Lavender Macaron Baking Tips

Ingredients

• Egg whites
• Almond flour
• Icing sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Cream of tartar
• Lavender extract or another flavouring
• Purple gel food colouring, optional
• Buttercream or another macaron filling

Method

1. Bring the egg whites to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before mixing.
2. Clean the mixing bowl with vinegar so that no grease interferes with the meringue.
3. Process the almond flour and icing sugar together, then sift the mixture several times.
4. Dry the almond flour beforehand if it appears damp, either by leaving it spread on a tray or warming it very gently.
5. Whip the egg whites with the granulated sugar and cream of tartar until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
6. Use gel food colouring rather than liquid colouring so the batter does not receive excessive moisture.
7. Use only a small amount of extract because excess liquid can make the shells spread or collapse.
8. Fold the sifted almond mixture into the meringue until the batter flows from the spatula with a lava-like consistency.
9. Place a macaron template beneath the baking paper or use a marked macaron mat.
10. Pipe evenly sized rounds onto the prepared trays.
11. Tap the trays firmly to release trapped air bubbles.
12. Leave the piped shells until a dry skin forms on the surface.
13. Bake using a reliable macaron recipe’s specified temperature and timing; the available Abigail source does not provide these measurements.
14. Use an oven thermometer because macarons are sensitive to inaccurate oven temperatures.
15. Rotate the tray only after the feet have formed if the oven has hot spots.
16. Cool the shells completely before removing or filling them.
17. Fill the shells with buttercream or another suitable filling.
18. Refrigerate the finished macarons overnight, ideally for 24–48 hours, to mature their texture and flavour.