Jenna is a self taught, home cook with a passion for baking. She gets her culinary inspiration by travelling abroad, and learning new culinary techniques.
Making bright colored macarons is easy to do with selecting the right type of food coloring.
What type of food coloring to use for bright colored macarons?
Gel food coloring
Powdered food coloring
How to use gel food coloring for bright colored macarons?
Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of coloring
Add the coloring to your bowl of egg whites
Mix the color with the almond flour, icing sugar and egg whites until fully combined
How to use powdered food coloring for bright colored macarons?
Measure out ¼ tsp of powdered food coloring
Add the powdered food coloring to the egg whites and mix together
Add the almond flour and icing sugar and mix until it’s fully combined
You cannot use water based food coloring when making macarons. The liquid interferes with the macarons ratio of dry and liquid ingredients you have measured out. Everything you have weighed, measured, sifted, whipped, etc. will be lost due to the liquid not being accounted for in the recipe. Your macarons will not turn out if you use liquid water based food coloring.
Can you make more than 1 color per recipe when making macarons?
No
You need to make each color separately with a different batch of macarons.
If you’re wanting to create an array of bright colored macarons, you need to make multiple batches. Since macarons take a long time to make, consider making a couple batches each day and then freezing them until you have all of the colors made for your upcoming event.
Another option is to paint the macarons with powdered food coloring. Use an edible paint brush to put the color on. Use a pinch of color, and add almond extract. Paint the color onto the macaron.
Macarons will keep well in the freezer for at least 3-4 weeks when kept in an airtight container. Each batch you make will be about ~40 macarons give or take. This will give you plenty of variety if you make 4-5 batches of macarons.
*Do not use any water based food coloring as that will interfere. This is due to the macarons having a very specific liquid to dry ingredient ratio. By adding liquid to the macaronage this will throw off the recipe unfortunately making the macarons not turn out.
How to use gel food coloring for dark colored macarons?
Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of food coloring
add food coloring to your initial egg whites
add in your almond flour and icing sugar
mix together until combined into a dark color
How to use powdered food coloring?
Measure 1/4 teaspoonpowdered food coloring
And food coloring to egg whites
mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined
Flavors of dark colored macarons
Licorice
Oreo cookies and cream
Coffee
Macchiato
Chocolate
Caramel
Salted caramel
Red velvet
Coffee and Bailey’s
Chocolate hazelnut
Blueberry
Blackberry
Dark chocolate truffle
S’more
Being able to create dark colored macarons will give your array of colors some depth to your guests eyes when they see them. They will be eye catching and people will wonder how you got such a dark colored macaron. Add your dark food coloring by using either gel or powdered food coloring to your egg whites. Then add your icing sugar and almond flour. Mix well until it’s fully homogenized color comes through. Creating these dark colored macarons will be a welcomed new addition to your palette of macarons.
You cannot use your usual water based colors. The liquid interferes with the macarons. Everything you have weighed, measured, sifted, whipped, etc. will be lost due to the liquid not being accounted for in the recipe. Your macarons will not turn out if you use liquid water based food coloring.
How to use gel food coloring for macarons
Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of coloring
Add the coloring to your bowl of egg whites
Mix the color with the almond flour, icing sugar and egg whites until fully combined
How to use powdered food coloring for macarons
Measure out ¼ tsp of powdered food coloring
Add the powdered food coloring to the egg whites and mix together
Add the almond flour and icing sugar and mix until it’s fully combined
coffee macaron
How to use coffee, Oreo crumbs or cocoa powder in macarons for adding color and flavor to your macaron shells
Add anywhere from ¼ tsp to 4 tsp of cocoa powder or coffee grounds to your egg whites
Mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined
How to use tea in macarons
Place the tea leaves in a mortar and pestle
Grind up the tea – not too much that it forms a powder. You still want to be able to see the tea leaves, but not for them to be in large pieces
Place the tea into the egg whites. Mix the leaves with the almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined
To sift almond flour faster, use a medium mesh straineror colander instead of a sifter.
