Pancakes

"What`s for breakfast?

"Pancakes"

"I love you."

People always thought that making other people around you adore you is hard. That`s so untrue! No one can hate you if the first thing they see in the morning (or no matter what time of the day) is a pile of warm pancakes which you made. 

This is the perfect way of saying "I love you-here`s a tower of pancakes to show that.". I have made lots of versions of this fabulous dish and none came out so tall, fluffy and perfect. They are truly tasteful, not only good looking. It`s the kind of thing you could surprise your family with in the morning. They are sure to ask for some more.

This recipe is so easy (like any other pancake recipes) and it uses a "secret" ingredient(it`s not so secret because I`m going to tell you which it is...just...read on and don`t mind me, okay?) to get their rise&taste. 

Are you ready? The ingredient that took a plain pancake and turned it into the best breakfast I had in my life, is...

Wild Strawberry cider (ALC 4,5% VOL)

Although it is an alcoholic beverage (so you wouldn`t want to serve this to kids, despite the fact that the alcohol will evaporate because of the heat...I just don`t recommend you treat your 3-year old to this recipe) it is what gave my pancakes all the goodness. You can taste the cider just slightly (more the wild strawberry).

If you are indeed going to serve this to children or you don`t have cider in your pantry, the best substitutions for the cider are: buttermilk/sour milk, mineral water or 100% natural apple juice. These ingredients contain a form of acid in them which causes the baking soda to activate perfectly and make your pancakes tall&fluffy. Ain`t Chemistry interesting?

Please don`t be upset with me if this post if full of pictures. I just love taking shots while baking/cooking.

Moving on, there are a lot of people who end up either their pancakes or tearing them apart just because they don`t know when it is ready. 

You know your pancake is ready to be flipped when bubbles form around the edges and when they pop, they`ll leave a hole behind them.

I hope the following picture speaks for itself:

There aren`t many bubbles, but you get the idea.

Now, turn it on the other side and let it cook 1 more minute or so. Put it on a plate and serve immediately.

It`s 3:00 p.m and I just had lunch. I still want pancakes, `tho.

Now tell me...are you sick and tired of so may pictures? I haven`t finished yet.

Yeah, the "syrup-shot" as I call it. Pretty darn awsome, right? I just never get bored of taking pictures of pouring sauces/syrups over anything.

So, some pictures are really nice. I have to admit it. I`m usually the worst photographer, but who thought that pancakes could be so...photogenic? Sounds awkward.

Oh, and in case you ever wondered how my "photo studio" looks like, underneath is a picture of it. It`s just where the light shines best in the morning and where I use the "landscape" mode. The colors I get are just how I like them.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

1 large egg

150 ml cider/buttermilk/mineral water

3 Tbsp oil

additional: butter for greasing the pan/skillet/griddle

Directions:

1. Preheat your pan/griddle/skillet over low flame while you are preparing the pancake batter.

2.In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt. Stir and set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, beat the egg. Pour in the cider and whisk more until it is pale in color. Add the oil and vanilla extract. Combine everything very well.

4. Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the egg-cider mixture over it. With the help of a spatula, incorporate them all together. DON`T OVER-MIX! If you do so, you`ll develop the gluten in the flour and you`ll end up with tough pancakes.

5. Take about 1/4 of a cup of the batter and put it in the greased pan. Cook the pancake about 2 minutes on one side or until bubbles form around the edges and leave a hole after they pop. Flip the pancake and allow it to cook 1 more minute. You can lift it a bit to check: it should be golden brown. 

*It`s ok if the first pancake doesn`t turn out right, keep on making more and you`ll notice you`ll get them better*

Serve immediately, they are at their best if they are warm.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Let me tell you a secret: I can`t keep my hands off any baked good that has a crispy outside and a fluffy, soft interior. It`s heaven! Give me a Coke together with a pretzel and you have me staying with you forever. 

There is a pretzel shop in our small town. It`s called "Gigi". What? Strange name for a shop that sells hundreds of pretzels every day. Believe it or not, it`s almost impossible to buy a pretzel if you are in an extreme hurry and can`t sneak in front of the queue. This is the main reason I usually have breakfast at home...

