French Macarons – Pastel Dream Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 large egg whites (room temperature)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 4 colors gel food coloring (pastel set)
• 4 oz dark chocolate (chopped)
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together twice into a bowl, pressing out lumps.

2. 2

   Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Gradually add granulated sugar while beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, another 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Divide meringue into 4 bowls. Add 1–2 drops gel color to each; fold gently with a spatula.

5. 5

   Gently fold almond-flour mixture into each colored meringue in thirds until thick batter forms.

6. 6

   Transfer each color to a piping bag. Pipe 1-inch rounds onto parchment-lined sheet pans, 1 inch apart.

7. 7

   Tap pans firmly on counter once. Let rest 15 minutes until surface dries to the touch.

8. 8

   Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake macarons 15 minutes until crispy outside and still slightly soft inside.

9. 9

   Meanwhile, heat cream until steaming. Pour over chopped chocolate; add butter. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until glossy.

10. 10

    Cool shells 5 minutes on pans. Transfer to a rack and cool completely, about 5 minutes.

11. 11

    Pipe ganache onto flat side of one shell. Top with another shell of matching color. Chill 30 minutes if time allows.

Tools you’ll need

• stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• fine-mesh sieve
• four small bowls
• silicone spatula
• two piping bags with 0.5-inch round tips
• two sheet pans
• parchment paper
• small saucepan
• instant-read thermometer (optional)
• cooling rack

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