White Chocolate and Almond Macarons

By Alqualonde

Master the art of these delicate delights and whip up heavenly, airy desserts like a pro - it's surprisingly simple.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300g) pure icing sugar
• 3 cups (300g) almond meal
• 5 eggwhites (from 59g eggs)
• A pinch of cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
• 1-2 drops each green and pink liquid food colouring
• White chocolate ganache
• 180 g good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream (HEAVY CREAM)
• 20 g butter, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

1. Sift the icing sugar and almond meal through a fine sieve into a large bowl.

2. Use an electric mixer to whisk eggwhites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar,1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until mixture is thick and glossy.

3. Add the eggwhite mixture to the almond-meal mixture and stir to combine. Divide mixture into 2 even portions. Add the green colouring to one portion and stir to combine. Repeat with the pink colouring and remaining portion.

4. Line 4 oven trays with baking paper. Spoon the green mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 5mm round nozzle. Pipe 4cm discs onto the lined trays, allowing room for spreading. Repeat with the pink mixture. Use a slightly wet finger to smooth the top of each macaron. Set aside on trays for 30 minutes (this helps form a crust).

5. Preheat oven to 150°C. Bake half the macarons in preheated oven, swapping trays' positions halfway through cooking, for 20 minutes or until macarons are dry to touch. Set aside on trays to cool completely. Repeat with remaining macarons.

6. Meanwhile, to make ganache, place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Combine cream and butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Use a metal spoon to stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Place in fridge for 20 minutes or until almost firm.

7. Gently spread ganache onto the base of a macaron and sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining macarons and white chocolate ganache. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.