Whatever, I really felt like eating pizza and pretzels. Lots of carbs on my mind. So I made these...out of- you`ll never guess!

Pizza dough. Well, I found myself with leftover dough and as I craved pretzels, I satisfied both my cravings. Ain`t that cool? I don`t like to waste anything, so I end up turning it into a delicious food, or snack or whatever you like. `Cos this is how I roll.

There is really nothing I don`t like about this recipe: crispy crust, soft interior and good taste. Perfect for every comfort activity. 

The golden brown color is given by the egg I brushed them with just before baking. Altough, be careful with how much egg you put on them or else you`ll end up with some sort of egg-y bread taste...which is not cool, in my opinion. Also, feel free to omit the egg and substitute it with milk, heavy cream or olive oil. 

Oh, maybe you wonder what those black things are, yea, the one which I sprinkled over my pretzels. Those are dried chilli pepper flakes. I just can`t explain my love for spicy food and my obsession of adding pepper, chilli or curry in my meals. Ok, I`m not adding spoonfulls, but a pinch of them is enough. In my tea (yeah, don`t judge me), bruschetta, toast, pizza, pasta (especially), meat or soup. Each dish I`m eating has to be spicy to please me. The future taste won`t be sweet, salty nor sour, but spicy. Spices are the future! Oh, I`m starting to talk nonsense.

This is the closest I could get.  Just wanting to show you the soft inside. H-E-A-V-E-N! 

I`m so sorry for the low quality of my pictures, my shooting camera is a cheap Nikon d3100. I`m planning to get some nice lenses this time. The only problem is the not-so-big budget. I sometimes am so angry whenever I see a spoiled child with an expensive photo camera and he does not know how to use it properly. And then he creates some stupid Facebook page which is titled "(their name) Photography". I`m not talking about the ones who really take great pictures, but the internet is full of people with excellent cameras but horrible pictures. This is my opinion and if you feel like I`ve brought an offense to you, bear in mind that this is my personal thought of the situation. Thank you. Now let`s go on...

The hardest part in this recipe is just the kneading. Which makes me mad, especially on summer days when its hot and I have to twist, punch and pull that dough until it is elastic and no longer sticky. Another thing about making pretzels is boiling them in water+baking soda. Exactly! This ensures the lovely crust and absolute perfect interior. Don`t worry about the large amount of baking soda you find in this recipe, they will taste nothing like that. You have my word! 

Ingredients:

500 gr. all purpose flour

1 package (7 gr) active dry yeast

300 ml. lukewarm water (between 100-110 degrees F/50-60 C)

1 and 1/2 tsp salt 

1 Tablespoon of sugar

For boiling pretzels:

1 and 1/2 (1500 ml) l of water

1/4 cup baking soda

For the top:

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water/milk/cream

kosher salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar or any kind of topping you prefer

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the lukewarm water with the sugar and yeast. Let it rest for 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy and you can smell it. That means it has activated.

2. In a large bowl, dump the flour and salt, whisking them a bit. Make a indentation/well in the center of it and pour the water-yeast mixture in there. Using a wooden spoon, your hand or a mixer, start combining everything together in a big, stiff mass. Once you`ve done that, use your hand to bring it out on a lightly floured surface and knead it for 15 minutes or until you get an smooth, elastic and no longer sticky dough.

3. Lightly oil a big bowl and place the dough in it, rotating it so that it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. 

4. Punch the dough down and put it on you floured surface. Knead it 2 more minutes and divide it into half. Now cut each half into 6 pieces, You should end up with 12 pieces of dough.

Roll the dough into a rope (using your hands) and holding both ends, shape them into and "U". Now, twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape. Continue like this until you have no more pieces of dough.

5. Bring the water to the boiling point and add the baking soda. Now is the time to preheat your oven at 375 d F/180C/lvl 4 gas and line your baking trays with parchment paper. Take each pretzel and put it into the boiling water. Don`t put them all in! Only one or two at a time, depending on how large you pot is and leave them to rise in the water. That should take about 30 seconds to 1 minute. After you have done that, put the pretzels on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops with the beaten egg and sprinkle salt/sesame seeds or your favorite topping. Bake into the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Five o`Clock Cake Bars

Ok,so this is not a quick&easy cake. It requires a bit more involvement than,say, a classic apple cake which you just whip up and put in the oven. But it`s not that difficult at all if you follow the steps. However, you`ll end up with an impressive looking cake that tastes even better than you think.

