Vegan Macarons

There’s no denying that macarons take practice, but if you make sure the consistency is right before piping and that your oven is at the correct temperature (an oven thermometer is best for this), you’ll be on to a winner. Hands-on time 45min, plus resting and cooling. Cooking time about 20min. Makes about 22

FOR THE MACARONS

100g icing sugar

150g almond flour, or very finely ground almonds

100g aquafaba, measure liquid from a tin of chickpeas ¼tsp cream of tartar

125g granulated sugar

½tsp vanilla extract

Vegan sugar sprinkles, optional

FOR THE FILLING

60g vegan spread, we used Naturli’ 150g icing sugar, sifted

1tsp vanilla extract

Vegan food colouring paste, optional, we used pink and blue

1 For the macarons, start by sifting 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 ink is underneath.

2 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 very stiff peaks, about 5min. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, whisking all the time. Beat back up to thick, glossy peaks – this can take a few min (it’s vital the mixture is very thick). Beat in vanilla extract.

3 Add 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.

4 Transfer 1/2 the mix to a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and, holding the piping bag vertically, pipe mixture inside the drawn circles. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bang baking trays down hard against your counter 4 or 5 times to burst any air bubbles. If you have any peaks on your macarons, smooth down carefully with a toothpick. Scatter some sprinkles, if using, over half the macarons.

5 Set the trays aside at room temperature for about 11/2hr, or until the macarons have formed a dry skin. If you touch them gently, no mixture should come off on your finger.

6 Preheat oven to 140°C (120°C fan) mark 1. Bake macarons in bottom half of the oven for 5min. Open oven and carefully rotate the trays. Bake for a further 15min, or until they feel like they would peel off the parchment. Cool completely on the trays.

7 To make the filling, beat together all the ingredients, apart from the food colouring, with a handheld electric whisk (this may take a while). If you like, split the filling between 3 bowls, and dye 2 of the bowls to your desired shade. Spoon alternate teaspoonfuls of the filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Use filling to sandwich macarons together, using a plain base and sprinkled top (if you used sprinkles). Serve. PER MACARON 126cals, 2g protein, 5g fat (1g saturates), 18g carbs (17g total sugars), 1g fibre TO STORE Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (or in the fridge for up to a week).