Macarons are “all the rage” these days…you see them in bakery store windows, magazines, and all throughout Pinterest and the Blog-o-sphere. This delicate and delicious dessert can be a real show-stopper, and we’re lucky enough to have an easy-to-follow recipe from our reader Geoff Blain. We’re big fans of these cookies, and also big fans of Geoff! He spent many years as the assistant to Elizabeth Taylor, (where he learned some remarkable tricks-of-the-trade) and is now starring with the show Loredana, Esq on the Sundance Channel. You can learn more about Geoff from an awesome interview on the Sundance website HERE, and more about the TV series Loredana, Esq HERE!
(All Photos Courtesy of Geoff Blain)
On a recent trip to LA to visit with my Grandma Paula, my Mom called me immediately to gush about Geoff’s Macarons. She was totally taken with these treats (and also with Geoff), and we know that you will be too. Here’s how to whip them up on your own! We’re into simple recipes, and while these beauties require a bit of extra care…we made it easy and learned from the best. Geoff learned from a French Former Chemist…and took all of the guess-work out of the equation for all of us. HA! We chatted about how fun they are to make, and as long as you follow these instructions to a T, you’re guaranteed beautiful cookies.
GEOFF’S MACARONS
This recipe should make 35 sandwiched cookies
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 good pinch of salt
Pulse for 1 minute in a food processor to well combine. Set aside.
- 5 Egg Whites
- ½ Teaspoon of Tartar
- 6 Tablespoons Sugar
**You’ll also need powdered food coloring, available at Michael’s Craft Store, Walmart, Target, and many other stores in the baking aisle, to color your macarons if desired. You can add as little or as much as you’d like to achieve the “Practically Perfect” hue for your cookies.
- Using a stand mixer, beat with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Transfer Egg Whites to a large bowl and sift the Almond Flour/Powdered Sugar/Salt over the Egg Whites in thirds. After the first addition, fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites using a large spatula and a circular motion – approx. 10 to 11 folds. Continue previous step two more times until the mixture creates ribbons. NEITHER UNDER NOR OVER MIX.
- Use a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch tip to pipe 2-inch round cookies onto parchment. Spaced evenly, you should have 5 rows of 7 per ½ cookie sheet. When piping, make sure the tip is at a 90° angle, even pressure is used, and a small peak is left at the top. Let the cookies rest for 45 minutes to dry. During this time the small peak should disappear back into the body of the cookie. This tells you that the batter was mixed properly. If the peak remains, the batter was under mixed; over mixed if the peak never appears.
- Heat your oven to 350°. Place sheet in the center of the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 300°
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove and let cookies cool on the sheet. Carefully remove the cooled cookies from the parchment.
Macarons are flavored by their fillings; so, you’ll need to add POWDERED coloring to the Almond Flour/Powdered Sugar/Salt to achieve a particular color for your cookies. We are not expert bakers around here, so I asked Geoff about his easy recommended fillings for macarons…because they are so versatile, you can easily fill your macarons with nutella, any flavor of jam or jelly that suits your taste or color of your macarons. You can also try lemon curd, or even chocolate ganache. You can find an easy chocolate ganache recipe HERE.
These cookies are delicious and make an incredible impression whether served as a dessert at a dinner party, brought as a treat to a meeting, packaged up as a favor, or given to a loved one with a sweet tooth. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us Geoff, we can’t wait to whip up some more variations of our own.
Making macarons? We’d love to hear how your’s turn out. Send us a comment below, or on our Facebook page to let us (and Geoff) know how you make out with your Macaron-baking! 🙂
