Macaroons have been having quite a renaissance of late. Great big towers of multicoloured and multi flavoured macaroons are starting to replace the birthday cake and even the wedding cake; and why not? From so many different flavours to choose from; pistachio, lime, black sesame or super indulgent salted caramel, there is something for everyone.
Macaroons are quite sweet, so for me the perfect flavour is raspberry, which goes fabulously well with the rich almond flavour. It’s vibrant ruby red colour makes its the quintessential macaroon.
Macaroons are a little fiddly to make, but don’t be put off as they are not actually that difficult if you follow a few basic principals. I make mine by mixing equal quantities of icing sugar with ground almonds, this is known as TPT ( tant pour tant in French) The TPT is then folded into Italian meringue and piped into little circles. Once the macaroons are baked, they are then sandwiched together with a tiny amount of very well flavoured filling. Again don’t panic! A good raspberry jam or jelly will surfice, before you tackle some of the more exotic flavours. Macaroons can be made the day before and kept in the fridge to let the flavours infuse and the macaroons become a bit chewy and delicious. When filled, they will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge
Easy raspberry macaroon recipe
Difficulty: Medium Makes: 40-50 macaroons
75g icing sugar
75g ground almonds
2 egg whites (80g)
70g castor sugar
1/2tsp food colouring (or a little more if a stronger colour is desires)
1tbsp raspberry jam sieved
1dsp mascarpone cheese
2tsp groundnut oil
Preheat the oven to 150C. Place greaseproof paper onto 2-3 baking trays then drop a tsp of groundnut oil on each sheet and wipe with kitchen paper so that the paper is very lightly greased. (this will ensure the macaroons do not stick to the paper).
Sieve the icing sugar and ground almonds together and set aside. (TPT).
Place 3 tbsp cold water in a small saucepan and add the castor sugar and bring to the boil. Whilst the syrup is boiling, beat the egg whites with the food colouring in a clean dry bowl till they reach soft peaks. When the syrup temperature reaches 118C remove from the heat. With the mixer on low, pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites in a slow steady stream. When all the syrup is added, turn the speed up high, and continue to beat till the mixture is smooth, shiny and holds its shape.
Stir in the TPT (almond and icing sugar) and mix well till perfectly smooth. Place the macaroon mixture into a piping bag and place the mixture into the bag and pipe small circles about the size of a 10 pence piece (2cm) leaving 2cm between each macaroon.
Leave the trays for about15 minutes until a ‘skin’ forms on the top of the macaroon then bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Take care not to over bake or the macaroons will loose their colour and become hard.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Make the filling by beating the mascarpone and sieved jam together till smooth. Place a small amount of filling on the underside of the macaroon and sandwich the macaroons together. Store in an airtight container in the fridge till needed.
For other ideas for macaroons see my post Macaroon madness!
Easy raspberry macaroon recipe
