Macarons CI

By mariannefeldman

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=21639

Cook's Illustrated

FRENCH-STYLE MACAROONS (MACARONS)

From The Best International Recipe.
Makes 20 sandwich cookies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For an authentic French-style macaroons recipe, we found it best to purchase almond flour; though it was possible to grind almonds in a food processor, the result had a coarser texture. We determined that the ultra-fine powdery texture of confectioners’ sugar, as well as the small percentage of cornstarch that it contains, gave our macaroons recipe the fine texture we desired. We took the advice of one recipe and tried processing the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together in a food processor to further pulverize the mixture, if that was possible. Surprisingly, this worked, and the cookies were even more delicate and refined, with just the right amount of chew.

If you can’t find almond flour (sold in well-stocked grocery stores and specialty stores), substitute 11 ounces of slivered almonds, processed to a fine flour in a food processor; continue to process with the sugar as directed in step 1. Allow the piped cookies to stand as directed to allow a skin to form in step 4—this skin prevents the cookies from cracking the oven, ensuring a smooth finished cookie. You should be able to portion all 40 cookies between 2 standard-sized baking sheets. If not, use 3 sheets. Note that you must bake only 1 sheet at a time for the cookies to bake evenly. Instead of using buttercream for the filling, you can substitute 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled, or 1 1/4 cups of fruit preserves, pureed until smooth.

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups (15 ounces) almond flour
• 3 1/3 cups (13 1/3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 large egg whites , at room temperature
• pinch cream of tartar
• 5 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Coffee Buttercream Frosting, or Orange Buttercream Frosting (see related recipes)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip; set aside. Process half of the almond flour, ­confectioners’ sugar, and salt together in a food processor until the mixture is very finely ground, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining almond flour and confectioners sugar; stir together and set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to whip, watching carefully, until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in the granulated sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form and the sugar is incorporated, about 60 seconds (see illustration below).

3. Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl in order to accommodate the remaining ingredients. Gently fold one quarter of the almond flour mixture into the whites, followed by the vanilla. Gradually fold in the remaining almond mixture until a thick, gloppy batter forms.

4. Following the illustrations below, fill the prepared pastry bag with the batter. Twisting the top of the bag to apply pressure, push the batter toward the bag tip and pipe onto the prepared baking sheets into forty 2-inch mounds, spaced about 1-inch apart. Use the back of a teaspoon or your finger dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped mounds. Let the macaroons rest at room temperature until the tops are dry and a smooth skin has formed, 1 to 2 hours.

5. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through the baking time. Directly after baking, carefully slide the parchment with cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely. (The unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 weeks; if frozen, let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours before filling.)

6. TO FILL THE COOKIES: Spread about 1 tablespoon of the buttercream over the flat sides of half the cookies and gently cover with the flat sides of the remaining cookies to form sandwiches; serve.

STEP-BY-STEP
Piping the Paste


1. Fill the pastry bag with paste, push paste to bottom of bag using hands or bench scraper, and twist top of bag to seal.


2. Pipe paste into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch mounds (2-inch mounds if making gougères) on prepared baking sheet.


3. Use back of teaspoon dipped in water to even out shape and smooth surface of mounds.

TECHNIQUE
Beating Egg Whites


The egg whites should be beaten until smooth and creamy. When the beater is lifted out of the bowl, the egg whites should hold a soft peak.


If the egg whites are beaten too long, they will look dry and grainy and begin to separate.