Muffin Minx: Oooh la la...

So this week, I've been very much enjoying a daily cup of tea and this got me thinking about the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.

What better to kick this idea off than a French Macaroon.

It has also given me the chance to use my new whisk, which much to my delight is PINK!!!

There are several recipes for Macaroons, but this is the one that has worked well for me thus far. Granted I'm not up to fancy brand standard yet, but I see an improvement every time I make them.

Ingredients

175g icing sugar

125g ground almonds

3 large free-range egg whites

75g caster sugar

For the filling

150g butter, softened

75g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3.

Whizz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture, then sift into a bowl - it is the food processor part, that I find makes the most difference with this method, it really helps to make the dry ingredients fine.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy - add any colouring or flavouring at this stage.

Fold half the dry ingredients into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining, using a spatula to cut and fold the mixture. The spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle.

Line baking sheets and pipe small rounds of macaroon onto them (working to get them all the same size will be my next mission!)

Tap the baking sheet on the work surface to release any excess air, to ensure they get a good 'foot' (I hold the tray with one hand and tap the underside of the tray for a few minutes)

Then leave them to stand for 15 minutes until they form a skin, you should be able to touch the mixture without it sticking to your fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.