How to Make Strawberry Macaroons

Did you know that National Macaroon Day is on May 31? Macaroons are special because they have a crispy outer layer and a soft center. They’re worth celebrating! It’s believed that the macaroon actually originated in Italy even though they are most widely embraced by the French. Here’s a strawberry macaroon recipe that will help you celebrate:

Strawberry Macaroon Recipe

Adapted from RicardoCuisine.com

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups ground almonds

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 egg whites

½ cup granulated sugar

Red food coloring

Strawberry Jam (for the filling)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 Degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the baking rack is in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with white parchment paper and set aside.

Add the ground almonds and confectioners’ sugar to a food processor and blend until both are completely pulverized. This should take around 2 minutes.

Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites on medium speed in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add 10 drops red food coloring for pink. Add more food coloring if you want a darker colored cookie. Slowly add the granulated sugar to the bowl, beating on medium speed until hard peaks form. Gently fold the almond and confectioners’ sugar mixture with a rubber spatula until well incorporated. You’ll want to fold the mixture as gently as possible to keep the egg whites at the proper texture.

Fill a pastry bag with the mixture and add a ½ inch plain tip. Squeeze macaroon batter onto the parchment lined cookie sheets in 1 inch sized cookies spaced 2 inches apart. Gently move the baking sheet back and forth a few times so the cookie batter can flatten slightly.

Place one baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake for twelve minutes or until cookies look well set. Watch them carefully – they should never turn brown! Bake the second sheet after the first one is out of the oven. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the sheet.

Put a teaspoon of jam on the flat side of one of the cookies. Place another cookie on top flat side down so that it makes a sandwich. Fill the macaroons with jam just before serving so the cookie doesn’t get too soft. However, a great macaroon will be a little soft on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside.

Variations

In France, a good macaroon is considered an art form. People will wait in long lines to get boxes of macaroons. They come in a variety of colors and flavors – you don’t necessarily need to use red food coloring in your cookies and fill them with strawberry jam. You can use any color, as well as any filling, that you want! Good fillings include icing, melted chocolate, chocolate and hazelnut spread, and other flavors of jam.