I first fell in love with macarons while visiting France to study abroad during college. It’s impossible not to be mesmerized by the rainbow of petit cookies lining the Parisian pastry cases. Besides their beauty, macarons are utterly delicious. A well made macaron has a smooth, toothsome top, a melt in your mouth center, and a rich, or sometimes tart, silky filling. These cookies are a symphony of flavors and textures in each bite.

However, macarons are notoriously finicky cookies to make. Each step in the process carries its own harrowing pitfalls. If your dry ingredients aren’t sifted well enough, you end up with lumpy cookies. If your egg whites aren’t room temperature or whipped exactly to the right consistency, your cookies will not puff and hold their shape. If you don’t pipe them evenly, or if you don’t bang the pan on the counter, or if you don’t let them rest and form a skin, your macarons won’t develop those lovely “feet,” the puffy soft edges on the base of each cookie, and they’ll look a hot mess.

I’ve tried making macarons a few times over the years with varying degrees of success. But until recently I lived right next door to a very renowned patisserie with amazing macarons, so I didn’t bother with the homemade version too much. But since moving I’ve become a bit more committed. These little macaron footballs are my very American spin off of the French classic. I’ve included all the best tips I’ve found, and while the cookies are a process, they’re not anything to be afraid of. Plus they’re oh so cute and tasty for any game day fete!

Equipment:

• Food processor

• 3 baking sheets

• Piping bags & tips

• Hand Held mixer

• 1.5 - 2 in. round cookie cutter, for template (optional)

• Permanent marker

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely ground almond flour

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

• 2 TBS. cocoa powder

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature (preferable separated and stored in the refrigerator the night before)

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• Royal icing for decorating (purchased or homemade)

Method:

1. Prepare your baking sheets. Use the cookie cutter and permanent marker to trace circles on parchment paper well-fitted to your pans. Keep your circles about 2 inches apart. Then add a triangle on the left and right side of each of your circles to create little football shapes. Repeat this for all of your cookie sheets. You can also freehand the footballs, but I find this template helps create more uniform footballs.

2. Measure the almond flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse several times for about one minute to mix and refine the mixture. Pour this through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl.

3. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand held mixer to beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until light and frothy, about one minute.

4. Add the sugar to the egg whites about one tablespoon at a time. Mix for approximately 20 seconds in between each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue mixing on medium high speed until stiff white peaks form. You will know your meringue is done when you lift a stopped beater out of the mixture and a stiff peak remains. You should also be able to hold the bowl upside down over your head without any meringue even moving.

5. Gently fold in your flour mixture a third at a time. Mix until the flour is fully incorporate and the batter is smooth. You will have mixed enough when you can trace a figure eight ribbon of batter without the ribbon breaking.

6. Transfer your batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. To keep your parchment paper still for easier piping, pipe a small dollop of bater on each corner of your baking sheet and then lay your template parchment back onto the baking sheet. Press down on each corner where you piped to seal the template paper in place. Pipe batter on your pans by tracing the outside of your football templates first and then filling them in using a spiral motion.

7. Once you’ve piped all your batter, knock the bottom of each cookie sheet several times on the counter. Keep knocking until the batter settles and the ridges of your piping mostly flatten to leave a smooth surface. Allow your macarons to rest on the counter for 30-60 minutes to form a skin.

8. Preheat your oven to 300ºF. Bake your macarons for 16-18 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from them from the sheet.

9. While the cookies are baking, make the ganache. Put the cream and chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave, stir repeatedly and then return it to the microwave if the chocolate is not yet melted. Microwave again for 30 more seconds. Stir well again and only repeat microwaving in 15 second increments until the chocolate fully melts upon stirring. Do not over heat. Stir until the ganache is smooth and consistent, and then chill it completely in the refrigerator before using.

10. Once the cookies have cooled completely, remove them from the baking sheet and match them up in pairs. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip (I used the same tip for my macaron batter and ganache). Pipe ganache onto the bottom cookie, leaving a little room around the edges to prevent frosting from spilling out when you top the cookies. Place the second cookie on top and press down gently to seal. Continue sandwiching cookies until all are matched. This recipe yields about 18 2in. macarons.

11. Pipe the football stripes. Use a small round tip to pipe the royal icing in a football strings pattern on the top of each cookie. For a nice clean look, use a toothpick to correct any little errors. The cookies can be enjoyed immediately, but they are best on the day after baking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, if they last that long.

Recipe adapted from House of Nash Eats

Inspiration from Tasty