Ingredients
Egg white – 4
powdered sugar – 250 ml (1 cup)
Grated Cashew nuts (coarse to fine texture) – 250 ml (1 cup)
Method:
First of all, separate the white of 4 eggs from the yolk very carefully. Please ensure that there is not even a single drop of the yellow yolk in the separated egg whites.
Pour this in a wide bowl and start whisking it with an egg beater at medium speed for 3 minutes. The mixture turns into a frothy texture and wouldn’t drip down if you turn the bowl upside down
Now add in powdered sugar little by little and continue beating on medium speed, for another 9 to 10 minutes. The mixture becomes fluffy and stiff to an intact (yet soft) paste and looks like a snow capped mountain.
(My six year old son helped me during the macaroons making process. He loves cooking and I’m happy about that :))
Now, stop beating, and add in the powdered cashew nuts. Mix it very carefully in such a manner that it doesn’t break the fluffed up egg white mix. Just fold in the layers very gently. Don’t do it in a haste. No more beating up, after adding cashews.
Preheat the oven to 250F . Take a baking tray and line it with Aluminum foil sheets.
Use a piping bag/icing cones with a big hole tip. Don’t worry if you don’t have a piping cone. Actually a much easier method is using a Ziploc covers or an small polythene covers like the way I have used here. Fill Ziploc cone with fitting quantity of prepared mixture and hold it like a cone. Cut the edge with a scissor at around 0.75 to 1 inch from the bottom tip and start making the Macaroon shape.
To make the right shape, hold the cone firmly, apply more pressure in the beginning to form a round base and then after gradually reducing the pressure as you move upward towards the pointed tip at the top.
Don’t get disheartened, if you are unable to get the perfect shape. After all taste is what matters!
Once the oven gets preheated, place the baking trays in the oven and bake the macaroons for 50 to 60 minutes at 250 degree Farenheit. Turn off the heat, open the oven door and let the tray stand inside the oven itself for 15 – 20 more minutes. Check in at regular intervals to avoid over burning.Then take the tray outside and let it cool for 5 more minutes. Now remove the macaroons from the tray and transfer them to an air tight jar immediately.
Crispy, Chewy, Melting Macaroons are now ready to crunch!
Don’t be confused seeing less number of macaroons in the tin box! Here too my sweet little assistant helped me again in reducing the amount of macaroons to be stored, by crunching them even before they reached their storage spot. 🙂
Tips:
• Fill in the cones with the batter immediately after preparing and make the macaroon shapes in the tray to get the right shape.
• For Baking, I experimented with two temperature ranges.
1. Bake at 250F for 50 minutes . Turn off the heat. Open the oven door and let the macaroons stand in the oven itself for 20 minutes. Take out and let it cool for 5 minutes. Now remove the macaroons from the tray and transfer them to an air tight jar immediately. This is the method which I have explained above.
2. Bake at 200F for 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the macaroons stand in the oven (with door open) for 30 more minutes. Now remove the macaroons from the tray and transfer them to an air tight jar immediately. In this method the color remains white and process is longer.
Both these give the perfect tasting macaroons, but the first one was more easier and quick. Regarding these baking temperature, if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments section below.
