If you’re spending Valentine’s Day alone or with a special someone, this recipe of chocolate-covered strawberry macarons is the perfect treat to enjoy this month. This recipe will yield about eighteen to twenty-two cookies. This recipe was founded on the following website created by the talented baker, Livia Benson, https://bio.site/livia.benson.

Macaron Shell

• ¾ cup of powdered sugar
• ¾ cup of almond flour
• 4 egg whites (split in half–2 egg white portions)                    
• 1 cup of white (granulated) sugar
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 tsp pink food coloring (optional)
• 1 tsp strawberry extract

Ganache Filling

• 1 & ¼ cups of chocolate (semi-sweet)
• ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Step 1:

• Add powdered sugar and almond flour together.
• Use a food processor to get the chunks out of the dry ingredients.
• It’s recommended to also use a sifter after blending.

Step 2:

• Separate your 4 egg whites into two portions
• Add one portion of egg whites into powders of sugar & almond flour mixture and kix with a spatula. (this is the step where you add your food coloring!)

Step 3:

• Grab a separate bowl (a stand mixer is recommended) and use lemon juice, and a cloth/paper towel, to clean your bowl to get rid of any possible fat residue. (fat residue can cause your egg whites to not whip up.)
• Add the other portion of egg whites to the bowl.

Step 4:

• In a small saucepan add your sugar and water. Mix with a spoon or swirl around the pan.
• Put on medium-low heat.
• This mixture will be ready once it gets to 244 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer get a bowl of cold water and add a little bit of sugar mixture to the cold water until it gets to a moldable consistency.
• Begin to whip up your egg whites with a whisk once your sugar mixture is bubbling.

Step 5:

• Once the sugar & water mixture gets to 244 degrees, slowly pour the mixture into the egg whites (which should be whipped up to a stiff peak).
• Make sure to begin pouring the mixture as soon as it gets to the correct temperature. You do not want it to be too thick!
• Also, pour the mixture down the side of the bowl and not straight into the whisk. (if you pour it into the whisk, sugar will fly into the sides of your bowl and it will be impossible to remove).

Step 6:

• Whisk the egg white mixture combined with a sugar mixture on medium-high for 45 seconds. (this is called meringue)
• Once the meringue gets to a stiff peak and is very fluffy, add a tsp of strawberry extract.

Step 7:

• Now that you have your pasty mixture and fluffy meringue mixture, add them together. Add a small portion (about a cup) of fluffy meringue to your pasty mixture to get it started. Fold these two mixtures together until combined.
• Use the “figure 8 method” to confirm when your mixture is ready. The figure 8 method is when you are able to make an “8” with your batter without it breaking. (it is recommended to stop mixing a little before this because overmixing the batter is worse than undermixing).

Step 8:

• Get a piping bag and add a large circular or medium circular piping tip. (It’s strongly recommended to get piping bags and tips, however you can also use a plastic bag). 
• Add your batter into the piping bag. (Tip: put the piping bag tip over a cup and pour the batter into the cup).

Step 9:

• Pipe out your macarons onto a tray lined with parchment paper.
• To ensure that all your cookies are the same size, use a macaron silicon mat or use the counting method. (Count “1…2…3” when you pipe each shell to hopefully make them all have the same amount of batter”. For Valentine’s Day, you should try to make them heart-shaped, but you can also make them circular.

Step 10:

• Tap your tray on a counter 4-6 times, to remove air bubbles. You can use a toothpick to pop any that rise to the top if you want. (This helps the macaron “feet” to not spread outwards).

Step 11:

• Let the macaron shells sit uncovered for at least 30 minutes or until you can glide your finger lightly over the top without ruining git. (It may take a little longer to dry if your batter is overmixed”).

Step 12:

• While macarons are drying, preheat your oven to (convection) 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• After your macarons are dried, put them in the oven for 16 minutes.
• Let the macarons sit on the tray for at least 5 minutes before removing. (It’s recommended to slide the whole parchment paper sheet onto the counter and let them cool a little as well).

Step 13:

• After the macaron shells are partially cooled, remove them carefully from the tray and match them up with parallel shells!
• For chocolate ganache filling, add heavy cream and chocolate into a microwavable safe bowl and heat up in 30-second increments until your mixture is smooth. Let this cool until thick.

Step 14:

• Lastly, fill your macaron shells with the chocolate ganache.
• The cookies are best when eaten 12-24 hours after filling because the filling and shell will bind together.
• You can store these in the first for up to 10 days or at room temperature for 8!
• Enjoy!