Vanilla Macarons — ALANA SMITH

Macarons can be tricky. I am happily sharing the recipe that I have most success with. I hope you will have the same results.

You will need a sugar thermometer to make the Italian meringue and an 8mm diameter round piping tip to pipe the macaron shells. I find making Italian meringue easiest using a free-standing mixer. This recipe does not require resting/drying of the piped macaron shells before baking. Left over egg yolks are great for making mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or vanilla custard. If you need the macarons gluten-free, just ensure your icing sugar brand is gluten-free (In New Zealand, Chelsea® icing sugar is gluten-free).

Makes 20 - 40 macarons depending on their size

VANILLA MACARON SHELLS

ground almonds, 125g

icing sugar, 125g

vanilla bean paste, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

egg whites, 100g - about 4 egg whites

caster sugar, 125g

water, 35g (35ml)

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FILLING

unsalted butter, 60g - at room temperature or softened

cream cheese, 250g

icing sugar, 90g

vanilla bean paste, 5ml (1 tsp)

To start, in a large mixing bowl, sieve the ground almonds followed by the icing sugar.

Add the vanilla bean paste and then half of the egg whites (i.e. 50g egg whites).

Mix with a spatula until a uniform paste (the mixture will seem very dry at first, do not add any liquid or extra egg whites).

In a small saucepan, combine the caster sugar and water (mixing a little with a spoon).

Place the saucepan over a medium to high heat.

Meanwhile, place the remaining egg whites (50g) in a heat proof mixing bowl (I use a free standing mixer stainless steel bowl and the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment).

Allow the sugar-water mixture to come to a boil reaching 121°C then remove from the heat.

Immediately start whisking the egg whites on a high speed. Carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the mixing bowl in a thin stream while the whisk is running. Once all the sugar syrup has been added, continue to whisk for a few minutes until the meringue mixture reaches stiff peaks.

Add about a third of the meringue to the almond paste mixture and mix using a spatula to loosen the mixture (until uniform).

Add the remaining meringue mixture and mix again until uniform (using a spatula or a flexible dough scraper). When mixed enough, the macaron mixture should be uniform and leave a continuous ribbon when some of the mixture is lifted with a spatula or dough scraper.

Preheat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan).

Place two ovenproof silicone sheets or two sheets of baking paper onto two flat baking trays (my silicone sheets are a little too big for the edges of my baking trays so I turn my baking trays upside down to ensure the silicone sheets stays flat. You can use a bit of the macaron mixture to secure the four corners of the baking paper to the baking tray before you start piping).

Pipe approximately 3cm diameter round macarons onto the silicone sheets/baking paper using a piping bag fitted with an 8mm diameter round piping tip (you can pipe them bigger or smaller if you wish).

If you see any visible air bubbles, you can pop them with a skewer or tap the tray once or twice on the work bench to get rid of them.

Bake the macaron shells immediately for approximately 20 minutes (until the outside of the macaron shells are crisp but the insides still fairly soft - I normally test one by removing it from the oven and breaking it in half).

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, carefully remove the macaron shells from the silicone sheets/baking paper.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling. Soften the butter for a few seconds in the microwave then transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric beater or electric mixer (use the paddle attachment), beat until smooth.

Add the cream cheese, icing sugar (sieved) and vanilla bean paste and beat together for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Pair the macaron shells on a work surface. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese icing onto the flat surface of one of the macarons halves (I use a piping bag fitted with a 12mm diameter round piping tip). Carefully sandwich the two halves together. Continue until all the macaron shells are sandwiched.