Tools, ingredients, preparation:

Here is a photo which shows all the necessary tools for this recipe: 

- kitchen scale, classic hand mixer, strainer, silicone spatula, piping bag with a round tip and coffee/seeds grinder.

All are easy to find, the piping bag and the tip can be found at Metro, a big supermarket, in the bakery section.

Usually for this recipe it is advisable to use egg whites at room temperature. I used cold or warm and the difference is visible in the shape of the 'skirt' at the base. Macarons made with egg whites at room temperature will have a better shape.

Many times I don't have time to wait, so I dip the eggs for 10 minutes in a bowl with warm water, which is efficient and fast.

Now you have to measure with precision all the ingredients and place in separate bowls - egg whites, sugar, confectioners' sugar and almond flour.

You can see how I make almond flour at home in the recipe on my website.

Mix the almond flour with the confectioners' sugar and grind this mixture to make it even finer.

Finding a grinder is not a problem now, there are plenty of types with very good prices.

I tried using a mixer to make the flour finer, but it's still better to use the grinder.

Then sift the flour and sugar mixture through the sieve, to make sure there aren't any larger crystals or tiny bits of nuts.

This way the macarons will have a perfectly smooth top.

As I was saying above, you can use other nut flours as well - here I mixed powdered sugar with hazelnuts.

And here with pumpkin seeds. Another lovely idea is sunflower seeds and if you toast them a little, you'll have halva-flavoured macarons...

So, a grinder can help you explore other possibilities, not just the almond flour, which can be pretty expensive and not always accessible.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, the ingredients are for a batch of 25 macarons assembled, which means 50 halves.

Try to have the parchment paper the same size as the sheet.

Starting the process:

Transfer the egg whites to a larger bowl and beat on the lowest speed for 1 minute.

I use the timer on my phone, for maximum precision. 

In the next 3 minutes, add in the sugar little by little and beat on low speed.

Mix for another 1 minute on low speed until the sugar dissolves completely and the meringue is firm and white.

Turn off the mixer and clean the egg withes off the beaters with a spatula.

If your meringue is not like in the picture, if it's too runny and soft - stop, discard, read the instructions again and repeat the process.

You cannot fix a runny meringue and it will only ruin the macarons.

Macaronage:

Add the almond flour and the powdered sugar to the beaten eggs and start what is called the 'macaronage' process - mixing the batter in a certain way with circular moves.

You can find easy videos showing this process on Youtube and Google, I don't want to make it confusing with so many details.

The main idea is mixing with the spatula with one circular move (scraping the bowl on the inside, that's why the spatula needs to be made of silicone), and then applying a short pressure movement on the mixture in the middle - and repeat...

When the mixture is smooth, clean the spatula with a spoon because the batter will have small particles of flour which will mess up the final texture of the macarons.

When the macaronage process is over, the meringue should fall in a thick ribbon from the spatula, it shouldn't break into pieces.

If it doesn't, fold a few more times.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.

I usually place the piping bag in a mug, this makes it easier to handle.

Shaping and baking:

Rub some remaining batter from the bowl and spatula on the interior corners of the parchment paper in the baking sheet.

Press and fix the paper, this way it won't slip during baking.

Now hold the piping bag in a vertical position and press, create small rounds on the paper.

Maybe they won't be uniform at first, but I don't recommend drawing circles on the paper. Anyway, the batter will, more or less, change its shape. 

Silicone macaron molds are not ok either, so don't waste your money.

Here you can see all the macarons right after I piped them.

Hit the baking sheet lightly on the table 15-20 times (in this recipe) to remove any air bubbles from the cookies.

I place a towel under the baking sheet, to not disturb the neighbours. I keep my fingers on the paper, to make sure it stays in its place.

If you notice any air bubbles left, touch them lightly with a toothpick to break them.

Drying:

Let the macarons dry in the baking sheet on the kitchen table for 1.5 - 2 hours.

Time will vary depending on the humidity in the room and outside. Test them with your finger - if they are smooth, slightly dry and they don't stick to your finger, they are ready.

Baking - cooling:

Bake the macarons in the preheated oven to 120-150 degrees C for 10-15 minutes. This is what the recipe says, but you'll have to adjust the time depending on your oven.

I suggest starting with a lower temperature - 120 degrees C and increase, if you need.

The perfect temperature for macarons in my oven is 125 degrees C for 15 minutes. If the temperature is 5 degrees higher, macarons will explode and they will brown too quickly.

In this photo you can see exemplary baked macarons - perfectly white and smooth.

These are baked at a 5 degrees higher temperature.

These are made of pumpkin seed flour, the skirt is slightly too big because of higher temperature.

After baking, I like to leave macarons in the baking sheet, they will dry off a bit and it will be easier to peel parchment paper from the cookies. If they are too brown, lift up the paper with the cookies on and let cool on the table.

After completely cooled, peel the macarons off the paper (you can use a knife to help). Find pairs for all the halves and set on the work space.

Fill with your favourite filling and put the lid on.

Assembling - filling: 

The easiest way to fill the macarons is to use another piping bag with a round nozzle or a plastic bag with one of the corners cut off.

The picture above shows macarons with cheese and blueberries and here are macarons with chocolate ganache.

I like 2 types of filling for the macarons - cheese filling and white or black chocolate ganache filling.

For the cheese filling I mix together: 50g Philadelphia cheese + 50g butter at room temperature + 2 tbsp powdered sugar + 2 tbsp fruit puree + zest and juice (optional) from 1 lemon.

You can find the ganache filling recipe on my website.

You can make white chocolate ganache and/or you can combine it with Philadelphia cheese/Mascarpone.

You can spread any desired filling on the macarons, but it has to be dense and thick, so that it won't make the cookies soggy.

After assembling, arrange the macarons onto a plate or a bowl lined with paper towels, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.

They are the best after 12-24 hours, if they survive without being eaten for so long :)

They have wonderful taste and texture, they are versatile and easy to adapt, so be bold and start now the Macarons Adventure right in your own kitchen!

Enjoy!