Heavenly lemon macarons

Two years ago I made the first attempt to make macarons.  I was asked to make a beach picnic proof desert for the 10 wedding anniversary of our neighbours.  The result then was not at all bad, but for some reason all my trials to repeat that recipe failed catastrophically.  Ever since I have been surfing the web in search for THE no fail macarons recipe.  I was determined to include macarons in this Valentine marathon.

Why macarons?

Many many reasons make macarons the prefect sweet treat for me.

-  They can be a great present when you’re invited to visit friends.

-  Macarons are a very good alternative to celiac patients as they don’t contain flour or other gluten products

-  Macarons shells can be stored in the freezer.  So you make them batch wise and you always have a few at hand when spontaneity is required.  Even the stuffing can be quickly organised, then we all have a good marmalade in the fridge if needed.

-  They can be the finishing touch to that wonderful cake you’ve made.

-  …

Macarons: The recipe!

Credit where credit is due:  Shinee at Sweet and Savoury did a great job taking pictures of every step incl. a video to show us the folding technique.

I have chosen to add an extra security feature for my macarons: a silicon mat instead of parchment paper.

  

I will be making macarons on a weekly basis, I think!

So, if you will excuse me, this Lady needs her beauty sleep.  Tomorrow Valentine needs to be prepared   What are you up to?  Big plans; dinner, cinema, I’m playing bowling with a whole bunch of friends.  We don’t a special day actually to be romantic, we celebrate valentine every day!!

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Am I glad to see you here!!

Yesterday was one of those days, I tell ya!  Some kind of higher force didn’t want me to get home after work, I think.  First a fire brigade was blocking the tracks (yes, I am a brave train commuter!), next a power cut rendered the central station out of order and finally our train suffered technical disruption.  It took me 3,5 hours to get home!  Frustrated and dead tired (I had to get up at 4:30hrs in the morning!) I didn’t think I would manage to write my planned post.  But as I read all your feeds, and my fingers started to tingle.  I have to wright!  I planned it, I will write Most of all as I planned to tell you the proud story of how my daughter Charlotte made fortune cookies.  I did write, but didn’t finish

So here goes:

Charlotte starts to read magazines.  You know those early teeny magazines?  This month it featured fortune cookies including quotes.  And before I could make my own cooking plans for the week, I got to hear:  “Mum, I NEED the Kitchen this weekend!”  So I did clear the kitchen for a couple of hours and this is what came out of the oven:

Ab Fab Fortune Cookies

* 40 g plain flour * 10 g corn starch * 50 g icing sugar * 50 g room temperature Butter * 1 egg white (40 g) * 1 EL Oil * 1 pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together with 2 tablespoon cold water.  Leave it for an hour to set. (Perfect for children to have a play break as concentration fades!)

Spread the mixture on a lined baking tray, forming little circles from about 10cm across.  Bake them in a 160°C preheated oven for about 8 Minutes.

Now be quick and be prepared for burning your fingers (but it such fun!!)  Take each of the biscuits of the paper with a spatula.  Put a quote on it and fold it to a half circle and then fold the end tips down to form the traditional fortune cookie shape.  Put them in small glasses to cool and keep their shape.

And there you have it:  Fortune cookies á la Charlotte!!

Mother final note on the personal Valentine theme:  sprinkle some lemon zests in the batter give these cookies a wonderful lemon taste!

Thank you, dearest Charlotte!  You have a real baking talent and I look forward to handing you my baking sceptre.

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Ingredients:

• 225g / 8 oz plain flour
• 110g / 4 oz butter
• 80g / 3 oz sugar
• 1 large egg
• Zest of two large organic lemons
• For the icing: 50g Powder sugar, juice of 1/2 lemon, food colouring (I have chosen white and yellow. Just to challenge the traditional valentine red and pink)

Recipe:

Mix all dough ingredients together and knead them to a firm ball of dough.  Let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour.  But it wouldn’t harm to leave it longer.

When the dough is ready, roll it out to about 5 to 7mm.  It’s not rocket science, it doesn’t matter if it is not to the millimetre exact  Prick out lovely valentiny shapes and put them on a lined out baking tray.

Bake the biscuits for about 10 min. until nicely golden brown.

Let them cool and finish them off by decorating them with the icing.

Now I am only left with the question: Storage?!?!?!????????

Years ago, my father gave me a traditional cookie jar for Christmas.  It was kind of my first item for my own household.  I guard this cookie jar with my life!  And I can proudly say, it does its job.  The biscuits stay fresh long enough for us to eat them  That’s is about 2 weeks.

Otherwise I would recommend tin boxes to store biscuits. I have collected a few over the year.  Unfortunately they are mostly decorated with Christmas features.

Do you have any storage tricks for your favourite biscuits?  Do you bake cookies at all?  I would love to grow my recipe collection

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