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Easy macaroons

Name: Easy macaroons
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 20
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 175g icing sugar; 125g ground almonds; 3 large free-range egg whites; 75g caster sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; For the filling; 150g butter, softened; 80g icing sugar; 2 tbsp cocoa powder; You will also need; A piping bag with a 1cm nozzle

Published: 31 Dec 11
Updated: 18 Mar 24

These easy macaroons make great gifts, are ideal to hand round as sweet canapés or petits fours, and really look the part at afternoon tea.

Or, these multi-coloured macaroons look very pretty piled on a cake stand for afternoon tea.

Easy
January 2012

Test kitchen approved

Makes 20
Takes 30 minutes to make, 15 minutes to cook, plus standing and cooling

These easy macaroons make great gifts, are ideal to hand round as sweet canapés or petits fours, and really look the part at afternoon tea.

Or, these multi-coloured macaroons look very pretty piled on a cake stand for afternoon tea.

Nutrition: Per macaroon

Calories: 165kcals
Fat: 10g (4.4g saturated)
Protein: 2.1g
Carbohydrates: 16.7g (16.6g sugars)
Fibre: 0.2g
Salt: 0.2g

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Ingredients

175g icing sugar
125g ground almonds
3 large free-range egg whites
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling

150g butter, softened
80g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder

You will also need

A piping bag with a 1cm nozzle

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Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3 and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Whizz the icing sugar and almonds briefly in a food processor until well combined, then sift into a bowl.
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy. Add the vanilla extract.
Fold half the almond mixture into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining half, then use a spatula to cut and fold the mixture until it’s smooth, shiny and has a ribbon-like consistency as it falls from the spatula. Spoon into the piping bag.

Carefully pipe 3cm rounds of meringue onto the baking sheets (it will spread a little). Leave at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to dry a little – you should be able to touch them lightly without any mixture sticking to your finger. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Meanwhile make the filling. Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Spread thinly over the flat sides of half the macaroons, then sandwich together with the other halves.

Recipe from January 2012 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 165kcals
Fat: 10g (4.4g saturated)
Protein: 2.1g
Carbohydrates: 16.7g (16.6g sugars)
Fibre: 0.2g
Salt: 0.2g

delicious. tips

This recipe makes vanilla macaroons. To make chocolate ones, replace 2 tbsp of the 175g icing sugar with 2 tbsp cocoa powder and omit the vanilla extract. Make the filling with 3-4 tbsp Baileys instead of cocoa powder.