Here are some pictures to illustrate the macaron making process. I took these pictures last week when I made Snickers Macarons.
You must sift the ingredients together to remove any big pieces of nuts
Macron dough must be mixed to a very specific consistency. The dough must be thoroughly combined but not over mixed.
The dough is piped into uniform circles then the air bubbles are removed by tapping the pan on the counter
The cookies are finished when you can just lift them off of the Silpat. They should be cooled on the Silpat before moving them to a wire rack.
Match cookies that are similar in size
Pipe ganche on one side and caramel on the other. Place a piece of peanut butter “nougat” and some peanuts in between the two cookies.
Sandwich the cookies together and Tada! You have made some macarons!
One thing I didn’t mention in my previous post is that macarons really need to sit in the refrigerator overnight to get to the perfect consistency for eating. The shells soften slightly and the flavors meld together. Macarons also stand up to freezing really well and many people recommend if you don’t eat them within 2 or 3 days that you freeze them. When you take them out of the freezer, wait until they warm to room temperature before consuming (especially if there is caramel inside!)
No Meat No Meal 