Bake the Book
20130408-btb-macarons.jpg

[Photograph: David Vergne]

Decidedly different from those fussy, multicolored cake-cookies that seem to have taken over bakeries, these macarons from La Boulange: Cafe Cooking at Home are nutty, sweet, and light, owing to a mix of hazelnut and almond meal, egg whites, and sugar. And that's it.

Reprinted with permission by Pascal Rigo. Copyright © 2013. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

  • 3 3/4 cups hazelnut meal
  • 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon almond meal
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 9 egg whites

Procedures

  1. Gather your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  2. Mix the hazelnut meal, almond meal, and 1 1/4 cups of sugar in a medium bowl.

  3. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining sugar.

  4. Continue to beat, adding the remaining sugar, until stiff peaks form.

  5. Slowly fold the dry mixture into the egg whites until combined.

  6. Using a tablespoon, dollop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 16 to 18 minutes until lightly golden on the edges.