Macarons

1. Mix confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture until no lumps are left.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk whites with cream of tartar with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes after you added the sugar. Mix in food coloring and flavoring. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.

3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag or a zip lock bag with a hole cut in one end. Do this by fitting the bag into a cup, then spoon in the batter. Pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on 2 doubled up baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Reduce oven temperature to 330F. Bake 1 batch at a time about 10 -15 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375F, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 330F.

4. Let macaroons cool on sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macaroons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. This will release macaroons.)

5. Sandwich 2 macaroons with 1 teaspoon filling. Let macarons sit one day (if you can) to let the flavors intensify. You can also freeze macarons for 3 months. For filling see Ganache or Buttercream Recipes by Martha Stewart.


Tips

Use aged egg whites (about 2 days at room temperature), sometimes microwaving the eggs for 30 seconds instead can work as well
Make sure you sift all of your ingredients thoroughly! No Lumps!
If you can help it, try to cook in a an area with low humidity, or with the air conditioner running
Don't over mix the eggs! This can lead to a watery meringe. Mix about 8 minutes after all of the sugar has been added.
Don't over mix dry ingredients! Mix quickly, by folding the ingredients in.
Play with temperatures and times, everyone's oven is different.
When the cookies come out of the oven, spray water underneath the parchment paper while they are cooling, this way they come off the paper easier.
These cookies are fragile! Handle with care!
Over mixing when adding dry ingredients can also cause a watery batter
Some find that letting macarons sit for 15 minutes before baking will help prevent cracking, however I have not noticed a significant difference

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