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Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip, I use a 1/2” diameter tip. Set aside.
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Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Place the template with the large circles underneath it. My circles were 4.5”, and I was able to obtain 4 circles.
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Measure out all of the ingredients.
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Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set it aside.
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Whisk the sugar and the egg white powder (if using) in a bowl, and place it over a pan with barely simmering water. Add the egg whites to the sugar and whisk the mixture until frothy and the sugar is completely melted. It will take a couple of minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking the mixture over the water bath.
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Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water because you don’t want the whites to cook. Also, don’t overheat the sugar syrup just whisk over the double boiler until the sugar has melted.
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Transfer the syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer.
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With the whisk attachment, start whisking mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise the speed to high, or medium-high and whisk for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
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Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peak should be stiff and shooting straight up, with possibly a slight bend at the top, but not bending down to the side.
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Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff meringue.
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Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
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Add the food coloring at this point, if using any.
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How to know when to stop folding the batter: It’s time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
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First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a figure 8 with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form several 8 figures without the batter breaking up, that’s one indication that it might be ready.
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There’s another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn’t spread out, fold a little bit more, about 3 folds.
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Test again.
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Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the parchment paper, it’s ready.
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You don’t want your batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to overmix. It’s always best to undermix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
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When you hold the spatula with batter on top of the bowl and the batter falls off the spatula slowly but effortlessly the batter is ready. The batter will keep flowing off the spatula non-stop, but not too quickly.
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At this point, you want to add the espresso powder. Make sure to add right at the end. Stir just enough to combine, about 2 to 3 folds.
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Transfer the batter to the piping bag.
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Place the piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of a circle template. Apply gentle pressure and carefully pipe while keeping the bag in that vertical position. I piped each macaron about 3.5”, because they spread out considerably after piping, and then they reached a 4.5” diameter after I banged the tray against the counter.
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Once you’ve piped the circles, bang the tray against the counter a few times. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
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Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles in the surface of the shells. Let the trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out. I had to leave mine for almost 1 hour, time resting and drying will depend on how humid the day is, on the consistency of the batter, and other factors such as added food coloring, etc. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry. With the larger macarons it’s harder to tell, because they may form a thin dry surface but still not be dry enough to be baked. If your fingers are sinking in too much, or if the batter still feels quite wet and soft, even if it’s not sticking to your finger, let it rest a bit longer.
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Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
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Bake one tray at a time.
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Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the tray.
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Then continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn’t feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking.
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Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.