French Macarons

Ingredients

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup almond meal/almond flour
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Food coloring (optional)
• Desired filling (i.e. ganache, buttercream, curd, fruit preserves/jelly, etc.)

Directions

1. To make the macarons, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Repeat this process with the almond meal. Discard any large chunks of almond (you want a very smooth batter). Whisk the powdered sugar and almond meal until combined.
2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 4 minutes. Continue beating, slowly adding the granulated sugar until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes longer. (Do not beat to stiff peaks or you won't get smooth cookies.)
3. Fold in the salt.
4. If using food coloring, mix it in now (use a color darker than the color you're looking for, because it will bake up lighter).
5. Using a spatula, gently fold about one-third of the almond mixture into the egg white mixture, about 17-20 stroked. Repeat this process two more times (the batter now should be like very thick lava, able to slightly run off the spatula when lifted).
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Spoon the batter into a decorating bag fitted with the coupler or a large circle tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds 3/4-inch apart on the parchment paper. Tap the baking sheet to release any air bubbles and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to develop a "skin".
8. Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Bake the cookies until they have puffed up and look dry (they should not brown), about 16-20 minutes. They will develop a rough-looking layer called the "foot". You will be able to tell when they're done when they peel easily off of the parchment. Let them cool completely on the pan.
10. Turn half of the macarons upside down. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of desired filling onto each. Top with remaining macarons.
11. Store in an airtight container for several hours to let shells soften. If not eating immediately, keep refrigerated.