Macarons

They look tricky but are surprisingly easy to make. Macarons are always greeted with delight by guests and are easily customised to suit any occasion.

Ingredients

125g ground almonds
200g icing sugar
3 egg whites (90g egg whites)
2 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried egg nog mix or egg nog – if you can’t get hold of this, just leave it out
250ml double cream
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 teaspoon dried egg nog mix – if you can’t get hold of this, just use 1 teaspoon of egg nog or leave out

Toppings
butter for brushing
popping candy
pestive sprinkles
caster sugar

Makes 10-14 macarons

Method

1. Pour the ground almonds into a food processor.
2. Add the icing sugar, spices and egg nog powder (if you’re using it) and pulse until well incorporated.
3. Whisk the egg whites and the sugar in a bowl until smooth and glossy.
4. Check the stiffness by lifting a little mixture on the whisk – if its still moving, it is not yet ready
5. Fold in the blended ground almonds and icing sugar until the mixture thickens.
6. Once the mixture is starting to come together, but not yet fully combined, add the food colouring and keep mixing.
7. Pop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle or use a disposable piping bag and cut the tip off.
8. Squeeze the piping bag from the bottom to get any air out.
9. Always cradle the piping bag in your right hand like this (or in your left if left-handed), to ensure even piping pressure. Never squeeze with your other hand – this one is just for guiding the nozzle.
10. Hold the bag perpendicular to the piping surface, and no more than a centimetre above it.
11. Squeeze in one spot and let the mixture push itself outwards into a dome shape. About 3 cm across
12. Wet your fingertip just slightly and gently pat down any remaining peaks.
13. Lift your tray 10cm above the surface and drop.
14. Set aside for 60 minutes.
15. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.
16. Once they have rested at room temperature for an hour, the raw macaron shells will form a dryish skin on the outside. Check the shells by touching them gently. When they are no longer sticky to the touch and leave no residue on your fingers, they are ready for the oven.
17. To make the filling, pour the double cream into a large bowl.
18. Whisk the cream until it has just become stiff and is starting to leave a ribbon. Then add the egg nog (whether you’re using dried mix or the real thing) and the vanilla extract.
    Meanwhile, bake the macarons for 10-15 minutes, or until they are cooked through and start to peel off the baking sheet.
19. Once they’re ready, set aside to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the tray. Take care with this as they are fragile whilst warm, but they must be removed from the tray or they will continue cooking and dry out.
20. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.
21. Add any toppings (see below) at this point.
22. Pipe the filling onto the bottom shell, and sandwich together.

Toppings

You can do almost anything you like here. Always start by brushing with melted butter.

To brûlée, sprinkle generously with caster sugar, then use a chef’s blowtorch to heat, melt and eventually scorch the sugar. This can happen quickly, so we recommend holding the blowtorch further away on a long flame setting, and slowly caramelising the sugar with the very tip of of flame. Use with caution and never leave the blowtorch on.

Brush the other macarons with butter in the same way, before adding a few sprinkles, or some popping candy.