These gorgeous cookies are gluten-free and were made by our own Ale from the store! They can also be adapted to be dairy-free as well if needed.
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 cup of almond flour
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 pinch of cream of tartar powder
Food coloring (optional)
For the buttercream:
1 stick of butter (softened)*
Powdered sugar (to thickness and taste)
Splash of milk*
*For a dairy-free buttercream, substitute milk with almond milk or other milk of choice and use plant-based butter
Steps
Get eggs and let sit out for at least thirty minutes. This will help with making sure the egg whites get firm peaks when whipped.
Gather the rest of the ingredients and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the almond flour and 2/3 cup of powdered sugar. If there are any clumps left behind in the sifter, toss them out. Mix the sugar and flour together gently to make sure everything is combined.
Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. We only need the egg white for this recipe so you can use the egg yolk for anything else!
Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, slowly start mixing the egg whites. Let the egg whites become a little frothy and add the pinch of salt. Continue to beat the egg whites, increasing the speed of the mixer little bit by little bit until the eggs have gone from clear to a white color. Once they are white, slowly add the granulated sugar. Adding it too fast will cause the egg whites to flatten so slow and steady is the key! After adding the sugar, add in the pinch of cream of tartar. This will help make sure that your egg whites create a stiff peak when finished. To check and see if your egg whites are ready, turn off the mixer, take your whisk attachment, and turn it so that the whisk is facing the ceiling. They should create a little peak that can stand on its own. And if you’re feeling a little more daring, you can slowly turn your bowl over your head and the mixture will stay in the bowl without falling on your head!
Once the egg whites are ready, add the almond flour and powdered sugar mix. Fold it together by using a spatula and scraping the bottom of the bowl and bringing it to the top. Do this about eight to ten times or until the mixture is just combined. To see if the mixture is ready to be pipped, scoop some batter onto the spatula and see if you can make a figure eight with the mixture. It will be complete and ready to pipe once you can make a complete figure eight with the dough.
Take a piping bag or Ziplock bag and insert a round piping tip (or cut a hole in the corner of the Ziplock bag) and fill the bag with the mixture. It helps to put the piping bag in a glass and fold the top of the bag over the edge of the glass when filling up the bag with the mixture.
Place a silicone mat or wax paper on a cookie sheet and pipe out the filling on the baking sheet. You don’t have to pipe out too much of the mixture. As the mix settles, it begins to spread. Make sure you don’t pipe the cookies too close together!
Once you’ve finished piping the cookies, gently tap the tray on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Let sit on the counter for at least 20 minutes before placing in the oven.
Bake the macarons on the middle rack of the oven for about 12 – 15 minutes.
Take them out an immediately transfer the silicone baking mat or wax paper to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies sit on the rack until completely cooled.
To make the filling, beat the softened butter until fluffy and add powdered sugar. Add enough sugar to thicken the mixture up but not too much or else it will be way too sweet. Add a splash of milk to make it creamy. This is a good base for your buttercream filling. Feel free to add whatever flavors you’d like! You can make vanilla, chocolate, or even coffee flavored buttercream.
Once your buttercream is ready, put it into a piping bag with a round tip or a Ziplock bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners.
When the cookies are completely cooled, turn half of them over so that the flat part of the cookie is facing the ceiling and begin piping some of the buttercream and then top it off with another cookie.
You can eat them right away but its suggested that you let them sit in the fridge for at least 12 – 24 hours.
Enjoy!!