January...make macarons

I am home from work with a sick baby today
He is pitiful and has a high fever
Hopefully he will start feeling better really soon.
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I decided that instead of making a resolution that would be really hard to keep all year

(honestly I would probably forget what it was by April)

I would make 12 small goals (one for each month)

I called it my 2013 Plan

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On this plan my goal for January was to make French macarons.

jan. 2013 by lifeofascott  

After our trip to Paris over 2 years ago I have sought after macarons here in the states...without luck

so when I saw this macaron kit on the Sur La Table website I knew I wanted one for Christmas.

So once my almond flour arrived on my door step (last week) I was ready to tackle the art of macaron making.

The first batch was a huge failure...I used the recipe that came with the macaron kit.  The batter was WAY to thick.  I found this recipe online and used it the second time. They turned out beautifully.

my macarons: dark chocolate with mascarpone filling

I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the macaron batter and made a mascarpone filling 

(1/4 stick butter softened, 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (room temp), 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon ameretto, and a pinch of salt)

tips:

make sure your egg whites are room temperature
use a gram scale
make sure you process the sugar and almond flour in the food processor


BIG LESSON IN MACARON MAKING
the first time you make macarons they probably will not turn out just right
try again
I promise the second time will be better than the first