To macaroon or not to macaroon?

As I sit and wait for my macaroons to set I write this post. As I mentioned last week I tried my hands at macaroons and turned up empty. This week I tried again and they look better. I am using a different recipe and I think it is better. Not perfect but I am feeling good about them. They still are not perfect but they are like 90% better than my first run.

Thick goop consistency 

I start with the meringue which is a funny thing to make, I have learned it is the perfect balance between stiff peaks and just peaks. But a tip I learned was if you can flip the bowl and the peaks not only stay but don't fall on your head you are there. If you over whip a meringue then that's bad too. Unfortunately no one has ever found the perfect way to know, like a time or temperature like other things but just sheer knowledge of your own ability. So I whisked away, as I did this I got all my other ingredients ready.

waiting and setting

I lined up the almond flour and powdered sugar. Tip; sift both these ingredients and if you have the fortitude and a bigger sifter than me once you combine them, sift again. I got the food coloring I wanted and the trays ready and set up. I had the sugar syrup ready and rested for once my meringue set. Once I got the right peak I poured the syrup in and kept whipping away. Once that was done I added the remaining egg whites to the dry ingredients. Last time I just whipped all the egg whites and then added the dry ingredients, and I think this was one of many steps that works better. Once the dry ingredients looked like goop I added a tablespoon of meringue. This is to make it a little less thick. (Most people say it should be the consistency of lava, it reminds me of melted marshmallows without the rice crispy.)

in the oven

I then folded in the meringue all at once. You want to make a figure eight. This will fold in the meringue and not over mix it making it runny. You want it to keep the thick consistency as much as possible, so don't over fold it. Then just scoop it into a piping bag and make one inch rounds. Make sure you don't make them to big, like all cookies they expand as you can see from the picture above some are touching. This is definitely something you don't want. I have a macaroon mat that has the rounds already sized out if you don't have that just put parchment paper on a cookie sheet and do your best. After pulling the macaroons out of the oven its odd but the ones on the mat were a little hollow. (Not sure if its the mat or it needed more time to set?) Then the fun part, bang the tray to get all the air out. By this point you will be where I am now. Waiting; waiting for them to harden, waiting for them to get a film on top, waiting to see if you messed one of the steps up, waiting and waiting some more. At this point I cleaned up, trying to keep busy. I did the dishes and wiped down the counters.

Once they were done cooking I pulled them out and let them sit. Again with the waiting. If you can see in the picture below these little guys have feet. Feet are the little bubbles on the bottom of the cookie. You don't want bubbles in the cookie, hence the banging but bubbles on the bottom are a good thing. While I was waiting I made the filling. I was going to put jam in the middle but then I opened the jar and it looks like it was making out with peanut butter. I forgot that we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the same knife. So I put the lid on and peeled a banana. I never would think a banana mixed in powdered sugar and butter could taste good but it did so that turned into my filling.

they have feet

I have been looking up macaroons for two weeks now trying to get a good recipe. I am using Merry Berry's recipe, I'm addicted to the great British bake off. They say these little cookies are one of the hardest to make. As this is my second try and I'm still unsure if they have turned out I would agree. What I did learn is the Italians have a macaroon that is made of coconut it looks nothing like these little French cookies. If you don't believe me google it. Which is interesting to me since these little guys are everywhere. There is a macaroon shop not twenty minutes from my house and I never knew that there was an Italian version. Since I am Italian I try to make things from my heritage but macaroons were never in our house, we ate sfingy (yes that is how it is spelled). So when my uncle married a French woman that is when macaroons came into my life. That is why the French style is the one I am trying to make. So if you are ever in the mood to eat a macaroon and you don't have all day I would say go out and buy one. Though I do have a confession this will be the first one I have ever eaten.

I'm not saying I will never make them again they are definitely less scary now that I have an end product I liked but they will not be the first cookie I jump to. Next week I am not sure what I will make but I think I will try something a little less time intensive (started at 3:30 and ended at 9).