At first sight, this is not the prettiest dessert of all, but wait until you bite into it. A layer of Angel Food sheet cake full of chocolate, Turkish delight, walnuts and raisins, sandwiched together between two wafer sheets and a smooth, gooey  vanilla cream.

However, I need to warn you against the entire process of making the cream: it is time (and patience) consuming. Also, it contains a good amount of egg yolk, so if you don`t feel comfortable using them, feel free to substitute this cream with vanilla pudding, it will still be scrumptious. The cream is made on a water bath/bain marie/double boiler until it thickens...and that takes about 30 minutes of whisking the yolks, sugar and butter constantly.

It`s worth it, trust me.

This being said, I don`t know what else is difficult about this cake...nothing. Oh yes, the wait. You have to (I can`t stress out how important this is) leave the cake overnight with something heavy on top, or else it will crack and tear apart when you try to cut it. That`s because the cream is very soft and oozy, which has to be allowed to make everything moist.

Don`t ask me why, but in my opinion this is a fancy dessert to serve. First of all, if you use mixed flavors of Turkish delight (I used only chocolate and strawberry, because this is what I had on hand) you`ll get both a good taste and pretty look.  The cream is so velvety and the Angel Food sheet cake is light. The wafer sheets give this cake a bit of texture. Remember, leave it in the fridge overnight so the flavors have plenty of time to blend.

Despite the fact that the amount of filling/cream is not large and there are the wafer sheets+sponge cake in the middle, you would think the cake is rather dry. Well, it is not. On the contrary, it is moist, yet not wet, tender and oh-so-good!

I had plenty a luck this morning and stumbled across some Teddi juice (yeah, it`s for kids) which was-and still is, my all time favorite drink of all times.

Leaving other details aside, I really recommend this cake. Instead of having breakfast first, I gobbled up a few (ok,5 to be more precise) bars and then reminded myself that I had an omelette waiting to be eaten. Well, I guess desserts are a temptation. 

Ingredients:

for the Angel Food sheet cake layer:

7 egg whites

7 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

7 Tablespoons all purpose flour

100 gr. of your favorite chocolate -chopped-

100 gr. chopped walnuts (or any king of nuts you prefer)

170. gr. chopped Turkish delight (use mixed flavors)

100 gr. rum soaked raisins

additional: 2 wafer sheets

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 180 C/lvl.4 gas/375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a rectangle sheet cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the cake. Set aside.

2. In a deep, large, grease free bowl whip the egg whites with the sugar and salt until stiff peaks form. Dump in the chopped chocolate, walnuts, Turkish delight and raisins. Fold them in very gently, or else you`ll deflate the whites. Sift the flour and baking powder together and incorporate them as well. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave it to cool partially in the pan and then invert it on a platter to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper. 

For the vanilla cream:

7 egg yolks

200 gr. sugar

200 gr. room temperature butter

make a pastry cream out of: 100 ml milk, 70 gr. sugar, 2 heaping Tablespoons all purpose flour.

1. On a water bath/double boiler/bain marie whisk the egg yolk, sugar and butter together in a heat-proof bowl until thickened. That should take about 30-40 minutes. It is important that you don`t allow the boiling water to touch the surface of the bowl of else you`ll end up with scrambled yolks. Transfer the mixture in another bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to cool completely.

Make the pastry cream:

Combine all ingredients and whisk constantly until very thick. It will resemble soft butter when beaten. Cool completely as well.

2.In a large bowl, beat the pastry cream for 1 minute, just to smooth it out a bit. Drop 1 Tablespoon at a time from the yolk cream into it, beating very well with the mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Continue like this until you have a smooth cream.

Assemble the cake:

1. In the sheet pan which you previously used, arrange 1 wafer sheet (trim the ends if needed, so it can fit into the pan). Put half of the cream in the middle and carefully put the Angel Food sheet cake over it, pressing down gently to distribute the cream all over. Put the rest of the cream over it and end with a wafer sheet.

Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and put a cutting board over it. Now place something heavy on the cutting board, like a food processor or something of that sort. Pop it into the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight works best.

Cut out bars with a serrated knife.

Half Moon Cakes

You know that moment when you want to bake something that`s scrumptios, easy and quick? Then, my friend, you have come to the right place. From now on, this is my hands down go-to recipe if I have guests coming over and no time for fancy desserts that involve creams or stuff like that.

Both the texture and the taste are excellent. I mean it! I honestly can`t stop adoring the crunchy meringue, the moist layer beneath it and the cake base. All three of them are easy to achieve and the best part: you don`t need experience to get it perfect. How does that sound to you?

Oh, by the way, you needn`t worry about the cake base, it`s moist (but not wet, as you can see in the pictures) and has and amazing flavor thanks to the orange I added to it. These citrus fruits really work wonders.

My mom said the cakes left sort of an aroma in your mouth a couple of seconds after you tasted one. She was right, altough I can`t figure out what from that "after" taste came from. 

However, it was out of this world!

If you are curious what I used for cutting these little wonders: a half moon shaped cookie cutter. But a round glass works as well. Just make sure you dip you cutting tool in hot water before each cut. 

Of course, you can give your cakes other shapes if you like it-hearts,squares,rectangles,triangles, you name it. But, as the name of the recipe says...they are half moons. 

Wait, aren`t you drooling yet? Ok, here`s a fact that might convince you: the ingredient that makes the meringue oh-so-good are the walnuts. Exactly! Ground or very finely chopped walnuts. I suggest using almonds or hazelnuts for an even better taste. It just happened that I am the owner of 8 kg (16 lbs) of walnuts and I didn`t know how to use them.

The picture above is a close-shot, so you can see better how perfect it is. 

1. Moist, flavorfull cake base
2. Soft, slightly sour jam+meringue layer
3. Crunchy meringue crust

Additional advice? Before beating the egg whites, make sure your bowl and beaters are grease free and there is no trace of egg yolks or other forms of fat because you will not be able to beat the meringue stiff. What I do is take a napkin, dunk it lightly in vinegar and rub my tools with it. Don`t worry, unless you use more than a few drops of vinegar, your meringue won`t have vinegary taste.

Ingredients:

For the cake base

5 egg yolks

2 egg whites

140 gr soft butter

210 gr. white, all purpose flour

juice and grated peel from half and orange

100 gr granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional: 1/2 cup of jam-use a slightly sour one for best results: apricot, rhubarb, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry works fine.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F/180 C. Line the bottom of a medium rectangle pan with parchment paper for easy removal and to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside for now.

3. In another bowl, beat the softened butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 3 more minutes or until light and fluffy. Blend in the yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then pour in the orange juice+grated peel, vanilla extract and set aside.

4. Gently incorporate the butter-egg yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Don`t stir or you`ll deflate the egg whites! After you have done so, sift the flour and baking soda and fold it in. 

5. Spread the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and spoon the jam over it. Set aside while you whip the meringue.

For the meringue:

3 egg whites 

200 gr white caster or granulated sugar

pinch of salt

150 gr ground or very finely chopped walnuts

1. In a large bowl, beat the whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. At the end you should have stiff peaks and the sugar should be dissolved.

Fold in the walnuts.

2.Spread the meringue carefully over the unbaked cake, trying to avoid incorporating meringue or jam too deeply into the batter.

Bake the cake for 20 minutes into the preheated oven until you see the meringue is brown. Test the cake with a toothpick in the center: if it comes out with no wet cake batter (shiny jam traces are ok) than you know it`s done. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting it into half moons.

Cherry Topped Cheesecake

I would like to tell you an interesting story that involves a cheesecake...I worked as a waitress the previous summer. It was an international cafe where the majority of our clients were english, french and german. However, as the cafe had a large number of breakfast choices which you could pick from, a Swedish guy ordered a slice of cheesecake. We normally served cheesecake plain, without sauce or other things on the side (which I find now to be absolutely ridiculous...a cheesecake is at its best with something to go with it, right? Yeah!). Because it was morning and he was the first client, I decided to "work" on that dessert (or breakfast, for him). So, I drizzled some berry sauce and topped it with whipped cream, then I spooned some more sauce. Am I crazy? Probably. I think so, as I had just turned a simple slice of cheesecake into the BEST BREAKFAST EVER! And when I brought the guy`s order...his face was truly priceless. I`ve never seen anyone to be so happy in front of a cheesecake. He said nothing, just made a sound that resembled "Nom,nom,nom". Of course he tipped generously.

