Being allergic to Almonds is such a sad thing when you know a certain French cookie is made with them. So being one that must adventure in all the things (all the sugary things) I went on the hunt for a good nut-free macaron!! And I’m happy to report, after a couple test runs that turned out identical (sugar, sugar, sugar), I am confident I’ve found the one that I will make forever more. These beauties will easily pass for the real thing… with the foot and the smooth… but dare I say, these are even better!
Nut Free Macaron – Raspberry
Ingredients
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 1/4 cup coconut flour
– 3 egg whites
– 1/3 cup white sugar
– *Optional freeze dried raspberry powder
Filling:
– Raspberry Jelly
Instructions
– Prepare a baking sheet with parchment (or silicone macaron mat). Set aside.
– Put powdered sugar and coconut flour into the food processor and whiz it up until everything is ultra fine. Sift the contents of the food processor into a bowl and set aside.
– Put egg whites into the bowl of your mixture with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high/high until frothy and then add the white sugar slowly. Continue to whisk until egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.
– Sift dry mix into egg whites a little at a time. Fold softly. Keep adding until the whole mixture has made it into the bowl. Continue to scrap the bowl and fold through the mixture (30 strokes) until the batter comes off your spatula in ribbons.
– In a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip, add batter (tip: Drop piping bag tip-down into a tall glass and fold edges down around the glass) to the bag.
– Holding the bag straight up and down, squeeze the piping bag slowly to pipe batter onto the prepared baking sheet (at least 2 inches apart). Whack the baking sheet onto a counter-top several times to release air bubbles. If you still have bubbles, use a toothpick or skewer to pop them and seal the holes. Dust with freeze dried raspberries. Allow macarons to cure on the counter for 60 minutes.
– Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake until the tops don’t wiggle. – Depending on the weather (no really), your oven, and your batter, this could take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.
– Allow macaron shells to cool completely before removing from the pan. Match shells with their buddies. Fill with 1 tablespoon of raspberry jelly.
– Store in an airtight container for 24-48 hours before serving.
