My sister and I started a new Christmas Eve tradition this year by making French macarons. She's hoping to study abroad in Paris next year, and both of us have always been charmed by the little gluten-free cookies. I was worried we were biting off more than we could chew (ha), but the recipe we picked was easy and we were so proud of the results.
We used Martha Stewart's Easy French Maracron recipe with great success, and paired the basic cookie with a chocolate ganache filling. This video really came in handy; we watched it two or three times prior to baking, and it definitely diffused some of the fear.
For the cookie:
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1. Whisk together almond flour and confectioner's sugar and sift over a large bowl.
2. Beat egg whites until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add granulated sugar and almond extract, beat until medium shiny peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Fold egg whites into almond mixture and salt until combined. Mix vigorously with spatula until the mixture sinks easily into a smooth mass and has the consistency of honey. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag, cut off 1/2 inch off tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined sheets.
4. Let dry 30 minutes to an hour and a half until tops are firm and dry. Preheat oven to 350. Bake one sheet at a time for about 14 minutes, rotating once. Let cool completely on wire racks before filling and sandwiching cookies together.
For the chocolate ganache filling:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (preferably 70 percent cacao)
- 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
1. Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.
We need some more practice for sure. We used a one-gallon Ziploc bag instead of a pastry bag and got a little overzealous with the piping (the cookies were pretty big). And they were best after setting for about 45 minutes. But they were delicious! And I'm so proud of us! As we passed them around the table for a new Christmas Eve dessert, we were already brainstorming new flavor combinations to try for next year. I've got my eye on this book for inspiration.
*The recipes shared here were created by and belong to MarthaStewart.com.
