Macaroon Cooking Class at Central Market

Last year, I made a bucket list for the year and this included taking a cooking class at Central Market. So in the summer- I booked a class online to learn how to bake one of my most favorite desserts- Macarons.

Cooking Classes at Central Market

The cooking classes are so well organized and put together. I would recommend registering for a class at 3 weeks in advance as classes sell out quickly and in the Macaroon class, there were only 16 spots available. Once you arrive at the classroom, attendees are separated in 4 different tables each one baking a different macaroon flavor. The class was set on Saturday morning, so they had coffee and pastries to enjoy during class.

How to Make Macarons:

Recipe by Central Market with Linda Luong, Today She Loves Owner

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the Macarons Shells:

• 140g almond flour
• 120g powedered sugar
• 107g (3XL) egg whites
• 107g granulated sugar
• Soft gel food coloring

For the Buttercream Filling:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Soft gel food coloring (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp milk (if needed)

How to make the macaron shells:

1. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl
2. In a mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium-low speed (speed 4) until foamy
3. Increase speed to medium (speed 6) for 3 minutes and gradually add in the granulated sugar
4. After 3 minutes, increase speed to medium-high (speed 8) until stiff peaks are reached. Egg whites should not be dry.
5. Add all the almond flour mixture to the egg white. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients around and under the egg whites and begin adding gel food coloring until the desired color is reached.
6. Scrape the mixture against the sides of the bowl a few times.

1. Once the macronage is done, add the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
2. Pipe mixture into smooth circles and tap the baking tray to get rid of large air bubbles.
3. Let rest for about 30-45 min or until a skin forms over macarons.
4. Bake at 300F until macarons are rigid to the touch about 15-20 min. Cool before filling.

How to make the buttercream:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until combined
2. Mix in flavoring additive (this can be nutella, strawberry jam, etc) Milk may be added if buttercream is too stiff.
3. Add coloring and promptly put into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

Once the shells have cooled and the buttercream has been made the last step is to match to shells together with a circle of buttercream in the middle. And voila! You made French macarons!