I`m so sorry the pictures aren`t that great but, you know, natural light just didn`t want to cooperate that day.

Whatever, I must tell you that this was my first time making a cheesecake! Sound crazy, right? And no, I did not top it with a cherry jelly to cover the cracks because it had none! I`m sorry again for not having taken a picture of that. You get the idea.

Believe it or not, it was my mom who suggested I make this dessert. The truth is that we went to a party and guests had to bring their own sweets. I started looking up for a crowd-pleasing recipe, but then my dear mother said she felt like eating cheesecake, altough she had only one slice in her whole life. 

You just can`t say "No" to your parent when they request a certain dessert.

Don`t ask! I put a little kitten on my slice of cheesecake. Yes, I`m  crazy.

So normally, I was supposed to go shopping in order to get my hands on cream cheese...good quality cream cheese. Full fat cream cheese and full fat ingredients. A good cheesecake is high in calories, but who cares? If I were to die at one point, I don`t want to regret any dessert I`ve eaten. 

For those of you who are obsessed with calorie counting and fat in food or dietary stuff like that : I`m sorry to tell you that you have come to the wrong place. I will post a recipe on how to make a low calorie cheesecake in the near future, but until then...indulge.

I also have to apologize for the thin crust. My cheesecake looks almost crust-less. I hate that! If you want a thicker crust, I suggest doubling the amount of the ingredients. I used only 150 gr. of pretzels and I shall regret that all of my life. The crust was amazingly delicious and I would have liked more of it. *Sigh*

As you already guessed, this cheesecake is just like it should be : creamy, decadent, rich and slightly tangy, thanks to the sour cream and lemon zest.

I also suggest not skipping the "Baking on a water bath" step because this way you avoid cracks and dry cheesecake.

Ingredients:

For the crust (use a 8 inch/20 cm round springform pan for best results)

150 gr. pretzels

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

65 gr melted butter

1 Tablespoon of milk

a generous pinch of cinnamon

Crush the pretzels until finely ground. A food processor does the job perfectly. Add the sugar, cinnamon, melted butter and milk. Blend everything thoroughly. The mixture should resemble wet sand :when you pinch it between your fingers, it should stay firm.

Grease a springform pan and put the pretzel mixture on the bottom of it. With the back of a spoon or your hand, press it all over the bottom of the pan and working your way up to the sides. 

Bake at 375 degrees F/180 C for 10-15 minutes. Let cool while your prepare the filling.

For the cream cheese filling:

500 gr. cream cheese-room temperature-

120 gr. white granulated sugar

3 eggs

30 gr. sifted flour

160 gr. sour cream or Greek yogurt

grated peel/zest of 1/2 (half) a lemon

7 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1.Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degreed F/160 C.

2. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, for 2 minutes or so. Add the sugar and beat until very well incorporated, about 3-4 minutes. Crack one egg at a time in, mixing after each addition. 

Add the milk/heavy cream and sour cream/yogurt, blending everything together. Now that you have done that, finish with the lemon zest/grated peel and flour.

3. Pour this mixture into the prepared pretzel crust, tapping the pan lightly just to remove air bubbles (to prevent cracks). Bake on a water bath* for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes. You know the cheesecake is done when the sides of it look set and the middle is still slightly jiggly (or wobbly, whatever you want to call it). Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the opened door, for about 1 hour. After such time, remove it from the oven and put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight. Letting the cheesecake rest for so much time will allow it to set, so that it won`t fall apart when you try to cut a slice. After it rested enough in the fridge, remove it from the springform pan. If you don`t have a springform pan, well, you are going to have a difficult time to get it out. 

water bath* = put the unbaked cheesecake in a rectangle pan and fill it with boiling water until it reaches half of the sides of the pan that had the cheese filling in it. Something like the picture below:

I don`t own any copyrights of this image!

