Servings: About 18 sandwiched macarons 

INGREDIENTS

1¾ cup powdered sugar

1 cup finely ground almonds

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

pinch of salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon desired extract (vanilla, almond, mint, raspberry, etc.)

2-3 drops gel food coloring, optional

Chocolate ganache

Thick fruit jam of choice

Buttercream frosting

DIRECTIONS

Process the powdered sugar and ground almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Pass through a sieve to obtain macarons with extra smooth tops.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in an electric mixer to very soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat just until medium soft peaks form. Add the desired extract and a few drops of the optional food coloring and continue beating until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold in the almond mixture. Fold to the point where some of the mixture tipped from the spatula can draw an uninterrupted figure 8 with no breaks on top of the batter. 

Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Spacing them an inch apart, pipe out small, even rounds about 1 to 1¼ inches in diameter onto the paper. Let stand to dry for an hour, or until the surface of the macarons is not sticky. Preheat the oven to 300° F. 

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before removing from paper. When cool, sandwich bottoms together with thick jam, chocolate ganache or buttercream. Let dry for an hour before storing in an airtight container.