Happy Christmas Eve!
It’s the season for baking and eating fine foods, so I thought I’d share a recipe I love, for these delicious macaroons. They keep really well, too, and they make great presents.
Quantity for 16-18 macaroons.
200g (7 oz) ground almonds
100g (3.5 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
2 medium egg whites
150g (5 oz) chopped stem or glacé ginger, minus the syrup
Flaked almonds
Icing sugar (Powdered sugar)
Mix the ground almonds, sugar, egg whites and ginger until evenly combined. Roll into balls the size of a smallish unshelled walnut (about 30g / 1 oz), then press on to a mound of flaked almonds so a layer sticks to the outside. This is the tricky bit, but if you roll the ball firmly and slowly it is easier. Place the macaroons on a tray lined with nonstick paper, then heat the oven to 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3 and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, turning the tray halfway through the bake time to make sure the heat gets to the macaroons evenly. Remove from the oven, sieve icing sugar over the top while they’re still hot and leave to cool.
Hope you enjoy one of my favourite Christmas recipes! Now I’m going to sit down with a cup of tea and a couple of macaroons. Or maybe more than two :) But it’s Christmas!
Do you have a favourite recipe you always make at Christmas? If so, please let me know in the comments. And if you try my recipe,I hope you will come back and tell me how you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas!
Helena Fairfax 
They sound delicious, Helena! Just popped in to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas.
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Happy Christmas, Ros! I hope you and your family have a lovely and peaceful week. Best wishes!
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Thank you for your recipe, Helena. I will definitely try it, I love anything with almonds. Funnily enough, I always bake macaroons at Christmas too! Mine is a recipe from my mother. Her ‘Catalan macaroons’ are very similar to yours. You need 125 gr of ground almonds, 125 gr of caster sugar, 1 egg white. (but I usually double all the ingredients to have more macaroons!). Mix the lot in a bowl with your hands, make a ball and leave in the fridge for one night. The next day, make small balls, decorate with glacé cherries and put into the oven for 15 minutes. Et voilà! I love them. They are very easy to make! Joyeux Noel!
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Hi Marie, thanks for the recipe. That does look easy to make – just what you need at Christmas! And I love glace cherries, so will definitely give these a try! Hope you have a lovely, restful Christmas. Here’s to finishing our novels in 2014!
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Anything with ground almonds is likely to be a winner here. thanks both will give them a try. Happy Christmas. Anne Stenhouse
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Happy Christmas Anne – thanks for coming by!
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