Rose Flavoured Macarons

📝 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup/100g icing sugar
• 3/4 cup/100g ground almonds
• 2 medium free-range egg whites (I used a large egg and it worked fine, remember I halved my recipe so you will need 2 large eggs)
• small pinch salt
• 1/4 cup/55g castor sugar
• 2/3 cup/150g unsalted butter (softened)
• 2/3 cup/75g icing sugar
• 1/4 tspn rose essence (plus a few drops for the macaron batter)
• few drops rose syrup or gel food colouring (optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 140 degrees celcius. It is recommended not to use the fan in your oven if possible. Macarons need a lowish temperature to cook properly
2. 2Sift the icing sugar and ground almonds into a large bowl. Discard any lumps
3. 3In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks are formed. Add castor sugar a little at a time and whisk until the whites are thick and glossy, you can add your rose essence at this stage. You can also add a few drops of rose syrup or some gel colouring to get pink macarons
4. 4Gently stir in the icing sugar and almond mix. The mixture will become quite loose but don't stress, it's the way it should be
5. 5Use a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle, fill it up with the macaron mixture
6. 6Place your paper template or silicone mat onto a baking sheet. Pipe little blobs onto the sheet, the mixture will spread out so keep it small
7. 7Gently tap the baking sheet a few times on a flat surface to help the macaron mixture settle and break any air bubbles. Leave to dry for 20 minutes, It will become smooth and shiny
8. 8Bake the macarons for 7 to 8 minutes, open the oven door to release the steam and bake for a further 7-8 minutes. It will be cooked when firm and slightly risen
9. 9Slide the mat or paper onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. Do not remove until they are cold or they will break
10. 10For the filling, beat the butter until it is fluffy, then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add your rose flavouring and mix well
11. 11Place half a teaspoon of filling on the flat side of one macaron and sandwich together, twist a little to create a bond
12. 12Its best refrigerated 24 hours, this step will make it chewy and delicious