Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer (or hand mixer) on medium high speed until frothy, then add the granulated sugar in a thin steady stream while continuing to whip the meringue. If using a hand mixer, just add the sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, adding the sugar all at once will knock out all the air.

Continue whipping until stiff peaks (2nd picture), if the meringue folds over like the first picture, it's not ready. If you want to be really sure it's ready, test by holding the bowl upside down over your head! A finished meringue won't fall out of the bowl.

Add vanilla or any food coloring now and whip until just mixed. Adding color and flavoring at this stage (rather than when folding) will help ensure that the batter doesn't get overmixed. Using a gel food coloring will prevent adding too much extra liquid and thinning the batter, it will also result in a brighter color after baking.

Scrape all the meringue into the bowl with the flour mixture and fold with your non-dominant hand. Using your non-dominant hand is another trick to prevent overmixing.

How to fold batter: Using a rubber spatula, slice through the middle of the batter, then turn your hand to scrape the bowl and lightly fold the batter over itself, turn the bowl and repeat.

Keep folding until the batter runs smoothly off the spatula (slowly, like lava) and you can make a figure-8 with the batter without it breaking, slow and steady wins the race! If the batter falls off the spatula in one blob it's undermixed, keep going! If the batter falls off the spatula in a fast, thin stream, it's overmixed... no coming back from this.

Pour the batter into a piping bag (put the bag in a glass for ease of filling) fitted with a no. 12 or 804 piping tip, or just cut the end off! As shown in my pictures, you can also paint food coloring onto the piping bag, the red makes them look like peppermints!

Pipe mounds of your preferred size onto parchment lined baking sheets 1" apart. They can be as small as quarters or up to 1 1/2". To make consistent sizing easier, you can trace a round object in pencil on the back of the parchment paper, pipe just inside the outline because they will flatten out slightly.

The batter should settle out smooth after about 20 seconds (if the batter is not settling, it needs to be folded a few more times). Once everything is piped, drop the sheet pans on the counter 1 time, turn the sheet pan, and drop one more time to remove air bubbles. If there are any stubborn bubbles, gently pop them with a toothpick, but a few bumps aren't the end of the world.

Let the macarons sit at room temperature until the surface forms a skin (20-40 minutes). You should be able to touch the tops gently without getting any batter on your finger. Preheat oven to 325F.

Bake for 13-18 minutes depending on your oven. Mine takes 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door more than necessary, opening will release a lot of the heat which can cause the shells to collapse.

There are two ways to test if the macarons are done: 1) push slightly on the side of the top of the macaron, it should just barely give but should not slide off the base, 2) attempt to lift one off the parchment, it should come off cleanly. Sometimes there will be a tiny bit of residue that sticks, but once they cool they should lift fine (as shown above).

Take the macarons out of the oven and let them cool on the parchment paper (20ish min). Gently peel the macarons off and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. In the meantime, prepare your filling(s).

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until warm, but not boiling (this took about 15-20 seconds in the microwave). Pour over the chocolate and allow it to melt for a minute or two before stirring. Whisk until completely combined and smooth. Add the peppermint extract.

If the chocolate is not melting, it's okay to put it in the microwave to soften it further, but do not exceed 10 seconds at a time, it could burn the chocolate or split the cream.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and transfer to a heatproof bowl, heat the cream then pour over the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt for a minute or two, then mix until smooth and shiny. The mixture will look weird and separate at first, but as you keep mixing it will come together.

Whip the butter until smooth and fluffy, add the cream cheese and beat until combined and increased in volume, there should be no lumps. Add the jam (adjust measurement to taste) and beat until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time mixing on low. When the powdered sugar isn't going to puff, beat on high for another minute. Stop the mixer and add the heavy cream, then beat on high again until the cream is whipped in and the buttercream has increased in volume.

Pair the macaron shells with their closest matches and add fillings to a piping bag (optional). Pipe (or spread) filling onto one shell, a little inside the edge, then place on the top and gently press down to spread the filling to the edges. If using a curd or caramel (or jam on it's own), pipe a ring of frosting on the outside of the shell and add the other filling in the middle. Continue until all the shells are filled.

Place the filled macarons on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them in the freezer overnight to improve the texture and flavor (try not to skip this step). Allow the frozen macarons come to room temperature before serving. If you're not using all the frozen macarons the next day, place them in an airtight container with paper towels between layers and keep them in the freezer, this is great if you want to take them out as they're needed. Defrosted macarons will last for 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.

As with any skill, macarons take practice so don't be discouraged if they're not perfect every time. Enjoy!