Make The Perfect Macaron

Macaroons in detail" by georgie_grd - originally posted to Flickr as Macaroons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The history of Macarons goes way back to 17th century France. Originally thought to be brought into France from Italy, Nancy, a city in the north-east region of France popularised this very delicate flavoured biscuit. Here is a nice, simple recipe for making an original Macaron straight out of Nancy:

  • 200 grams blanched almonds (including 4 bitter almonds)
  • 2-3 egg whites
  • 300 grams of sugar
  • Icing sugar

1. Pound the almonds using a mortar and pestle, moistening them with 1 egg white

2. When the almonds are well pounded, add 150 grams of sugar and mix them with the pestle

3. While continuing to mix, add another ½ egg white and the remainder of sugar, followed by      another ½ egg white

**The mixture should be soft whilst not being runny by this stage. If necessary, add another ½ egg white and mix thoroughly to gain the right consistency**

4. Pipe the mixture (about 1 ¼ - 1 ½ inches in diameter) on baking paper ensuring that the mixture is spread apart wide enough to prevent them from running into one while baking

5. Sprinkle with icing sugar and bake in an oven at 175°C for 20 minutes or until macarons are a rich golden brown colour.

Pro tip: Once the macarons have cooled, turn the paper over with the macarons and moisten the paper with water and turn it over again. Wait till the macarons can be removed without any difficulty.