Je suis vraiment enchantée to welcome French author Marie Laval to my blog today. Marie is from Lyon, but has lived in the north of England for many years, and she’s actually a friend in real life as well as in cyber-space. So we have a great European mix today – a French author, an English author (me), an Italian recipe and a Scottish novel :)
Bienvenue, Marie. It’s lovely to see you!
Italian almond macaroons
by Marie Laval
I absolutely love marzipan and anything with almonds, so I bake these Italian almond macaroons every Christmas. This is a very fast, very easy recipe I got from my mother.
For about 10 small macaroons, you need:
125 gr (US: 1 1/2 cups) of ground almonds
125 gr (US: just over 1/2 a cup) of caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 egg white
Glacé cherries
Mix the ingredients in a bowl with your fingers until you have a smooth paste. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight. The following day, turn the oven on at 180 ̊C / . Make small balls from the paste, and put on a baking tray. Then decorate each macaroon with half a glacé cherry and put the tray into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
These macaroons are delicious – crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. I usually double the quantities and make two lots. I hope you’ll like them…
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Marie’s latest release is The Dream Catcher, the first novel in the Dancing for the Devil trilogy.
Can her love heal his haunted heart?
Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847. Bruce McGunn is a man as brutal and unforgiving as his land. Discharged from the army, he is haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad. And he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn’s ancestral enemies. When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride is caught in a violent storm and docks at Wrath harbour, Bruce decides to revert to the old ways and hold the clipper and the woman to ransom. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine, funny and vulnerable – a ray of sunshine in the long, harsh winter that has become his life.
Rose is determined to escape Wrath and its proud master – the man she calls McGlum.
Will she be reunited with Cameron McRae, the dazzlingly handsome aristocrat she married after a whirlwind romance in Algiers, or will she risk her heart and her honour to help Bruce discover the truth about his past and solve the brutal murders committed on his land?
The Dancing for the Devil trilogy also includes Blue Bonnets and Sword Dance (to be released in 2016) and is published by Accent Press
Buy links
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon CA and all major online retailers
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Thanks so much for coming today, Marie. I love your recipe, and in fact I’ve just baked some almond macaroons this week myself, to give as gifts. I agree, they are so simple to make, and delicious. I have The Dream Catcher on my Kindle at the moment – and I absolutely love the dramatic opening! I can’t wait to read the rest!
If you’ve enjoyed Marie’s recipe, or have any comments at all, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
Marie, thank you for the Italian almond macaroon recipe. I have a similar of my sister-in-law’s, so I know these cookies are delicious. Your recipe looks easier to make.
Best wishes for The Dream Catcher. Sounds interesting.
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Hi Susan, I have a similar recipe, too, and I love macaroons. They keep really well and even get better after a week or so.
I can’t wait to finish The Dream Catcher. Thanks so much for dropping in!
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Thank you Susan. If you like marzipan or almonds, these are truly delicious! Thank you for your comment and I hope you enjoy making, and eating, them!
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I love marzipan and almonds!
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Thank you for putting my recipe on your blog today, Helena. I hope you’ll like them!
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I love infighting almond flavoured and these sound super easy, Marie, thanks! Your new series sounds exciting – all the very best with it.
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Oh, dear – I don’t know how that word appeared instead of ‘anything almond flavoured’. Couldn’t see how to delete the comment so hopefully it gave you a laugh, Helena and Marie!
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It did make me chuckle, Rosemary! I was reading it and wondering what on earth you’d said before auto-correct got hold of it. I didn’t guess at “anything”. Daft auto-correct!
I love all things almond, too – marzipan and Amaretto are also big favourites. I think these macaroons would go well with a glass of Amaretto.
Thanks so much for dropping in, and for your funny comment!
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Thank you Rosemary. You couldn’t find an easier recipe and they really are delicious.
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Adding to the international flair here, I see Americans Susan and I are joining in the discussion. My husband loves macaroons, but I have never tried to make them. Love the idea of the cherry on top. Enjoyed the book blurb. Sounds like a lot of action and romance. Best wishes, Marie, with the series.
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Welcome to Europe, JQ! I hope you hae time to give Marie’s macaroons a go. If you do, and please let us know what your husband thinks of the recipe.
I’ve only read the start of Marie’s book so far (it’s on my Christmas reading list, along with your own) but I can highly recommend it. A gripping and unusual start, and I loved it.
Thanks for dropping in from the US!
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Thank you very much JQ! I hope your husband likes the biscuits!
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I think I’ll have a go at this recipe as it is making my mouth water! The book sounds like a super read.
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I loved the start of this book, Tina. It was a really atmospheric beginning, with a great heroine and brooding hero (my favourite :) )
Thanks so much for dropping in, and I hope you do get a chance to make Marie’s recipe!
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I’ll give the recipe a go as I already have al the ingredients in the cupboard. A brooding hero is my favourite too! I hope that all is well with you and you are looking forward to Christmas.
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Thanks Tina! I am baking my first batch of macaroons this weekend. They don’t last long with me. I like them too much! Thank you for your kind comment about The Dream Catcher.
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I’ve shared it on our FB page and I’ve downloaded it as an early Christmas present for myself!
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That’s great, Tina, thanks so much! I hope you enjoy Marie’s novel (and get time to read it over Christmas!) Hope all is well with you and family. Have a lovely Christmas!
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Thank you so much, Tina! I hope you enjoy it.
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Hey, Helena. Nice to meet you Marie. The recipe sounds scrumptious and I love the excerpt for your book. Best wishes.
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Thank you very much Marsha! The macaroons are indeed delicious, and so easy to bake. I hope you enjoy them.
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Thanks so much for dropping in, Marsha!
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