carriebrighton: french macarons

French Macarons and I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship. I love how they look, and I LOVE to eat them. However, I do not love how expensive they are, and I hate how tricky they can be to make! Every couple of months, I get inspired again by all of the beautiful pictures of macarons on pinterest, and try again. Here is my most recent attempt, almond macarons with a black cherry jam filling.

I use a recipe by Martha Stewart which you can find here. Now I like to think of myself as an adequate baker, I'd even go as far to say I'm fairly good sometimes, but Macarons are TRICKY. The recipe makes 28, I managed to get 15 okay ones out of it, and thats more than I've ever succeeded in before. The important thing to bear in mind is that they will not look as good as you hope they will. I hate to be negative, but after so many failed making sessions, it is better to be realistic! Also, the recipe didn't quite work for me. It says to bake at 350oF for 14 minutes, which according to google, is about 176oC. The first tray I put in at this heat burned within 6 minutes. I'd recommend you pop them in at about 120oC, and check them regularly, to stop them turning brown and losing their colour. When you can see the 'foot' (the bubbly bit around the bottom), they are nearly ready to go!