HELMER: Not been nibbling sweets?

NORA: No, certainly not.

HELMER: Not even taken a bite at a macaroon or two?

NORA: No, Torvald, I assure you really … I should not think of going against your wishes.

– Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House.

Macaroons, as they’re called in the play, are extremely symbolic in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. If you haven’t read or seen the play in a while, they represent Torvald’s almost-parental control of his wife (he forbids Nora eating them), and Nora’s acts of independence, secret defiance, and deceit (she eats them anyway). It’s good stuff, and ahead of its time, theme-wise. I’m warning you, though – it will make your blood boil at times.

Getting back to the macaroons themselves, there’s some debate on whether the play is referring to the coconut-based treats which go by that moniker nowadays, and which are a popular holiday goodie in Norway, or the almond-based meringue macarons, some version of which have been around for hundreds of years.

So which version was Nora noshing on? Given that this recipe is for the almond macaron, we’ll pretend we know that’s the confection Ibsen had in mind.

Confession

I’m not a huge fan of meringues. In fact, aside from the technical skill in making them, they’re definitely not my go-to for dessert. Because chocolate. Or pie.

THAT being unburdened said, I love making macarons. These came out so delicate and whimsical-looking, they were extremely fun to make, and they truly melted in the mouth, so a baking success! Especially given that the tant-pour-tant (almond and powdered sugar combo) and its incorporation into the macronnage (meringue) is what often results in macaron doom.

Reality Bakes

Look closely and you’ll notice the macarons in my picture have a raspberry jam filling instead of the buttercream. That’s because my buttercream broke. Badly. And I didn’t have any homemade jam around so I’m afraid what you see there is store-bought raspberry jam. (I know, I know – quelle horreur!) I am including the recipe for the buttercream below but just know, in a pinch jam will do.

I got a little hasty taking the second tray out of the oven so I popped it back in when I realized the cookies weren’t coming off the silpat sheet easily. Worked like a charm and they were fine after that, but do check too much wobble before pulling them out and if you see it, leave ’em in another minute or so.

Update September 2019

I’ve since discovered the Italian meringue method of making macarons and I’m afraid there’s no going back! Check out these macarons with Earl Grey tea buttercream, or these macarons filled with lemon curd. 

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French Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream

An easy-to-follow recipe for macarons, that classic French confection. 

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 20 paired cookies

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

For the macarons:

• 3 egg whites at room temperature, preferably aged
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar leveled
• 2-4 drops pink gel food coloring
• 1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

For the raspberry butter cream:*

• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

Instructions

For the macarons:

• Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) degrees.
• Put egg whites into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at moderate speed until foamy. While beating, add the salt and cream of tartar. Turn speed to high and gradually add the granulated sugar. Continue to beat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is stiff and glossy, usually about 2 1/2 minutes.
• Now add a few drops of food coloring and beat to combine. (Keep in mind, the color fades as it bakes, so you might want to make it stronger.)
• Put the almond flour and confectioner's sugar into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine, then process for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sift the almond meal and confectioner's sugar through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on bigger clumps with the back of a spoon. Discard any almond bits that are too big to pass through the sieve; you may have 1 to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour to discard. 
• Transfer half of the almond/sugar mix into the egg white mixture and fold until just combined. Add the almond extract.
• Transfer the remaining almond/sugar mix into the mixture and continue to fold, until batter is smooth and lava-like, and "ribbons" off the spatula, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Try not to over-mix, as the piping will continue to work the mixture.
• Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a half inch opening or tip, and pipe onto two trays lined with baking paper or silicone baking sheets. Hold the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet and pipe the mixture out in one ‘dollop’ rather than a circular motion. Keep a good space between each cookie half, as it will flatten out a little.
• Once done, firmly drop or tap baking sheets 3 times on the table to bring any bubbles to the surface.
• Leave the cookies to sit at room temperature 30-60 minutes, depending on the humidity. This step is vital for the macarons to develop "feet." They are ready to bake when you can gently touch the top of a cookie half and it doesn’t feel sticky to the touch.
• Bake one tray at a time in the oven until cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. (If cookies are browning too quickly on the bottom, slip another baking sheet underneath.) To check whether they’re done, very lightly touch the top of a macaron – if it’s wobbly or slides around on the feet, give it another minute or two. They’re done when if you lift one of the macarons gently, they should just start to pull away from the paper without sticking.
• Take out and place baking sheet on wire rack to cool completely and dry out further. Don’t take the macarons off the baking paper while they’re cooling, or they may stick.
• Once cool, remove macarons and sandwich with a thin layer of filling (see below). 

For the buttercream:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the raspberries, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Heat until bubbling.
• Mash up berries then push the mixture through a sieve, trying to extract as much juice as possible. Keep the syrup/juice and discard the pulp and seeds. Let cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, beat 6 tablespoons butter until whipped and white, about 2 minutes on high speed. Add in the raspberry syrup and beat until fluffy, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on high.

To assemble:

• Pair up matching sized macaron shells. Pipe a small mound of filling onto the center of the bottom of one of each pair, top with the other shell and press down gently.
• Place filled macarons in the fridge and cover lightly with plastic wrap – they are better if you leave them for at least a day as the texture becomes softer and the flavors blend.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword buttercream, cookies, French desserts, macaroons, meringue

Meringue Playlist

Thanks to my friend Susan for help with this one.