Macarons – the winning recipe
·Separate the egg whites
I separated the egg whites from the yolks two days in advance. I kept them in the fridge and took them out 4 hours before starting to make the batter.
Blend the flour with the sugar
Put the almond flour and icing sugar into a food processor, blend thoroughly, and transfer to a bowl.
Make the sugar syrup
Make the sugar syrup: put granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir together and bring to a boil. Using a thermometer, heat to exactly 118°C.
Mix into a thicker paste
Meanwhile, take half of the egg whites and mix them into the sugar and almond flour mixture. This will form a fairly thick paste.
Whip the meringue
Put the other half of the egg whites into a bowl and whip until stiff. Once whipped, lower the speed and pour in the hot sugar syrup. Increase the speed again and keep whipping for at least 5 more minutes.
Fold together and add colour
Gradually fold the whipped meringue into the almond mixture already in the bowl. You can add a few drops of food colouring at this point. I use Wilton gel colours — they're excellent quality, and just a toothpick's worth is enough to get a good colour.
Check the batter flows off the spoon
Mix the batter thoroughly — it should flow smoothly off a spoon.
Pipe the batter
Fill a piping bag and pipe rounds about 3 cm across onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Macaron baking mats work brilliantly for this.
Tap, rest, then bake
Tap the baking sheet firmly on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles from the batter. Let the macarons sit until a skin forms on the surface — this took me 40 minutes, though it depends on the temperature and humidity. Bake at 160°C for 12–15 minutes.