Result: disaster (see photo)

Mistakes: left it for too long, piped then forgot about it for 2 hours (oh dear)

Next time: don’t leave it for too long. See if you can help the drying process along by fanning the top. Try lower oven temperature? (140?)

Recipe: Martha Stewart

• 6 Tbsp almond powder
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 large egg white, room temperature (submerged in warm water for 5 mins)
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 2 Tbsp caster sugar
• Food colouring

What we did this time:

1. Did NOT try the make the almond powder smaller
2. Sift almond powder + icing sugar 2 times
3. Using balloon whisk, whisk egg white + cream of tartar on medium (KitchenAid 4) for 2 mins
4. Increase the speed to medium high (KitchenAid 6), while slowly adding caster sugar to the mix. Whisk for 2 mins.
5. Increase the speed to high (KitchenAid 8) for 2 mins. In the last 30 seconds, add food colouring.
6. Peak = stiff-ish, hard to see the gloss with food colouring
7. Sift all the almond powder + icing sugar into the egg mixture
8. Fold with a spatula. Repeat just until batter flows like lava, 35 to 40 complete strokes.
9. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip
10. Line baking tray with 2 parchment papers (double layer gives more heat protection to the macaron bottom during the bake)
11. Pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart, flicking the pipe nozzle slightly at the end, instead of leaving a peak.
12. Tap the tray firmly on work surface a few times to release trapped air
13. Left it to stand at room temperature for 2 hours
14. Heat the oven to 160 C
15. Bake for 10 mins
16. All look equally hideous, and stuck to the baking paper
17. Binned.