What are macarons? Have you ever had the chance to taste one? Macarons are two cookies sandwiched with delicious fillings. Not one... not two; you can literally make a variety of macarons just by changing the flavors in the filling. Go with variety of flavored jams, buttercream, or even ganache, these macarons are sweet confectionery that require accurate recipe and proper technique. The actual macarons (cookies) recipes will be the same. The only change here will be your choice of fillings. In this article, we will give you the basic recipe for macarons and the various types of fillings you can try. Take a look. French Macarons Recipe Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Directions Preheat the oven at 400ºF. Place parchment paper over a baking sheet and keep it aside. In a food processor, mix almonds, sugar, egg whites, salt, and vanilla extract together. Turn the food processor on and pulse the mix till you get a coarse paste ready. After that, keep the speed on high and blend for another 2 minutes till you get a thick, smooth paste. Add the batter into a pastry bag and make 1'' round mounds on the baking sheet. Keep the batter on the sheet for about 15 minutes and then place the sheet inside the oven for about 12 minutes to bake. Leave the oven door slightly open while baking. Once the macarons are ready, remove from the oven, place onto a cookie rack, and let them cool down. Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Filling

• Ingredients - 3 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, ⅓ cup heavy cream, and 1/16 teaspoon raspberry extract.
• First melt the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler till it's smooth.
• Remove the melted chocolate bowl off the stove and add the unsalted butter and raspberry extract in.
• Stir all the ingredients together till you get a smooth mixture. Leave it aside to cool down till room temperature.
• After the ganache has cooled down, it will turn thick in consistency.

Coconut Buttercream Filling

• Ingredients - 1 large egg, ½ pinch salt, ⅓ cup coconut flakes, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup sugar, ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract, and pinch of cream of tarter.
• In a pan, mix egg white, salt, and sugar together and whisk on low heat.
• When the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth to touch, remove the pan from heat and add cream of tarter.
• Again mix properly and let the mixture cool for at least 10 minutes.
• In the end, whisk in butter, vanilla extract, and coconut flakes in.

Chocolate Buttercream Filling

• Ingredients - 4 oz. unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 oz. chopped dark chocolate.
• In a bowl, whip the butter till it's creamy and melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
• Let the melted chocolate cool down for 2 minutes and then add it with the butter.
• In the end, add granulated sugar in and whisk vigorously.
• When the mixture is smooth and creamy, fill inside a pastry bag and place inside the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Caramel Filling

• Ingredients - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons water, 2 large egg yolks, 2 cups powdered sugar, and ¼ cup whipping cream.
• In a bowl, whisk egg yolks. Mix 4 tablespoons butter and whipping cream in a pan and simmer.
• Add this mixture in with the egg yolks slowly while you whisk. Make sure the yolks don't cook.
• In another pan, add granulated sugar with water and dissolve the sugar over low heat.
• Then, increase the heat and stir the mixture to make a syrup. When the color has turned amber, add it to the yolk mix.
• Let the caramel mixture cool down a bit so that you can touch it with fingertips.
• In the end, add 2 tablespoons butter and whisk properly. Place a cover on top, place in the refrigerator, and let the mixture turn thick.

At Buzzle, you can also find an article on other French desserts. Go through the article to find delicious recipes. After you've decided which filling to use, take 2 macarons and spread a layer of filling on one side. Place the other macaron on top to make the sandwich. If you want, you can even use store-bought jam or marmalade of your choice. Have fun baking your own batch of French macarons!