Some want to scale Mount Everest and some want to make a mountain of macaroons. If you’re like me you choose the latter challenge! I’ll admit this is not an easy recipe to take on but it is oh-so-satisfying to complete. The macarons are as pretty to look at as they are delicious to eat. The sweet goodness of strawberry filing sandwiched between perfectly textured, delicate pink shells. Every bite is divine!

Ingredients (Strawberry Macarons)

Macaron Shells

  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) confectioners sugar 
  • 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour.
  • 3 extra-large egg whites (100 grams) 
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 1/4 tablespoons (35 grams)  white sugar
  •  pink gel paste food coloring

Strawberry Filling

  • 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, room temp
  • 1/3 cup full fat cream cheese, room temp
  • 4-6 tablespoons strawberry jam

Method 

Prep Time: 90 min

Cook Time: 16-20 min

Serves (16-24 macarons)

Macaron Shells

  1. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. You may want to use a template/guide to ensure your macarons are the same size. I usually make my now with parchment paper, a sharpie, and a 1 in cookie cutter. They should be separated by at least 1 in.
  2. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together and set aside. Then, place the cream of tarter and egg whites in a bowl and whip on medium speed (stand mixer or hand-held) until soft peaks form. Gradually add the white sugar while mixing on high speed until stiff peaks form (meringue).
  3. Finally, add the food colouring and mix until combined. In three additions, sift the almond mixture into the meringue. Fold the dry into the meringue gently just until no lumps are seen. Repeat two more times making sure not under mix or over-mix.
  4. Then, add the mixture to a piping bag. Begin piping the macarons using the template. Let  the shells sit on your counter (usually 30-60 min) until they are dry to the touch. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Place your trays in the oven and bake for 16-20 min. Make sure to watch the shells carefully to prevent brown caramelisation on the top. Once you can lift a   shell off the tray easily, take them out and let the shells cool for 10 min.

Filling and Construction 

  1. Match up the shells based on sizes. Next, whisk the cream cheese and mascarpone in a bowl until combined. Add the jam one tablespoon at a time until you are happy with the flavour. Then, add the filling to a piping bag and fill your macarons!
  2. At this point, you can stop here and serve…..but you may want to impress someone or a group of people with a tower of macarons. To construct the tower, get some sort of Styrofoam cone and cut it to the length desired (the number of macarons you have will determine the height). Use toothpicks to place the macarons on the cone. Use the picture  above as a reference.
  3. Feel free to get decorative and creative with embellishments and flavours.
  4. Serve, WOW, and enjoy!