Lemon macarons

I'm not particularly good at facing up to the hard times. But I know I have to quickly come to terms with failure to overcome it.

In my down moments, I am heartened to have people who continued to believe in me and assured me that it will all be okay. And I'm okay. :)

"When life knocks you over, roll over and look at the stars."

Since I've been thrown some lemons, here are some sweet and tart lemon macarons for dessert.

What?
Lemon macaron shells

• 100 g almond flour
• 100 g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Yellow gel colouring (optional)

Lemon buttercream

• 30 g butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How?
Lemon macaron shells

1. Sift the almond flour and icing sugar together and set aside.
2. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high. Gradually add in the sugar and beat until stiff peaks start to form. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat for another minute. 
3. Pour the almond flour mixture into the beaten egg whites. Fold the mixture gently until incorporated. If desired, add yellow gel colouring at this point. Continue folding until batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon. Be careful not to over mix it as the batter will get thinner as you fold.
4. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe out 1-1.5 inch rounds about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tap the baking sheets on the counter top a few times.
5. Let the macarons sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch.
6. Bake the macarons in a preheated oven at 150 degC for 15-20 minutes. The macaroons should have risen slightly to form "feet".
7. Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon buttercream

1. Beat the butter. Add icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
2. Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons - or just spread it onto the shells and pop it into your mouth!

Coconut macaroons

Sometimes I find it difficult to "get the engine started" again after a hiatus of several months. My inactivity in the kitchen has rendered me a little helpless when I had to prepare my own meals again. I found myself lacking when I had to make dinners - this stems from being home long enough to get used to having Mom do all the cooking. As much as I love cooking, I miss that so much!

To address the issue with my cold start, I decided to make something real simple this weekend. As a treat, I made macaroons - with the double O! In contrast with the touchy and high-maintenance French macarons, these double-Os were much easier to make and handle.

In spite of having contrasting temperaments and looking obviously very different from each other, the two cookies are made with a base of egg whites and sugar. However, macaroons do not require the extreme delicacy and painstaking efforts involved in the making of its more elaborate "cousin".

It took no more than 30 minutes to make these coconut-ty goodness with a toasted crunchy outside and soft chewy middle. I'll try adding some dried fruits or/and nuts for a little extra crunch the next time!

What?

• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How?

1. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla extract together until mixture is frothy.
2. Pour in the coconut and stir until evenly moistened.
3. Shape the coconut mixture into small balls of about 1 inch in diameter, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
4. Bake the coconut balls in a preheated oven at 180degC for 10-15 minutes, until the macaroons are golden.
5. Let the macaroons cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely. For a more chocolaty flavour, you can drizzle (or simply dip them!) the cooled macaroons with chocolate!