Ingredients
Macarons
210g icing sugar
100g almond flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
50g cup (granulated) sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Food colouring of your choice
Vanilla Buttercream
200g unsalted butter
400g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Preparation
Macarons
1. Combine the icing sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and mix at the lowest speed of your electric hand mixer. In a separate bowl, sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
2. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt until soft peaks form, whilst gradually adding the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out).
3. Add the vanilla essence and beat until incorporated. Then add food colouring until fully incorporated.
4. Add 1/2 of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After adding the last bit of the almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a number eight-figure whilst holding the spatula up.
5. Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
6. Place four dots of the batter in each corner of a rimmed baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over it, using the batter to help adhere the parchment to the baking sheet.
7. Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 3cm circles, spacing at least 3cm apart.
8. Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface four to five times to release any air bubbles.
9. Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 40 minutes to one hour, until they are dry when touched.
10.Preheat the oven to 150˚C, and bake for 17 minutes, until the feet are well risen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper.
11.Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
Vanilla Buttercream
1. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric hand mixer for one minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla essence and beat to combine. Add the cream, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until desired consistency is reached.
2. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
3. Add a drop of buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining macaron shells and buttercream.
Recipes by Shiwa the Baker