vegan unsalted butter alternative, we used Flora Plant Butter
150g
icing sugar, sifted
1tsp.
vanilla extract
Vegan food colouring paste, optional, we used red and blue
Directions
Step 1For the macarons, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the almond flour/finely ground almonds. Set aside. Next line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. Draw 4cm circles on the parchment, spacing about 2.5cm apart. Flip so the ink is underneath.
Step 2In a large bowl and using a handheld electric whisk, beat the aquafaba and cream of tartar on low speed for 1min. Turn up the speed to medium and beat for 2min. Turn up the speed to high and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 5min. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, whisking constantly. Beat back up to thick, glossy peaks – it’s vital the mixture is thick. Beat in the vanilla.
Step 3Add icing sugar mixture and, using a stiff spatula, fold confidently, knocking out the air as you go. You can also smear the mixture on to the insides of the bowl to knock out the air. Keep going until your mixture moves like lava (slowly settling into itself) – test by lifting a full spatula above the bowl; the mixture should continue to ooze off slowly.
Step 4Transfer 1/2 the mix to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle and, holding the piping bag vertically, pipe mixture inside the drawn circles. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bang baking sheets down hard against your work surface 4 or 5 times to burst any bubbles. If you have any peaks on your macarons, smooth down with a cocktail stick. Scatter a few sprinkles, if using, over 1/2 the macarons.
Step 5Set the sheets aside at room temperature for 1hr 30min, or until the macarons have formed a dry skin. If you touch them gently, no mixture should come off on your finger.
Step 6Preheat oven to 140°C (120°C fan) mark 1. Bake macarons in bottom 1/2 of the oven for 5min. Open oven and carefully rotate the sheets. Bake for a further 15-20min, rotating the sheets every 5min, until they feel like they would peel off the parchment. Cool completely on the sheets.
Step 7For the filling, beat all the ingredients, apart from the food colouring, using a handheld electric whisk, until light and fluffy. If you like, split the filling between 3 bowls, and dye 2 of the bowls to your desired shade of red and blue. Spoon alternate teaspoonfuls of the filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm closed-star nozzle. Use filling to sandwich macarons together, using a plain base and sprinkled top (if you decorated with sprinkles). Serve.
TO STORE
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (or in the fridge for up to a week).
GH TIP
We used Baking Time Club’s Patriotic Party Sprinkles, available on Etsy and Amazon.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
