Egg whites, ground almonds, powdered sugar, sugar and salt are the basic ingredients. Macarons are usually brightly colored - so colors are added. However, as I generally avoid artificial colorings, I prefer to use natural food colorings such as cocoa, pistachios, natural fruit pastes, paprika powder and edible dried flowers. You should avoid liquid colors, as they make the consistency of the mixture too soft.

What is the best way to make macarons?

Precise weighing of all ingredients is a law in the art of baking anyway. And it is an important success factor for macarons in particular. So weigh all the ingredients, including the protein content, exactly according to the recipe instructions. You should generally not consider recipes with spoonfuls. Grind the ground almonds with the powdered sugar to a fine flour. This is the only way to give the macarons a smooth and shiny surface - all the ingredients combine perfectly. The egg whites should be at room temperature and whisked with a pinch of salt until frothy. Eggs that are a little older are best, as they contain less water. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is firm and creamy. Sieve the almond/powdered sugar flour with the cocoa powder (color addition) into the egg whites and fold in with a dough spoon to form a cohesive mixture.

Macarons taste best fresh

Now it's time to preheat the oven to 150 °C (fan oven). Pour the mixture into a piping bag, cut off the tip to a diameter of approx. 8 mm and pipe approx. 3-cm sized coins onto the baking paper. Once they are dry on the surface after approx. 20 - 30 minutes, they can be baked in the lower part of the oven. Always bake individual trays. If they can be removed with a knife without sticking, they are ready. Remove the baking paper onto a cooling rack and allow the macarons to cool thoroughly. They can now be filled as desired. Unfilled, the macarons will keep for a good two weeks in a tin. Filled macarons should be kept in the fridge, also in a sealed tin, and eaten soon. They simply taste best fresh.

In the video, master baker Roman Höckele shows you how to bake macarons yourself.