Pistachio Macarons

One of my very favorite treats to get when I go to France is macarons.  There is nothing quite like them here in the US, apart from the bakeries that do make and sell them here (and at that, they are often not nearly as good).  They are a bit tricky to make and time-consuming, but so very, very worth the effort.  This version comes from a book called "Macaroons: 30 Recipes for Perfect Bite-Sized Treats" by LOVE FOOD.  I made these for one of my French exchange students once and she was so impressed with it that she bought the same book to take back with her to France, if that tells you anything :)  My favorite flavor is pistachio--have also made several others.  Will post those varieties eventually.  For now, enjoy these!

Ingredients:

--cookie--
1/2 c. ground almonds/almond meal
1/4 c. finely ground pistachios
1 c. powdered sugar
2 large egg whites
1/4 c. superfine sugar
green food coloring (I use Wilton)

--filling--
6 T. unsalted butter, softened
green food coloring
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 T. finely ground pistachios

Instructions:

1. Place ground almonds, pistachios, and powdered sugar in a food processor.  Process for 15 seconds.  Sift the mixture into a bowl.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

3. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat at high speed until soft peaks stage.

4. Gradually beat in the superfine sugar until a glossy meringue forms.

5. Beat in enough food coloring to give a light green tint to the meringue.

6. Using a spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture one-third at a time.

7. Assemble a pastry bag fitted with a round tip that is about the diameter of a pencil (sorry, don't know the exact measure of mine).  Get someone to hold the bag open for you (if available).  You will need to also either hold a finger over the tip to block it or point it upward while you spoon/scrape/pour the batter into the bag.  Yes, this part is do-able solo, but it takes work, you've been warned...

8. Pipe circles onto the parchment lined sheets, about the size of half-dollars or slightly larger.  (I pipe starting at middle and making a spiral outward.  This pattern is sometimes visible on the final product.)

9. Let the piped circles rest of the sheet undisturbed for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Meanwhile, heat oven to 325°F just before this time period is over (depending on how long your oven takes).

10.  Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes.  Be very careful not to overbake!  They will have a very, very slight browned tint near the bottom edges.

11. After removing from oven, slide parchment sheet with cookies onto cooling racks to let cool for 10 minutes.  At the 10 minute mark, gently and slowly peel the parchment back from the cookies to remove them (this can also be tricky--if your cookies did not get quite done enough, the middles will tend to stick to the parchment).

12. Make the filling:  beat butter and a little food coloring in a bowl until butter looks slightly whipped/fluffy.  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar (this is very important; I once accidentally added it all at once instead and it did not turn out correct!) until smooth and creamy.

13. Stir in the pistachios.  Take one cookie, 'frost' the flat side, then press another cookie flat side to the filling to form a sandwich.

14. Enjoy a lot!!