French Macarons

• 100 g egg whites (from about 3–4 eggs)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 80 g superfine sugar
• 125 g almond flour
• 125 g powdered sugar
• food colouring, if desired (2–5 drops)
• 0.5 tsp vanilla (for egg whites)
• 4.5 oz (127 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 oz (118 ml) cream
• 1 tsp vanilla (for ganache)
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Separate the eggs very carefully, being sure not to get any yolks into the whites, or they won't whip. Egg whites whip best when they are at room temperature, so if you can, leave them in a mixer bowl, covered with plastic wrap for 40–60 minutes prior to whipping. Whip the egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whip on medium to medium-high speed until you reach medium peaks. Add vanilla and food colouring, if using. Continue whipping while adding sugar in a very slow stream (over a period of 4–5 minutes) until stiff peaks form.

2. 2

   Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl.

3. 3

   In three additions, add your dry ingredients to the whipped egg whites. Slowly and carefully fold in the dry ingredients until incorporated before adding more. Keep folding over and over until the mixture turns into a honey-like consistency. That's right—we want it quite liquid, but stop short before it becomes too liquid. The trick is getting some batter onto your spatula and dropping it in ribbons into the shape of an "8." If the shape doesn't hold up at all, the batter is overmixed. The "8" needs to hold up but disappear in less than 10 seconds (and reabsorb fully into the batter). That's when the consistency is perfect. Move the batter into a piping bag fitted with a medium piping tip. Pipe onto three parchment-lined baking sheets into 1-inch (2.5 cm) rounds, 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart from one another. Tap on the counter a couple of times to release bubbles (poke some large ones with a toothpick if needed). Leave on the counter for 40–60 minutes to form a skin. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

4. 4

   After your macarons have sat for 40–60 minutes, bake for 13–15 minutes. I like baking one sheet at a time, but you can bake two sheets at once (be sure to rotate the trays after about 7 minutes). The macarons are done when they are sturdy and no longer wobbly. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

5. 5

   For the ganache: heat the cream gently. Pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute. Add vanilla and salt and stir until you have a homogenous ganache. Place it into the fridge for 20 minutes to cool down, then whisk until smooth and similar in texture to peanut butter.

6. 6

   Spread the ganache (or pipe it) in the middle of half of your macarons (turn them upside down). Top with the remainder of the cookies to form little cookie sandwiches. I prefer serving them after they've chilled in the fridge for at least 6 hours, so they soften. Enjoy!