Baking during the holidays seems like such a staple, doesn’t it?
I used to be such a huge baker, baking every single weekend. But the lack of space in different apartments left me a little… less enthused. In the new house I at least have much more counter space to work with, and is inspiring me anew to get back to baking again.
So you know, go big or go home right? I decided that macarons (which I still can’t pronounce properly at all) were the thing I was going to make. I’ve made them 3 times this year, twice in the past week and I’ve now decided that I’m going to perfect them this year. So far, they don’t look perfect. They turn out. They taste great, but they look… ugly. So here’s to me trying again and again.
The recipe that I used is from Birch Tree Baking, and I actually did this with real vanilla bean as well. And it was easier to use than I thought. It’s delicious and easy – go use it!
A few notes:
I’ve done this recipe a couple of times now, and honestly – I don’t notice the difference of sifting it once vs twice. I’m not selling these, so … let’s be honest – sifting is a bit of a bitch. If I don’t need to, I don’t want to. I feel like it’s not necessary. (But feel free to let me know if it is! and why!)
If you don’t have vanilla bean, vanilla extract works just as well. And I’m sure that’s where you can play with flavours… which is up next for me. Although vanilla is my favourite from a store as well.
Sometimes, if I’m short on time, I’ll use store bought icing. And it works in a pinch.
Will you be attempting these bad boys? They’re a lot of fun to make, but they are time consuming! And they’re always a hit. I now though, can’t justify buying them in a store… Unless I want to try a new flavour!
