Almond Macaroons

In a house with a steady supply of eggs and almond meal, almond macaroons seemed worth trying. I’ve made coconut macaroons in the past (with mixed results) but never almond macaroons. I found a zillion recipes on the internet, all with a different mix of ingredients (icing sugar, regular sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla, rice flour…) in a variety of ratios (heaps of sugar, even more sugar…) and with a myriad of methods (egg whites stiff, just mixed, all together, a tablespoon at a time…). I took an average that suited me and made the following recipe:

• Beat one room temperature egg white (this one was laid by Rosie this morning) to a firm consistency (maybe soft peak)

Gently blend in the remaining ingredients (I set aside the beater and used a fork)

• 1/4 cup almond meal (I used the output of my almond milk production which I’d dried by spreading out on a dinner plate for a couple of days)
• 1/4 cup sifted icing sugar
• 1/8 cup sugar
• pinch of salt

• Spoon mixture onto baking sheets that are covered in baking paper and bake at 180 C (350 F) for 10 minutes
• Cool on baking tray for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack

They are done when they’re a light golden brown. Mine ran a tiny bit, maybe adding a tablespoon at a time of the almond meal and sugar would have helped prevent that – I’ll keep playing with egg white stiffness and techniques for adding other ingredients until I find what works best for me. But, as they are, they taste great and look good enough so I’m happy. They’re crisp on the outside (until the humidity gets them – I will store them in a sealed container but I know from experience they’ll get soft in a day or 2) and fluffy on the inside with a nice texture from the almond meal. A great snack I’d even be willing to serve to guests.

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