Multicoloured macarons

Multicoloured macarons
  • Serves icon Makes 20
  • Time icon Takes 45 minutes to make, 15 minutes to cook, plus cooling

Macaron are like a sweet meringue cookie, where the meringue helps give that slightly chewy texture. They look amazing in different colours, so why not make a stack for a stylish DIY afternoon tea, baby shower or birthday? Use this easy to follow recipe for perfect results, and find out how to flavour and colour them too.

Or, make extra indulgent macarons with this double chocolate version.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
160kcals
Fat
9.7g (4.2g saturated)
Protein
1.8g
Carbohydrates
17.5g (16.4g sugars)
Salt
0.2g
Calories
160kcals
Fat
9.7g (4.2g saturated)
Protein
1.8g
Carbohydrates
17.5g (16.4g sugars)
Salt
0.2g

Per macaroon

Ingredients

  • 175g icing sugar
  • 125g ground almonds
  • 3 large free-range egg whites
  • 75g caster sugar

For the filling

  • 150g butter, softened
  • 75g icing sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Whizz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture, then sift into a bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy. (At this point you can stir in flavour extract, such as peppermint or lemon, and corresponding colouring such as blue or yellow, to your meringue mixture, depending on what kind of macaroons you want – see chef’s tip. Or divide the meringue among different bowls if you want to make more than one colour.)
  3. Fold half the almond and icing sugar mixture into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining half, making sure you use a spatula to cut and fold the mixture until it is shiny and has a thick, ribbon-like consistency as it falls from the spatula. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle.
  4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Pipe small rounds of the macaron mixture, about 3cm across, onto the baking sheets. Give the baking sheets a sharp tap on the work surface to ensure a good ‘foot’. Leave to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to form a slight skin. This is important – you should be able to touch them lightly without any mixture sticking to your finger. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
  5. Meanwhile, make the filling/s (unless making chocolate macarons – see chef’s tip). In a bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar. (You can now add flavouring or nuts, and colour – see food team’s tip and FAQs.) Use to sandwich pairs of macarons together.

FAQs

Can I add flavour to my macarons?
Macaroons taste wonderful plain, but you can absolutely add flavouring and colouring. Flavour extracts – such as raspberry, lemon and peppermint can work well, while colourings are available in supermarkets and cake shops. Try squires-shop.com to buy online.

delicious. tips

  1. To flavour and colour your macarons, in step 2, add around ½ tsp flavour extract, then add the appropriate colouring, a drop at a time, until you reach the desired intensity. Flavour and colour the buttercream in the same way.

    For chocolate macaroons, replace a quarter of the icing sugar with cocoa powder and use Nutella as the filling. For pistachio macarons, replace half the ground almonds with ground pistachios (whizz in a blender or finely chop by hand), and use green food colouring to achieve a pastel green. Fold chopped pistachios through the filling, if you like.

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    1. Hi there, sure! If you click on File and then Print, depending on what browser you are using, you should be able to print it out.

  1. Hi delicious.

    I think the quantities for the filling are the wrong way round. I think you mean 150g icing sugar and 75g butter.

    Also I would definitely recommend gel food colouring as liquid changes the texture of the macaroon.

    1. Hi Christina,
      Thanks for your comment. We have checked the original recipe and the quantities are correct. Great idea about the gel food colouring though.
      Hope you enjoy the recipe

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