Raspberry Macarons
Photo: David Meredith
SERVINGS: Makes 12 macarons
INGREDIENTS
3 ounces almond meal/flour (about ¾ cup) or blanched sliced almonds (about ¾ cup)
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry jam
PREPARATION
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300º. Combine almond meal or sliced almonds and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until powdery, 30-60 seconds for meal, 2 minutes for sliced. Sift into a bowl and add any remaining almond pieces into the bowl. Set aside.
Place egg whites and salt in the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with whisk attachment slowly at first, increasing in speed until soft, foamy peaks form. Slowly add granulated sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Carefully fold in a drop of red food coloring and vanilla. Gently fold the almond mixture into the egg whites and continue folding until the mixture is a bit loose and shiny.
Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, or a large resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe 12 round mounds about 1 ½ inches in diameter on each baking sheet. Gently rap sheets against the counter. Let dry at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes until the surfaces have lost their shine. Adjust oven racks to the top and bottom thirds of the oven and bake both sheets at once for 20-30 minutes, switching positions and rotating pans halfway through. Cool completely on cooling racks.
Carefully peel the cookies off the parchment. Make sandwiches with a scant teaspoon of jam and refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours for best texture.