I promised myself that I’d never share what I’m about to tell you. But I think it’s important to laugh at our mistakes. In fact, I think it’s even of greater significance when we can talk openly about our imperfections. Macarons are my baby – one of my most cherished hobbies since I learnt to make them not so long ago. Every cookie batch has been perfect, every filling has been delicious. And then last week happened. I F*ed up. I was baking in Miami – with a different humidity factor (to say the least) and pressure from myself to make it the best one yet. You see, we were having the whole family over. I’m talking grandparents, aunts, uncles, and my cousin’s significant others. This was my time to shine. I gathered my ingredients, the scale, invented a recipe that made sense to me and began. 

Everything was going according to plan. The oven was set to the ideal temperature of 300 F, the consistency of the mixture was just right, and my circles were adorable and in unison. Where was the F*k up, you ask? In the baking time. I blame it on the humidity in the air, but really, not trusting my initial instincts was what caused the downfall. They just didn’t feel right when I check them after 15 minutes, so I let them go for another 15. Bad idea. They overbaked, harden, and became hard as a freaking rock. In the meantime, I was also screwing up my caramel filling – but that story is for another day. 

When I came back to Boston I knew I had to redeem myself. I took another look at my recipe, made some adjustments, and gathered  enough confidence to try again. And guess what? This batch was PERFECT. (Scroll down for recipe!) 

Chocolate Macaron

• 80 grams powdered sugar
• 80 grams fine almond flour 
• 40 grams cocoa powder
• 2-3 medium egg whites (room temperature) 
• 50 grams sugar
• orange and pink gel food coloring (or brown, if you have it.) 

1. Pre-heat oven at 300 F
2. Measure out the almond meal, powedered sugar, and cocoa powder and mix it in a large bowl
3. With an electric mixer, mix the egg whites until they start to become foamy.  Add the sugar slowly. Continue mixing until you see hard peaks
4. Add a dab of food coloring into the egg whites and mix again until fully incorporated
5. Scoop egg whites into the dry ingredients and begin to fold. Continue adding the egg whites and folding until the mixture is smooth enough but not runny
6. Add mixture to a pipping bag and pipe small circles onto a parchment paper 
7. Let the cookies dry for 15-30 minutes until they are no longer sticky 
8. Place into pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes
9. Let them completely dry before inserting filling   

Chocolate Ganache Filling

• 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 1 tbl heavy cream
• 1/4 tbl butter

1. In a bain marie over medium heat, place all the ingredients and mix until they have all melted together and become one
2. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing into macarons 

Caramel Drizzle  

• 1 packed cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (I used Lactaid)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream 
• 4 tablespoons butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat 
2. Whisk gentley for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens 
3. Cool slightly and then drizzle over macarons
4. To store, place into a jar (after cooling it slightly) and refrigerate (P.S. this recipe makes a lot-so you should def. store the rest for later #YUM)