Macarons Rosé { and Troubleshooting Guide}

If you haven`t tasted a Macaron yet, than you really can`t understand why people are so crazy about them. Am I right? No? Key then. :D

The first time I tried one was about two years ago, in Venice. I remember the classic flavours: lemon, berries and mint. I`m really sorry I can`t show you the picture but heck, they were amazing. 

Like I said before, I am a texture seeker. What that means? I`m literally hunting for perfection each time I eat dessert. Yes, even if it`s a plain pudding, I want it silky, creamy, smooth and velvety, just like a pudding is meant to be.

So this is what I did with these capricious french meringue cookies. They are not hard to make: whipping egg whites, folding in rest of the ingredients and baking. Sound like baby work, isn`t it? Maybe you are wondering: what could go wrong? The answer is...everything. Just a few grams more of one ingredient and the batch is ruined. Mix the meringue too much and the batch is ruined. Add liquid food coloring and the batch is ruined. Baking them wrong (I`ll talk about that) and the batch is ruined. 

I learned that the hard way, trust me...I`ve failed a couple of times and studied as hard as I usually do for an exam, just to get them right. 

The first time I made them, I had the ugliest Macarons on earth and everybody was lying to me saying the looks didn`t matter, they were delicious. Of course I didn`t give up and spent my money on almonds, powdered sugar and all the other stuff I needed. They turned out with feet but were too thin and had air pockets. Need I say that they were so soft after 24 hours so I had to eat them with the spoon. I baked a third time with a friend and unfortunately, we had a quite bad experience with the oven (long story, folks). This was my fourth time making them. Actually, I can`t call this "making" because I worked and studied so much the entire process and now dream it.

The key is practice. Yes, practice. The first batch will almost never turn out right. You might get your Macarons with feet and everything but there will always be the interior and texture of the Macaron which won`t let you sleep at night. 

Let me tell you more about how the perfect Macaron should look like:

Egg shell-like crust: First of all the egg shell is a bit harder, but you get the idea. It should be crispy.

"Feet"  Don`t ask me why they are called like this. The feet are that bottom layer of the cookie which looks like a sponge. Due to the fact that the bottom of the meringue heats up faster and gets done quicker than the rest of the cookie, you`ll see that it rises and looks like a sponge.

Soft,almost spongy like interior:  If your Macaron has empty spaces and not a cake-like interior than something was wrong. The batter was too thin, caused by over mixing. It is better to under mix than to over mix. When you put the batter into the piping bag and start piping the cookies, you`ll work it more. So, if it is over mixed there is really nothing you can do to your Macarons. They will not have feet, crack and they will brown while baked. A good Macaron should be slightly brown on the bottom, not everywhere.

You get it now? My batter was a bit under mixed at the begging and the first cookie I piped (left) cracked and had no foot. As I continued piping, the meringues came out perfect. Finally, the last three cookies I piped were over mixed. I don`t know if you can see that the edges are brownish and it cracked, showing the interior.

For more detailed information, see this page --> http://foodnouveau.com/2011/12/destinations/europe/france/a-macaron-troubleshooting-guide-useful-tips-and-advice-to-master-the-french-delicacy/.

There are plenty of other things I should be telling you, but this post would be too long and the upper information is the most important. I strongly advise you to click on that link if you are serious about making Macarons.

Living in a country where I could fine almond meal\flour would make my life a lot easier. But until then, this baker gotta grind the almonds by herself.

For best results, I buy almond flakes without skin and powdered sugar. I wouldn`t advise you to make your own powdered sugar because the store bought one contains cornstarch which helps the Macarons. If you are a rebel and like to live dangerously, go ahead and make your own powdered sugar. You are going to have a bad time. Been there, done that.

So, what was I saying? Making your own almond mean without turning it into paste. A food processor works best. Just toss the sugar first (to avoid making marzipan) followed by the almonds.

Sift it and your are ready to whip the whites, which have to be separated at least 24 hours ahead and left on your counter a few hours before beating them stiff. 

As you can see in the two pictures above, I added the food coloring before the almond\sugar mixture. Why? Well, if you incorporate that nut mixture first and then add the food dye in, you`ll enter the danger zone: over mixing! And I already told(and showed) you what kind of results you`ll get. 

