These healthy homemade French macarons are low fat and gluten-free. They taste like the kinds you’d get in a good bakery but you’d never know unless you try it!
Recipe:
COURSE: Dessert
CUISINE: French
DIFFICULTY: Low
PREPARATION: 1:20 hour
COOKING: 8 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hours and 30 minutes
Portions: 30 macarons
Ingredients:
210g Evaporated Cane Juice (powdered in a high-speed blender; measure after grinding) or brown sugar
120g Almond Meal (sifted through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunks; measure after sifting)
100g Egg Whites
¼ Table spoon Salt
50g Evaporated Cane Juice or brown sugar
½ Table spoon Vanilla Extract
200g Gluten-free Pistachio cream
Preparation:
1) Line 3 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Prepare a piping bag with round tip.
2) In a small bowl, add the powdered evaporated cane juice and sifted almond meal. Set aside.
3) In an electric stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and salt. Turn the stand mixer on high speed and start a timer. Slowly sprinkle in the 50g of evaporated cane juice. Whip this mixture for 6 minutes. Mixture should form stiff peaks.
4) Add the vanilla extract and whip for 1 more minute. Dump the set aside evaporated cane juice/almond meal mixture into the stand mixer and fold by hand with a silicone spatula until fully incorporated. Do not under mix and do not over mix. Mixture should be in between “plopping” off the spatula and “flowing” like a thick ribbon.
5) Scoop the batter into the prepared piping bag and pipe 1” buttons onto the prepared cookie sheets, each about 2” apart. Tap the pans on the counter HARD a few times to deflate any air pockets. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the piped macarons sit at room temperature for ~1 hour. Shells should form on the surface of the macarons (when you can tap the surface, they shouldn’t stick to your finger at all).
6) Bake one tray at a time for ~8-10 minutes, or until the fluffy “feet” form and the surfaces of the macarons turn a very light golden brown. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
7) Pipe the Pistachio cream onto half of the macaron shells, then sandwich the remaining shells on top. Serve immediately.