tarts:

Macarons are the new Cupcakes

This is the message I’m getting from the internets, real life and the Australian Masterchef finale (they’re in there, squished under Poh’s untempered chocolate). To be honest I’ve only ever had one macaron years ago, and it was a pink cardboardy chunk of disappointment, so I’m kind of all ‘hey self, why this sudden craving for artificially-coloured almond confections?’ I guess I need a new baking fixation (so sick of cupcakes) and I also want to see what the fuss is about. My verdict: so good I actually squeaked when I bit into the meringue, and danced around a bit, and I hadn’t even sandwiched them with filling yet.

It’s not too hard to make them yourself; I managed a perfect uncracked batch my first time around, but seeing how I spent three days obsessively combing through food blogs for the best techniques, my chances for failing were pretty slim.

Follow this recipe and remember:

• macaroons are not macarons
• always age your egg whites (and add a pinch of cream of tartar for good measure)
• stack two baking trays together for perfectly-formed feet and a high dome
• go heavy on the food colouring!
• adjust baking times for your oven; stick a wooden spoon in the door halfway through
• use Italian buttercream rather than regular, as it’s lighter and sets off the meringue better
• when they say refrigerate the sandwiched macarons and wait til the flavour is fully absorbed, do it. I know it’s hard but you’ll thank me when you finally bite into it.