Easy French Macaroons

I always thought macaroons were way overrated until I tried one and let me tell you I was BLOWN AWAY! I loved everything about them, from the crunchy yet chewy texture to the deliciously sweet flavor. Although they are really amazing, the price on these little suckers are scary, I paid $5 for 3!!! Yes, you saw it right FIVE DOLLARS for THREE!!! Do you know what I can do with 5 dollars? A whole lot more than buy 3 little macaroons. So I did a little research on how to make these bad boys and I found the easiest recipe here. I filled mine with Nutella because I didn't want to spend time making a filling if the cookies didn't turn out right. (and let me tell you... I was literally doing my happy dance after I pulled them out of the oven.) 

Totally cost:

Less than $5 for 30.

French Macaroons 

4 large egg whites 

1/3 cup regular sugar 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 

1 cup almond meal (almond powder how-to here)

Pinch of salt

gel food colouring (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F

Beat egg whites and regular sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out, continue to whip for 1-2 more minutes.  How long this takes will depend on you mixer.  Add gel or powdered food colouring and continue to mix for a further 20 seconds.

Sift the almond meal, powdered sugar, and salt discarding any almond lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve. Fold into the egg white mixture. It should take roughly 30-50 folds using a rubber spatula.  The mixture should be smooth and a very viscous, not runny. Over-mix and your macarons will be flat and have no foot, under mix and they will not be smooth on top. Scoop batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Tap bottom of each sheet on counter top to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Check if one comes off the tray fairly cleanly, if not bake for a little longer. 

Remember to use NON-Stick baking paper.

Recipe from: howtocookthat.net