Citrus Macarons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (or 300 degrees F for convection). Line 3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Whisk in the almond flour.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually beat in the superfine sugar until the mixture is just stiff and shiny, 2 to 2 1/2 more minutes, adding the food coloring and extract during the last 15 seconds of mixing.
• Fold the egg white mixture into the almond flour mixture using a rubber spatula, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold, until incorporated. Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon, no more than 2 minutes (about 60 strokes).
• Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag perpendicular to and 1/2 inch above the prepared pans, pipe 11/4-inch rounds (30 to 35 per pan). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the humidity.
• Slip another baking sheet under one batch of macarons (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat). Bake the macarons, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the tops of the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. Transfer the top pan to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining two batches, using a double baking sheet for each. Sandwich the cookies with citrus curd or preserves. (The cookies will be crisp on top. For a softer texture, sandwich the cookies and let sit 4 to 12 hours before serving.)

Steps:

• For the macarons: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Place the granulated sugar and 180 grams (6 1/3 ounces) water in a pot and cook until a candy thermometer inserted in the mixture reads 125 degrees F.
• In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip 260 grams (9 1/8 ounces) of the egg whites until frothy, and then slowly pour in the boiled sugar; mix until cool, checking for a stiff meringue. In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, confectioners' sugar and the remaining 250 grams (8 3/4 ounces) egg whites. Add some food coloring if using. Fold the meringue into the almond mixture until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds (about 32) onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Cool the macarons on the baking sheet for 1 hour.
• For the filling: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the mascarpone, cranberries, vanilla and lemon zest until soft.
• Transfer the cranberry cream to a piping bag. Pipe some filling between two macarons and sandwich together. Repeat for the remaining cookies and filling.

Steps:

• Place the icing sugar and ground almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 15 times until fully combined. Sieve this mixture into a large bowl, discarding any particles that stay in the sieve. Add the first batch of egg whites to the almond mixture, mix to form a thick paste and set aside.
• Tip the second batch of egg whites into a spotlessly clean, heatproof bowl and have an electric whisk at the ready. Place 50ml water and the granulated sugar into a small saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup registers 110C, using a sugar thermometer, at which time start to beat the egg whites on high speed. Once the syrup is at 118C pour it slowly down the side of the mixer bowl, avoiding the moving whisk. Continue to whisk on high until the mixture has cooled slightly and you have a shiny peaked meringue mixture - the bowl should no longer be hot to the touch, but still warm. Add the colouring and whisk to combine.
• Tip the meringue onto the almond mixture and gently fold together. It is important not to over-mix the batter - it should fall in a thick ribbon from the spatula. The ribbon should also fade back into the batter within about 30 secs - if it doesn't, fold a few more times.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3-4. Line three baking sheets with baking parchment. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Hold the bag vertically to the tray, with the nozzle about 1cm from it. Pipe rounds about 2.5cm in diameter onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave to rest for 30 mins, or until the macarons have developed a skin.
• Bake the macarons for 14 mins (this needs to be precise, so you could test a macaron first). Immediately slide the parchment onto the work surface and cool for a few minutes before gently peeling the macarons off the paper.
• To make the filling, place the cream in a small saucepan and the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for a few mins, then stir to combine. Add the butter and stir until smooth, then leave to set until thickened. Place the chocolate mix into a clean piping bag with a smaller nozzle and pipe around the edge of half the macarons. Fill the centre with jam and sandwich with another macaron shell.
• Once finished, the macarons will improve with an overnight rest in the fridge.

Steps:

• These cookies are light and fun to make. They can be a great fall or winter addition to some chocolate treats.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 5 egg whites for 1 minute to combine. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating the whites on high speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and continue beating until it is fully incorporated and the whites are glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the lemon zest and the powdered sugar mixture.
• Coat 1 or 2 large baking sheets with a layer of parchment paper. Spray the paper with a thin layer of nonstick spray. Put heaping teaspoonfuls of the batter about 2-inches apart on the tray(s). Take care to leave the space between each mound because this batter spreads as it bakes.
• Put the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then raise the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and form a nice shell-like exterior, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before gingerly removing them from the tray with an offset spatula. Take care! They can stick to the paper.