Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Step 1: In a food processor mix the ground almond flour and the confectioners sugar together by lightly pulsing into a fine powder. Do not over blend the mixture or it will become paste. Next, to make sure lumps are removed, sift the dry ingredients through a fine-mexh sieve. If any solid clumps remain in the sieve, break them up by placing back in the food processor, then pass through the sieve again. Repeat this step until all but less than 2 tablespoon of remaining clumps are gone. Discard the remaining clumps.
Note: See Step 4 if you want to incorporate flavor into the batter during the dry ingredients phase.
Note: It's important to incorporate the right amount of air into the pastry dough and evenly distribute the the almond flour and confectioners sugar together. This will help result in a light airy cookie with a smooth texture. For this step you can use a flour sifter or sieve to sift the ingredients by hand or use a food processor to evenly mix, then sieve.
Step 2: In a large electric-stand mixing bowl, whip 6 room temperature egg whites on medium speed (high speed with hand mixer) until soft peaks form (turn off the mixer, pull up on the whisk and look for soft peaks where the tip of the peak curls over). Do not let stiff peaks form. Slowly add a third of the granulated sugar (precisely 83.3 grams). Whip until the sugar has dissolved. In intervals continue to add the sugar by thirds, whipping for one minute each. Until the egg whites are shiny and hold soft peaks once again.
Adding color: After the final portion of sugar is added, this is the best time to add color. Add three drops of gel food coloring of your choice and continue to beat egg whites until they are shiny and hold soft peaks once again.
Notes on eggs: For best egg white results, eggs should be room temperature and at least 3 to 5 days old. Do not use freshly laid eggs. Thin, older egg whites whip more easily into a higher volume than thick, fresh egg whites. Also try to avoid making macarons on a rainy day or a real humid day. Too much humidity in the air will prevent the egg whites from foaming up properly.
Step 3: Use a rubber spatula to carefully fold in the dry ingredients (almond flour/confectioner's sugar mix) into the whipped egg whites,as to not break the air in the egg whites. If the batter is over mixed where the air in the egg whites is broken, the cookies will not rise properly during baking.
Folding technique: Gently scrape the rubber spatula around the edge of the bowl towards you, bring the spatula back up folding the batter in towards the center of the bowl. Rotate the bowl as you repeat this movement. It is recommended to fold between 35 to 40 times until the batter is smooth and shiny.
Step 4: If you want the macaroons to have the basic almond flavor, then the batter is ready, If you want to experiment and add a flavor extract to the batter, add one drop at a time then gently fold into the batter.Do not over mix so the air is not broken batter, or the egg whites will not rise when baking.
Flavor options: If you add a flavor, you need to remove equal parts of dry ingredients and substitute with flavor replacement during Step 1 to ensure weight measurements do not alter.
Chocolate: Sift 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder with dry ingredients of almond flour and confectioners sugar mix. Then add brown food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form.
Coffee: Sift 2 teaspoons instant espresso with dry ingredients of almond flour and confectioners sugar mix. Then add brown food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form. Nutella filling would be great choice.
Vanilla Bean: Scrape seeds of one vanilla bean with almond flour and confectioners sugar before blending together and sifting.
Lavender: Add 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender and the almond flour to the food processor and blend into a fine consistency before adding in the confectioners sugar and sifting. Add 1 drop of purple food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form.
Rose: Add 2 teaspoons of rosewater at the same time as 1 to 2 drops of red food color gel to the egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form.
Pistachio: Substitute 1/3 pistachio flour in place of the almond flour and sift together before blending and sifting with confectioners sugar. Add 1 to 2 drops of green food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form.
Orange or Lemon: Blend zest from one whole orange or 2 whole lemons with dry ingredients of almond flour and confectioners sugar in food processor before sifting. Then add 1-2 drops of orange or yellow food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form.
Raspberry: Add 2-3 drops of red food color gel to egg white mixture and beat until soft peaks form. Use raspberry preserves for filling.
Step 5: Assemble the pastry bag or a sturdy plastic bag with corner cut off. Insert a 3/8- or 1/2-inch plain tip through hole in pastry bag or plastic bag. Tip: Stand the pastry bag with tip (tip down first) inside a tall glass to hold the pastry bag while the batter is poured in. Fold the open end of the pastry bag over the rim of the glass. Slowly pour the batter into the pastry bag then seal the open end of the pastry bag closed. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mat, hold piping tip 1/2 inch above the baking sheet and pipe small macaroon rounds 1.5 inches in diameter. Tilt the tip up sideways to stop the batter flow as soon as you see the batter round spread to 1 1/2 inch diameter. You can create a template to draw on parchment paper to help with making consistent sized batter rounds. Space the macaroon rounds 1 inch apart.
* Try piping a test round of batter on the cookie sheet. If the round of batter does not flatten immediately, place the batter back in a bowl and gently fold a few more times. Place the batter back in the pastry bag and retest another round of batter until the desired consistency is achieved.
To release any air pockets in the rounds of batter, lightly tap the cookie sheet on the counter 2 to 3 times.
Step 6: Place the sheet of cookie rounds on the counter, uncovered for 10 minutes to 1 hour until a thin, dry film forms that does not stick to the touch. This will help prevent the macarons from cracking during the baking process.
Step 7: Bake only one tray at a time. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 minutes until a smooth shell forms (but the cookies are not browned) and the cookies can be easily peeled from the baking surface. If your oven has hot spots you may need to rotate the cookie sheet in the middle of the baking time. Allow cookies to completely cool down until easily removed from the baking sheet. Place cookies on a plate.
Step 8: Macaron Assembly: With flat side of macaron cookie facing upwards, pipe or add 1 teaspoon dollop of filling onto center of macaron cookie. Lightly place flat side of 2nd cookie on top of filling to make a sandwich and gently press together cookies just until the filling reaches the edges of cookies. (This may take some practice to find the right amount of filling)
Add Filling of Choice: Buttercream, Nutella, Dulce de Leche, Marshmallow fluff, Pastry Crème, Lemon Curd or Preserves.
Refrigerate the assembled macaroons for a minimum of 12 hours before serving for the best flavor and a crisp but chewy cookie tasting experience.
Storage: If you plan to keep the macarons for more than 3 days, you can refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 6 months into a sturdy rigid container, separating the layers of cookies with wax paper.
Yields 4 dozen cookies.
* If you are unable to find find almond flour, you can substitute with sliced, blanched almonds (make sure there are no skins) and grind yourself into a fine flour in the food processor. Use the pulse button until almonds are finely ground. Many people also prefer to run their store bought almond flour through the food processor to ensure a fine consistency before blending with the confectioners sugar.
** Make sure to use large eggs to keep the egg white measurement as similar as possible. Small or extra large eggs, could alter the outcome of the cookies.
Classic French Macarons Cookie Recipe: https://whatscookingamerica.net/elleneaston/frenchmacaronscookie.htm