New Year, New Cookies

Hello everyone/anyone who still follows my blog; what a hiatus it's been (since April 2011!) and my how time flies.

In the past year, I seem to be surrounded by friends amid a craze for French macrons. I was at first confused and underwhelmed by all the fuss, after trying a few bland ones. As a mutual friend of mine Alex Woo aptly put it:

(credit: Alex Woo; http://www.woopictures.blogspot.com)

However, after sampling a few properly made ones, I think the light, crisp yet chewy and flavorful creations grew on me. When the boys at Sorted Food did a video on how to make them and made it look so easy, I decided I had to have a go at it myself.

First attempts? Well, not great. The batter was runny and ended up with macaron halves that looked like cells caught in the middle of mitosis...

This was a good lesson for me: be patient with beating egg whites! Make sure they are whipped to the point of undoubtedly stiff peaks. However, if the piped cookies flow together, you can still cut them apart once they have cooled.

 

Other than that, this recipe is actually really simple, but remember simple doesn't always mean easy; work with precision and neatness, and you will save yourself from heartbreak and a nightmare cleanup job. Once you have the basic steps down, then the flavors and varieties are only limited by your imagination.

Flavor + Filling combinations I've tried so far:

• Vanilla + Nutella
• Raspberry + Berry Jam
• Spiced Bourbon + Pumpkin
• Pistachio + Nutella Buttercream
• Lemon + Lemon Curd
• Orange + Chocolate Buttercream

Pistachio + Nutella Buttercream

Recipe (via Sorted Food)