Trending in the food world for years, macarons seem to continuously grow and grow in popularity. Their tasty allure and pretty pastel coloured appearance make them the ideal treat for Easter time and the perfect statement piece for patisseries, cafes, buffets, and even dinner parties.

The possibilities are endless with flavours, colours, decoration and toppings allowing you to create a vast range of round delicious delights. Here is a simple recipe that will produce impressive results every time.

Ingredients	Equipment
150g ground almonds or almond flour	Planetary Mixer
150g icing sugar	Sieve
110g egg whites	Mixing Bowl
¼ tsp Cream of tartar	Scales
130g castor sugar	Piping bag Parchment paper

Method 
1. Preheat oven to 140C
2. Grind Almonds and icing sugar together until very fine. Sift together into a mixing bowl through a coarse sieve.

3. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on a high speed in your KitchenAid until soft peaks are formed, then begin adding the sugar in 4-5 batches, making sure each addition is well mixed in.

4. Combine the ground almond mixture together with the meringue to make a thick, paste that spreads a little all by itself when piped onto a tray.

5. Scrape some of the mixture into a piping bag, pipe out evenly onto baking paper lined baking sheets, leaving at least 1-2cm gap between each macaron.

6. Leave the macarons uncovered at room temp for 30-40 minutes to dry and form a thin skin.

7. Bake at 140C for 9 minutes. Turn tray around half way through and cook for another 9 minutes or until the macarons are crisp on the outside but remain a little soft in the centre.

8. Allow to cool before removing and sandwiching together with your favourite ganache or butter cream filling.


With experience in the culinary industry spanning three decades, Mark is a former British Chef of The Year, as well as an author, entrepreneur and owner of Le Chef clothing. He was also New Zealand’s first recipient of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Master of Culinary Arts).

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