Lavender Honey Macarons

Get out two sheet trays and line them with either silicone mats that have macaron templates on them, or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, draw 30 equal circles on each piece to make yourself a template and turn them over to have the ink face down. They should be the size of the palm of your hand. Then take the almond flour and powdered sugar and press them through a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. This will take a little time and elbow grease but it is completely necessary for the texture of the cookies. Whisk them together in the bowl to blend them. Then pour in half of the egg white liquid, the lavender extract and purple food coloring. Use a spatula to fold and mash the mixture together into a uniform paste. Set the paste aside.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat it up over medium high heat. Use a candy thermometer to make sure it reaches 243ºF. While it heats up, set up a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and pour the remaining egg whites into it. Whip up the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Turn the speed to low and keep whipping the egg whites while the sugar comes to temperature on the stove. When the sugar reaches temperature, slowly and carefully pour it into the stand mixer with the egg whites and let it get mixed in. Turn the speed to high and let the meringue whisk together thoroughly until it becomes white, shiny and comes down to room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Take the meringue and fold it in thoroughly with the paste in the mixing bowl. You will need to mash it together a little too to break up the paste into the meringue. It should become a smooth, shiny and pretty lavender colored mixture. Scoop half of it into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch opening. Hold the opening over the center of the first circle on your sheet tray template and gently squeeze until it is filled. If there is a little point on top don’t worry, it will dissolve. Fill the first sheet this way, then repeat with the second half of meringue on the other sheet tray.

Now this is the heart stopping but necessary part. Lift each filled sheet tray about 8 inches above the counter and let it drop onto the counter. This will get out all of the air bubbles to make a really smooth, shiny top. Let the trays sit out for 30–40 minutes to dry out and firm up a little. When the time is almost up, fit a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF. Bake the first tray for 6 minutes, then rotate the tray to ensure even baking and let them bake for another 6–7 minutes. Take that tray out and let the cookies cool completely and bake the second tray in the same way. Let that tray cool completely too. You can even chill them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to really set them and firm them up. It makes them easier to remove.

While the cookies cool, make the easy filling. Simply stir the mascarpone and honey together thoroughly until it is smooth. Set it in the refrigerator until you are ready to form them. Assemble the macarons by spreading a heaping spoonful of the mascarpone honey filling on the flat side of one of the cookies. Then place another cookie of the same size on top and gently twist to make sure the filling spreads to the edge and the sandwich holds together. Chill them in the refrigerator in sealed containers until you are ready to serve them! Let them sit out for a few minutes before you serve them and enjoy.