• scale
• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• hand or stand mixer
• mixing bowls
• sifter / mesh sieve
• pastry piping bag and round tip

Directions:

1. divide eggs, cover in plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature overnight
2. next day, measure out all ingredients using a scale
3. prepare 2 baking sheets covered in parchment paper
4. sift almond meal and powdered sugar into a new bowl
5. combine granulated sugar with dehydrated egg whites into one bowl
6. begin preparing merengue: on medium speed, mix (using mixer) egg whites until foamy
7. begin to add granulated sugar/dehydrated egg mixture to the egg whites
8. once mixture is fully integrated, turn up the speed to high and whip until soft peaks are achieved. this will take 3-5 minutes. don’t over mix…you don’t want the peaks to become too firm. your base / meringue is ready
9. if you plan on adding liquid food coloring, this is the time to do it – drop a few drops into meringue (whipped egg whites) and fold to incorporate
10. now it’s time to make the batter – pour 1/4 of almond/sugar mixture into the meringue and fold to incorporate using a rubber spatula. the motion should be gentle enough not to deflate the whipped egg whites
11. continue folding in the rest of the almond / sugar mixture until complete. fold until everything is fully incorporated but do not over mix
12. pre-heat oven to 290 F
13. prepare a pastry piping bag with a standard large/round tip and pour batter into the bag
14. pipe 1-2″ rounds onto pre-lined baking sheets. keep in mind that macarons will expand as the settle
15. when done, bang sheets flat against counter a few times to help aerate the macarons
16. let sit for 20-30 minutes. you will know they are ready when they are dry to a gentle touch of your finger
17. bake in oven for 14-16 minutes. at 14 minutes, monitor closely to make sure they don’t start getting brown edges
18. once cooked, the macarons should peel off easily in one piece. if they do not, try cooking them for an extra minute at a time
19. cool macarons on a cooling rack
20. fill with your favorite filling – i like to use nutella (when lazy) or vanilla buttercream (when motivated). store overnight in fridge in an airtight ziplock bag to allow flavors to marry before serving

• use a scale and make sure to have everything measured out before you start working
• whipping the merengue is a delicate art – you don’t want the egg whites runny but you also don’t want to over beat. this will take practice…worst case you over whip and the macarons may become slightly hollow
• food coloring: macarons are known for their exotic colors. i’ve yet to really experiment with color, mainly because of its  toxic and artificial nature. macarons’ natural color is off-white. in the images above, i dropped (only a few drops) of liquid chlorophyll into the meringue to make it green. all natural coloring, you can get chlorophyll at Whole Foods or a healthy foods store.
• folding dry ingredients into merengue is also a delicate balance. see this video on how to fold properly
• once batter is ready, you need to move very quickly with the piping process before it dries out
• to get perfectly round macarons, you can print out templates and place beneath the parchment paper. make sure you remove them before baking!
• when piping macarons, the trick i find is to apply downward pressure (straight down at 90 degrees) to release batter, make a circle, and then simultaneously release pressure and quickly yank the tip away
• the perfect macaron will have the following properties: flat outer surface, well-defined feet and a dense (not hollow) inner layer