PISTACHIO MACARONS WITH PISTACHIO CREAM

I like calling my friends over for a nice brunch at my place. It’s so lovely to take some time out and treat ourselves to some baked goodies that we try to avoid day-to-day. Having a little break from our jobs and taking care of the kids to just sip on some tea is a much needed activity that we all look forward to! Also, I love getting any chance to put out my fancy crockery and get those beautiful flowers to dress up my house. Macarons are a fail-safe easy dessert I like to serve, as they’re deceptively simple to make, and everyone loves it!

YIELDS: 16-20 pieces

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

BAKING TIME: 12-15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

75g Pistachios, unsalted
175g icing sugar, sifted
2 egg whites
2-3 drops green food colouring

For Filling:

1 tbsp pistachio spread (store bought)
1/4 cup double cream

METHOD

Grease oven trays lightly; line with baking paper.
Process pistachios and 75g of icing sugar in a processor; blitz it to fine powder.
Beat egg whites in a small bowl with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Add few drops food coloring and remaining icing sugar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff and glossy.
Sift the pistachio powder over egg whites; gently fold with spatula, taking care not to over-mix.
Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 1cm nozzle. Pipe 4cm (1 1/2 inch) rounds about 2cm apart. Tap trays on bench to release excess air pockets, stand for 20-30 minutes at room temperature to allow skin to form.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160˚C.
Bake macarons about 12-15 minutes, or until firm but not browned; cool on trays completely.
Whip double cream with wire whisk until thick, add pistachio spread and whisk again to blend well. Refrigerate filling until ready to spread.
Carefully remove macarons from trays, sandwich with pistachio cream filling.