Nut/Dairy and Gluten Free Macarons!
Its breast cancer awareness month, and to celebrate on our Instagram page for allergies (@willnutcontain) we wanted to do a pink bake!
I’ve always visualised the beautiful, vibrant macrons in Paris sitting peacefully together and always been envious that I wouldn’t be able to have that, that’s until I came up with the golden macaron. It is special because it contains no nuts, dairy or gluten. That’s right not a hint of almond or any other ground nuts or seeds. Many people with nut allergies have asked ‘ Can I substitute almond meal for wheat flour?‘ To which I would answer, ‘Almond meal is high in fat and protein and low in carbs, wheat flour is high in complex carbs, low fat and low protein so the substitution would not work’. But that got me thinking what else could we use.
I have read other recipes that use ground pumpkin seeds, grinding them seemed like too much hard work. I was thinking of things with similar texture and thought on meringues. If too much sugar is added they go a very similar texture so adding some flour would almost make a cake like meringue. Almost identical to a macron but blunted dairy and nut free!
A couple of trial runs and adjusting ingredient quantities and we have nut free macarons! The recipe is below or check our Instagram page for more allergies recipes and inspo @willnutcontain!
Ingredients
2 large egg whites
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon
65g plain flour (+1/4tsp xanthan gum if gf)
55g powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
gel food coloring, optional
buttercream (we made our own with 300g icing sugar, 100g butter and a lot of jam!)
Method
In a bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the caster sugar until stiff peaks form
2. Sift flour and powdered sugar together into the egg white mixture.
3. Add the vanilla extract, and gel food coloring if you want the macarons to be colored.
4. Gently fold all the ingredients together.
5. Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a rounded tip.
6. Pipe the macarons onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently tap the baking sheet on a flat surface a few times to release air bubbles.
7. Bake the macarons for 10-15minutes.
8. Allow the macarons to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the macarons on to a cooling rack.
9. Add a dollop of buttercream or any frosting of your choice to one of the macaron shells, then top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining shells and frosting. 10.For best results, allow the macarons to “bloom” for about 24 hours.
11. Enjoy!
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