Raspberry Dream Macarons

Name: Raspberry Dream Macarons
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients: 3 egg whites; 55g caster sugar (superfine); 240g icing sugar; 120g almond meal (Also known as Almond Flour or Ground Almonds); 4tbs raspberry puree (3tbs for batter; 1 tbs for filling); 60ml pouring cream; 150g white chocolate (Chopped coarsley); 1 tbs extra icing sugar (For dusting); 3-4 drops red/pink food colouring (Prefer paste over liquid, as the liquid colouring will change the consistency of your batter)

Laura Keys

Prep 1 hr1h

Cook 20 mins20m

Makes 16

Like anyone living in the Masterchef age, I've long been enchanted by perfect little macarons - their delicate shells, pretty pastel colours and delightful flavour combinations. But after hearing so many horror stories about how hard they were to bake (even from a packet!), I've steered clear of them. Until recently, that is, when I volunteered to make a sweet treat for a friend's afternoon tea and was told: 'I've told all my friends how great your sweets are, so the pressure's on!'

There was only one thing for it - if I could pull off the tricky little macaron, I'd survive with my reputation intact. If not, well, I could always buy some and pass them off as my own!.

After a bit of research, I tracked down a recipe I was happy with, invested in a non-stick macaron tray and went for it. I made three batches that night and, as you can tell from the photo, none were perfect, each had a tiny little flaw but, overall, I was pretty impressed with myself and my little macarons.

My top tips: make sure you grease your tray/baking paper; the smaller the shells, the better; and make sure your filling isn't too thin/runny, so it can hold the shells up.

↬ Adapted from AWW Macaroons and Biscuits cookbook

Ingredients

3 egg whites
55 g caster sugar (superfine)
240 g icing sugar
120 g almond meal (Also known as Almond Flour or Ground Almonds)
4 tbs raspberry puree (3 tbs for batter; 1 tbs for filling)
60 ml pouring cream
150 g white chocolate (Chopped coarsley)
1 tb extra icing sugar (For dusting)
3-4 drops red / pink food colouring (Prefer paste over liquid, as the liquid colouring will change the consistency of your batter)

Instructions

Keep screen awake

1
Line baking tray with paper and grease lightly with cooking spray (not butter). Alternatively, use a macaron baking tray or silicon mat and grease lightly with cooking spray. NOTE: Using a macaron tray with indents takes the guesswork out of it, But if you don't have one, download Adriano Zumbo's macaron template from his website, and either draw on to your baking paper (then turn the paper over) before you grease it, or simply sit it underneath the baking paper and pipe over the top of it.
2
Beat egg white in bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. NOTE: Use a very clean, dry bowl for this.
3
Add caster sugar and a few drops of food colouring and beat until sugar dissolves. NOTE: Use liquid food colouring sparingly. NOTE: You can check the sugar has dissolved properly by rubbing some of the egg whites between your thumb and forefinger. If it's still grainy, keep beating!
4
Sift icing sugar and almond meal into a bowl. Then GENTLY fold this into the egg whites, along with the raspberry puree, in 2-3 batches. NOTE: If you over-mix at this point, your batter will become too runny. So fold until just combined.
5
Spoon mixture into a piping bag with at least a 1cm plain round nozzle. Then pipe one inch circles on to your tray, at least an inch apart, or if using a macaron tray, just fill the cavities in the tray (but don't over-fill). Once finished, tap the tray to remove any air bubbles, dust with icing sugar and leave to rest for . At this point, pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees Celcius (300F) NOTE: When piping, squeeze the top of the bag until your macaron is 1in in diameter, then stop squeezing and lift the bag directly up, creating a little vertical 'tail' out of the middle.
6
Bake macarons for about . Cool on trays. NOTE: Do NOT remove macarons from trays or baking paper until completely cool, or you'll break them. NOTE: You can tell when the macarons are ready by pressing lightly on the top - if ready, the top should compress into the 'feet' and spring back without squashing.
7
Bring cream to boil in small saucepan; remove from heat once it's boiling and add white chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add 1tbs raspberry puree and a drop of food colouring. Stir, then refrigerate until cool and spreadable.
8
Spoon filling into piping bag and pipe a small amount on to half of the macarons, then sandwich the other half, twisting slightly to spread filling. NOTE: Unfilled macaron shells will keep in an airtight container for a few days. Fill macarons just before serving, if possible.

Comments & Reviews (0)

or sign up for free to join the conversation.