Macaroons

I've always wanted to make macaroons but never had the courage to do so; until I saw them make them on the Great British Bake off, and got a few little tips on how to make them. So I found a recipe to make lemon macaroons which was fairly easy; for the filling however it did not go to plan. The recipe wanted to make our own lemon curd which I have done before and had no problem with it, however it was all going smoothly and then it began to burn and it wasn't near enough finished. So I rushed down tescos and picked up a jar to lemon curd!! I then decided that I want to make some coloured ones; so I made mint macaroons, which went down a storm.

I will be making them again as they were fairly easy to make and came out quiet well. Here are some pictures...

Recipe for lemon macaroons:
125g ground almonds
175g icing sugar
100g egg whites
75g caster sugar
yellow food colouring
3 lemons
140g sugar
3 eggs 1 tbsp cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 175c. Line a baking tray with parchment
2. Mix together the ground almonds with the icing sugar.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add 1/4 caster sugar, then the remaining caster sugar.
4. Add the almond mixture into the egg whites and fold together. Finally add the yellow food colouring.
5. Fill a pastry bag with the macaroon mixture. Squeeze small rounds onto the parchment. The bag should touch the tray.
6. Tap the tray on a work surface and set aside for 15 minutes, then bake for 12-15 minutes. They are cooked when touched they are hard.
7. For the lemon curd, zest and juice the lemons and combine in a saucepan with the cornflour. Stir in the sugar. Cook on a low heat. Add the eggs. Increase heat and cook for 4 minutes.
8. Fill a pastry bag with the lemon curd and pipe on the flat side of the macaroon and then place another macaroon on top.

For the green macaroons I used the same mixture but changed the filling:
100ml double cream
200g white chocolate
1 tsp peppermint extract
green food colouring

1. Boil the cream and essence in a pan, take off the heat just as it starts to boil.
2. Pour over the chocolate and melt the chocolate.
3. Add the food colouring and place in the fridge and set.
4. Once firm put into a pastry bag and pipe into the macaroons.

Katie