possibly, maybe, the best cookies i´ve ever made

FRENCH ALMOND MACAROONS- STRAWBERRY

Hi, so I really don´t like to brag or anything, but i was so delighted at how these macaroons turned out. And they don´t even have a chocolate component, yet i love them. how could it be?! The texture- sort of chewy on the outside, soft on the inside; the flavor- not too sweet, almondy....heaven. I made them for a party a few weeks ago and the people really liked.
The thing about french macaroons is, the ingredients are surprisingly simple and the batter is easy to make...it´s the set up that´s a bit of a pain. Once the batter is made, you have to use a 1" round cookie cutter, dipped in flour, and some parchment paper, to make circles. Then the batter has to be piped in using a pastry bag and plain tip to fill in these circles so they are perfect and uniform.

The Recipe (courtesy of Martha Stewart Baking Handbook):

1 3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
all purpose flour, for dipping
1 1/2 C. almond flour (or sliced almonds ground in food processor)
3 large egg whites
pinch salt
1/4 C granulated sugar
red food coloring
Strawberry Swiss Buttercream frosting, recipe follows

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 300
-Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl, then whisk in almonds, set aside.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat, dip 1 " cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles
- in bowl of electric mixer, whisk egg whites on medium til foamy; add salt
- gradually add granulated sugar, 1 tsp at a time, til whites reach med soft peaks, transfer to a large bowl, fold in 4 drops red food coloring
- sprinkle half the sugar-almond mixture over the egg whites and fold til just incorporated; add the vanilla and the rest of the sugar-almond mixture and fold til just incorporated. bang the bowl on the counter to eliminate any air pockets.
- transfer mixture to large pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and fill in marked circles on prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, 20-25 min., until slightly firm to the touch and can be gently lifted off the paper with a spatula. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
- Frost flat side of half the cookies with strawberry swiss buttercream, then sandwich together...yummmm.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp, cut into small pieces (1 tbsp)
- 2/3 C sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 c strained strawberry preserves*

Instructions: (seems daunting, easier than it looks).

- In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk egg whites and sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, about 5 minutes
- Attach the bowl to the mixer and, using whisk, beat to stiff peaks
- Switch to the paddle attachment, and on medium low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. (Don´t worry if the frosting appears to separate, just keep beating a few minutes until smooth).
- Add vanilla, keep beating 2 more minutes on low to eliminate air bubbles
- fold in strawberry preserves by hand.

***to strain preserves i used a seive lined with cheesecloth, set over a bowl, and pushed preserves through with a wooden spoon.

The great thing about this recipe is that it could be adapted to accomodate any flaovr- lemon, using yellow food coloring and plain old lemon curd for filling....or chocolate, substituting cocoa for part of the powdered sugar in the cookies and using nutella to frost....