Valentine's Day presents an opportunity to shower loved ones with special gifts, including treats. French macarons are one sweet for amateur bakers to add to their Valentine's Day repertoire. The following recipe for French macarons, which utilizes the Swiss meringue method, is from Karli Bitner's "Cooking With Karli" blog. Bakers are advised to weigh the ingredients for more reliable results.

French Macarons

Makes 20 macarons

Ingredients: 

100 grams powdered sugar

100 grams super fine almond flour

100 grams egg whites

100 grams granulated sugar

Food coloring, if desired

Vanilla buttercream filling:

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Up to 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Food coloring, if desired

Directions:

1. Measure out all ingredients.

2. Sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour. Set aside.

3. Add one cup of water to a sauce pan or to the liner of an Instant Pot and heat the water over medium heat until steaming.

4. While the water is heating, add egg and three tablespoons of the measured out sugar to the bowl that will be used for the double boiler.

5. Once the water is steaming, place the bowl over the steaming water and whisk until the egg whites are foamy and white. Then, remove the bowl from the pan or Instant Pot and set on a hot pad on the counter. Turn off the burner or Instant Pot.

6. Add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and mix using an electric hand mixture until the egg whites are white and glossy and can form stiff peaks.

7. Add food coloring, if colored macarons are desired. Mix until combined.

8. Add the powdered sugar and almond flour to the bowl and mix with mixer for eight seconds. After eight seconds, use a silicone spatula to stir and smear the batter from the outside of the bowl toward the center. Turn the bowl to make sure all the batter gets stirred equally. Do this until the batter thins and a ribbon of batter can be drizzled for a few seconds without breaking.

9. Transfer the batter to a piping bag equipped with a round piping tip. Pipe equal circles onto a silicone or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Make sure the piping bag is completely vertical. Apply equal pressure and release, pulling straight back up. Repeat with the remaining batter. Hit the cookie sheet gently but firmly against the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.

10. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the macarons to dry out as the oven preheats, for about 20 to 30 minutes. The macarons should be dry to the touch before going into the oven.

11. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. The macarons should not turn brown. Allow the macarons to cool completely on the cookie sheet. When the macarons are completely cool, make the filling.

12. For the filling, combine all ingredients using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. The heavy cream or milk should be added slowly to create a thick buttercream so the filling does not squirt out when the macaron is eaten.

13. Once the buttercream is mixed together and at the desired consistency, gently pipe some frosting onto the bottom side of one cookie and then sandwich the frosting with the bottom side of a second cookie to create a macaron. Repeat with remaining cookies.