Macarons are hugely popular sweets: little rounds with a sweet, fragrant flavour and bright, cute colours. Loved all over the world, they are bite-sized and delicious, and anyone who tries one is sure to be hooked.
A macaron is made of two small cookies sandwiched together with a filling in the middle, a bit like a sweet mini hamburger. The shells are made from egg whites whipped with sugar into a meringue, then mixed with ground almonds and icing sugar before baking so the shells rise. Macaron fillings come in many varieties, with popular ones including chocolate ganache, lemon butter, buttercream and jam.
The Origin of Macarons
Macarons originated in France in the 19th century and were created by an Italian missionary who was looking for a way to make a living from baking. He whipped almonds, sugar and egg whites together and baked them in an oven. The recipe developed over time, with two macaron shells sandwiched around a filling, giving them their signature resemblance to a tiny hamburger or sandwich. Macarons can be made in two styles:
- Traditional French macarons: Made the way they are in their country of origin. Egg whites are whipped into a stiff-peaked meringue, then ground almonds and icing sugar are sifted in slowly until the desired consistency is reached. This process of knocking out air and folding is called macaronage.
- Italian-style macarons: The meringue is made by whipping egg whites with a hot sugar syrup poured in. Sifted almonds and icing sugar are mixed with raw egg whites to make a thick paste, then the meringue and almond paste are combined to form the macaron batter. This method is generally considered to give a sturdier structure, but it is sweeter and requires a candy thermometer for the syrup.
Chocolate Macaron Recipe
Ingredients
- 25 g (3 tbsp) unsweetened chocolate powder
- 125 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 50 g (½ cup) finely ground almonds
- 2 egg whites (66 g)
- 75 g (5 tbsp) sugar
- 120 g chocolate bar
- ½ cup (120 g) plain milk or heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Making the Shells
- Sift the cocoa powder, icing sugar and finely ground almonds into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the sugar little by little, whisking continuously until you have a meringue.
- Add the cocoa mixture to the meringue in portions, folding gently with a spatula until the batter flows and is well combined.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe even rounds. Tap the tray to release air, then leave to rest for about 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake at 150°C for about 12 to 15 minutes.
- When done, remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Making the Filling
- Heat the cream or fresh milk until it starts to boil, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the cream or milk over the prepared chocolate in a bowl, leave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
- Add the unsalted butter and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, then spoon into a piping bag.
Assembling the Macarons
- Remove the macaron shells from the tray and pipe chocolate filling onto half of them.
- Sandwich them with the remaining shells.
