Macarons

There are macaroons, the chewy coconut cookies made with mounds of moist coconut. And then there are macarons - the sweet, colorful, dome-topped morsels that have been popping up in boutiques and cafes (pictured above). Both cookies start off with a base of egg whites and sugar, but there are several differences that set them apart.

One key difference is the presence of almond flour in macarons. This basic blend leaves a lot of room additional fruity or candy-infused flavors. Baking a batch of these French cookies is a bit harder than other styles, but follow this simple recipe and see how easy it actually is!

French Macarons

1 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup finely ground almonds

3 egg whites

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and preheat oven to 285 degrees F

1. Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites hold soft peaks and are fluffy. Sift confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites.

1. Using a spoon, put a tiny amount of batter into a plastic bag with a corner cut off and pipe a test disk of batter (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) onto your baking sheet. If the disk of batter holds a peak instead of flattening immediately, gently fold the batter a few more times and retest.

1. When batter well mixed, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top (about 1 hour).

1. Bake cookies until set but not browned (about 10 minutes) and let them cool completely before filling.