Macarons

In a food processor add the Almond flour and icing sugar and process on high speed for 30 seconds. Sift the mixture and set aside. NB: this is an important step as it grinds the flour to an even finer texture.  In another bowl, add the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil whilst stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes, then take syrup off the heat. If using food colouring, mix in now. With an electric mixer, start whipping the egg whites until they hold a soft peak. Start pouring the hot syrup into the egg whites and continue to beat until the meringue is smooth and glossy and holds peaks.

Gently fold in the almond flour, icing sugar mixture and once combined, start stirring with a spatula for approx. 1 minute. When the batter starts to run in ribbons that disappear in 10-20 seconds then stop stirring. Use a cookie scoop or a piping bag to deposit a 20 cent coin size of batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. The batter will flatten out into a disc like flat cookie. Repeat with the remainder of the batter. Since the macarons won’t spread as they bake, you can position them fairly close together on the tray.

Put the tray in a well-ventilated area on a bench top and allow the macarons to rest for 30-60 minutes. You should be able to gently touch the tops and come away with a clean finger. Pre-heat the oven to 135ºC and bake the macarons for 25-30 minutes, until firm on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the tray. Once cooled, use an offset spatula to carefully separate the macarons off the baking paper. To assemble the macarons, spread half the cookies with filling of choice (ganache, jam or frosting), top with the remaining cookie.