Vanilla Macarons

When my daughter fell in love with all things French after reading a book, these cookies became the thing to try.  I was not a hard sell.  These cookies are so light, dangerous because they are so light.  They are easy to make, hard to make perfect.  The perfectionist in me will make these again; my sweet tooth will appreciate it!

Make the dough.

Create circles of dough.

Bake.

Let cool.

Fill with frosting or jam.

- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

- 1 cup almond flour

- 3 large egg whites

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor.  Process for 30-40 seconds, or until mixture has a very fine and light texture.  

Whip egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  With mixer running, slowly add granulated sugar and vanilla.  Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.  

Gently fold almond flour mixture into egg whites, being careful not to overmix.  The final mixture should be smooth and glossy.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.  Transfer macaron batter to a piping bag with a small round tip (or ziploc bag with tip cut off).  Pipe 1 1/2 to  2-inch circles, about an inch apart, on both baking sheets.  Tap baking sheets against the counter to release air bubbles.  

Let the macaron shells rest in a dry place for 20-30 minutes, or until you can touch the shells without the batter sticking to your fingers. 

While shells are sitting, preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Bake one sheet at a time for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer macaron shells to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with second baking sheet.  Let shells cool completely before filling with jam or frosting.

This recipe was so tasty!  Easy to follow!  (A success from a google search on myrecipes.com)

The basic vanilla macaron is pictured above.  For my daughter's 7th birthday, I played with food coloring to create some pretty and colorful cookies!

Vanilla macarons with raspberry buttercream

Vanilla macarons with chocolate buttercream

I used this buttercream for the birthday macarons!  So, light and delicious!