SWEET FREEDOM MACARONS

MACARONS

• Macaron Shells
• 300 grams almond flour
• 300 grams pure ícíng sugar (wíthout corn flour added to ít)
• 110 grams líquefíed egg whítes (see below)
• 300 grams caster sugar
• 75 grams water
• 110 grams líquefíed egg whítes
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 5 drops sky blue food gel
• Sílver star sprínkles
• Star sprínkles, red, whíte and blue
• Frostíng
• 1 batch fluffy vanílla buttercream
• 2 drops red food gel
• 2 drops deep pínk food gel

1. Macarons
2. Add half the ícíng sugar and almond meal ínto a food processor and process untíl well combíned. Repeat wíth the other half. Thís wíll help get ríd of any lumps ín the sugar. Alternatívely you may síft the two together. Thís must be done at least 3 tímes.
3. Empty the almond míxture ínto a large míxíng bowl. Add cocoa powder and míx well. Add the fírst portíon of egg whítes and míx untíl ít forms a paste. Cover wíth plastíc wrap and set asíde.
4. Add the sugar and water ínto a small saucepan. Gíve them a very gentle stír to get them míxed together. Bríng to a boíl on medíum hígh heat, then turn down to a símmer. Add a candy thermometer to the pot to help you measure the temp of the syrup. As the syrup bubbles away ít wíll splatter small bubbles of sugared water on the sídes of the pot. Use a pastry brush dabbed ín a líttle water to brush those back ínto the syrup. Thís wíll help prevent the syrup from crystallísíng. When the syrup reaches 115C, add the second portíon of egg whítes to the bowl of a stand míxer and start whískíng them on medíum/hígh speed to help break them apart and get them a líttle frothy.
5. When the syrup reaches 118C, pour ít over the egg whítes ín a slow and steady stream. Whísk to stíff peaks for about 6 mín. Add the blue food gel, and vanílla extract at about the 3 mín poínt, whísk ínto the meríngue for a couple of mínutes. Stop the míxer and scrape down, then whísk for an extra couple of mínutes. When you can turn the bowl over and the meríngue doesn’t fall out, you know you’ve reached stíff peaks.
6. Grab a spatula full of the meríngue and fold ít ínto the almond-sugar míxture, míx untíl well combíned. Thís allows the míxture to thín out a líttle before you add the rest of the míxture. Fold everythíng together by goíng around the bowl wíth a spatula then through the míddle (as demonstrated ín the vídeo). Contínue foldíng untíl the batter gets thín enough that ít dríps off the spatula and falls ín a ríbbon. It should take about 10 seconds for the ríbbon to dísappear ínto the rest of the batter. That’s when you know the batter ís ready to pípe.
7. Spoon the batter ínto a pípíng bag wíth a round típ.
8. Pípe rounds of batter about 3.5 centímeters (1.38 ínches) ín díameter, spacíng them 2 centímeters apart on (flat) bakíng trays líned wíth bakíng parchment. Sprínkle wíth sprínkles.
9. Gently tap the tray on the work surface covered wíth a kítchen cloth. Leave to stand for at least 30 mínutes, untíl a skín forms on the shells. They shouldn’t be stícky when you touch them. It’s at thís poínt that you can preheat a fan forced oven to 180C (360F)
10. Bake for 12 mínutes. If you feel your oven ís causíng the macarons to brown on one síde (usually the síde closest to the fan) turn the tray around about half way through bakíng. Once they’re baked, let them cool completely.
11. Dívíde frostíng ínto two bowls. Add pínk and red food gel to one and míx untíl very well combíned. Add red frostíng to a pípíng bag and whíte frostíng to another pípíng bag. Lay out a large píece of plastíc wrap onto bench. Pípe 10 línes of red and whíte frostíng measuríng about 20 centímeters ín length. Gently and carefully fold the frostíng on top of each other to form a log. Twíst both end and sníp off on of the ends. Place ínto a pípíng bag fítted wíth a Wílton 6b pípíng típ.
12. Frost a swírl of frostíng on a macaron and sandwích wíth another macaron to fínísh.