A dessert thatâs very popular in Franceâquite sweet and brightly coloredâitâs often given as a gift on February 14th, so for this Valentineâs Day, I decided to make it for my partner as a gift. Iâve heard several people say that this dessert isnât easy to make, since the texture often doesnât turn out as expected, but this recipe Iâm sharing with you works perfectly.
First, combine the granulated sugar and egg white in a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Then transfer the mixture to a mixer and beat until it reaches the consistency of Swiss meringue. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredientsâthe hazelnuts and sugarâand fold them into the other mixture using a pastry spatula, making a folding motion; finally, add the food coloring. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag and pipe several circles onto a baking sheet; then let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Press your finger into the macarons; if the mixture doesnât stick to your finger, itâs ready to go in the oven. Bake at 130 degrees for 20 minutes.
Finally, these macarons need a filling; I decided to make a hazelnut filling, but itâs optional; if you like, you can fill the macarons with chocolate, peanut butter, or jam. For this hazelnut filling, I used 125 ml of whipping cream, a tablespoon of heavy cream, and hazelnuts; I mixed them together, put the mixture into a pastry bag, and filled each macaron.