Another important step is the way you fold. Do it gently, starting in the middle with large, circular movements. If you beat like crazy, you`ll deflate the egg whites for sure. Think that Macarons are little babies: handle them carefully.

After you did this step, the mixture should look like this:

I`m sorry for the low quality of this picture, but you get the idea. Some people compare the final batter with hot lava. It should be thick and fall in ribbons.

Now it`s time to pipe. Use a piping bag with a plain tip for best results. Hold the piping bag very close to the sheet, in a 90 degree angle. You can search for tutorials on Youtube on how to pipe Macarons. There are plenty.

I just believe this takes some practice as well. Also, using a template makes my life a lot easier. Just draw some circles on a white piece of paper and place it underneath the parchment paper. After you are done piping the Macarons, hold the parchment paper with your hand and carefully remove the template. Pay attention when doing this because you might make the cookies loose its shape.

Ok, so now that you done that, there is one more final step before you insert them in the oven at a low temperature. 

Let them "dry" on your table for 30 to 60 minutes. Yes, this step leads to better results in case you stirred your batter a bit too much. How do you know they are dry? Well, when you touch the surface of the unbaked cookie with your finger, it will be slightly tacky and no wet batter should linger on your finger. See the pictures underneath:

See? It is the same Macaron my finger touched, but there are no traces. So make sure you don`t skip this step. I want you to get perfect results, just like I did. 

There was no one to teach me how to do it and I realised how much it would have helped me. And, may I say, spare me from wasting my time and money. Subsequently to following these steps, you should get the a Macaron as good as the famous Ladureé.

The filling is made of rose extract and a secret ingredient that gives the Macaron a je ne sais quoi that makes you shiver when you have it on your tongue. And that little trick is...strawberry jam. Exactly. You don`t even feel it because I used just a small touch of it to cut out on the sweetness of the Macarons. And no, these do not taste like soap just because they are made with rose extract. It smells divine, like...like something dropped out of the Heaven. The Heaven of Sugar.

Of course I plan to make different flavors and combinations. What about a White Chocolate Pistachio Macaron, or a Lime Mint? I am also thinking of Honey Sesame, maybe Walnuts and Coffee? I could write an entire list.

Ingredients for 32 medium sized Macarons

3 large egg whites (aged for 24 hrs and room temperature)

35 gr granulated white sugar

135 gr blanched(without that dark skin) chopped almonds

210 gr powdered sugar

gel or powdered food coloring (don`t use liquid or it might change the texture of your Macarons)

Rose Filling:

70 gr soft butter

6 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon rose extract or rose water

3 Tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Line 2 large baking trays with a double layer of parchment paper. Set aside.

If using already made almond meal, sift it with the powdered sugar. If you make your own, than put the powdered sugar in a food processor followed by the almonds and grind until very fine. Sift it. Set aside.

2. Beat the egg whites on low until they become frothy and start adding the granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time until stiff peaks form. Fold in food coloring if using.

3. Fold in gently half of the sugar/almond mixture. Mix just until slightly combined, then add the rest of it. Once again, fold in just until the almond/ sugar is incorporated. Mixture should resemble lava. I know it sounds funny.

4. Using a piping bag with a round, plain tip, pipe little circles on the prepared baking trays. Bang each tray a few times on your counter to remove any air bubbles that may be trapped in the meringue.

Leave the cookies to dry for 30 to 60 minutes or until you pat them a bit with your finger and they are no longer sticky, but your finger should remain clean.

5. Bake them at 150 C/325 F/ lvl. 3 gas for 15 minutes or until you pat them and they are firm on their "feet". That means, when you apply a small pressure on them, the bottom, sponge-like layer, should not sink.

Take them out and leave them to cool completely in the pans. You should be able to remove them easily from the parchment paper.

Rose Filling:

Beat butter and powdered sugar until pale in color and fluffy. Add the strawberry jam, pinch of salt and mix once more. Finally, fold in the rose extract/rose water.

Take 2 cookies and sandwich them together with the rose filling. You might not be satisfied with the texture of the Macaron right away. They should be eaten only after 24 hrs to 48 hrs of "maturing". That`s because the filling will release its flavor into the meringue cookies and it will soften their texture a bit.

Enjoy!