A regular sifter has fine mesh which makes the clumps of almonds difficult to separate into the fine, light almond flour that you need to make macarons.
Handles on both sides – easy to hold steady while sifting
Ergonomically friendly
Made so it can rest on the top of a bowl
Stainless steel – strong, resists wear and tear, dishwasher safe
If your almond flour is quite clumped together, you can use a food processor to grind up your almond flour to more of a fine powder. Then sift your almond flour after it’s a bit finer of a grind.
Macarons have a smooth texture, and melt in your mouth when you eat them. Sifting almond flour and icing sugar together give you that velvety texture you are trying to achieve.
sift almond flour faster by using a strainer or colander
How does a sifter work
A sifter works separating clumps of food through a mesh.
It falls through the mesh by gravity.
Give the sifter a light tap to make the food fall through to your bowl below.
Sifting almond flour of icing sugar for macarons creates air and increases the surface area. This makes the dry ingredients easily incorporate with the wet ingredients giving it an even distribution.
After you’re done sifting your almond flour measure the amount on a scale to get an accurate reading. Always measure your sifted ingredients after you’ve sifted them.
What’s the best almond flour to use for macarons
The best almond flour to use for macarons is one that has been sifted already.
Be sure to sift the almond flour again when you’re using it to make macarons.
How to sift almond flour and icing sugar for macarons
Place almond flour into a mesh strainer or sifter. It should be about ⅓-½ full. Don’t overfill the sifter because it will be impossible to use! It’s better to sift in small batches.
Tap the edge of the strainer until all of the almond flour has passed through that can.
Excess almond flour that wont pass through-discard this portion.
Weigh almond flour out to the proper measurement.
Place almond flour into your mixing bowl.
Sift icing sugar into a separate bowl. Discard any balls of icing sugar that won’t pass through the sifter-either that or use the excess for macaron filling later on.
Weigh icing sugar out to the proper measurement.
Place icing sugar into your mixing bowl with almond flour.
Do you need to sift almond flour for macarons
Yes! If you do not sift your almond flour before weighing out your recipe, you are actually packing more into the recipe. This is because the almond flour packs onto itself after it’s been sitting for a while. That’s why you see it clumping in the bag.
Icing sugar is the same way, it ends up in little balls instead of staying like a powder.
When you sift your ingredients and take the time to weigh out your measurements, this is your chance of success when baking macarons.
How to make your own almond flour for macarons
Making almond flour for macarons is quite easy with the right tools.
Obtain a large amount of blanched almonds.
The skins must be removed. This is because there is quite a bit of oil in the skins, which will make the almonds more like a paste instead of a flour.
With your blanched almonds, grind them into a fine powder using a food processor on high power.
Pulse and blend them until you’re happy with the powdered consistency.
Sift and measure out your almond flour for your macarons.
Harvesting and drying lavender for cooking involves drying the lavender first.
How to dry lavender for cooking?
Cut the stems just below the flowers when they are in full bloom. This time is the best time for harvesting lavender. The fragrance is the strongest when lavender is in full bloom. It will keep the fragrance and flavour when you dry it, if you’re harvesting during this time.
Bundle the lavender stems together with a string. Tie the lavender together and hang it upside down. Place a plate underneath them to gather up any droppings so it won’t make a huge mess.
Be sure to place your bundle of lavender in the darkest room in the house, even in a closet that doesn’t get opened too often. The darker the room, the more fragrance it will retain while drying. Leave the lavender to dry for ~ 1 week.
How to harvest lavender for cooking?
Here are 3 different ways to harvest them:
Hold the stems. Put a plate under the lavender to gather all of the buds. Shake the lavender until the buds fall from the stems.
If you only need a few buds run your finger down the stem to remove the buds.
Place dried lavender in a sealed bag. Roll the bag until all the dried lavender buds have been removed from the stems. You’ll have to tip the bag at an angle to get them out from the bottom. Or, you can remove the stems from the bag and you are ready to store your dried lavender buds.
Once you’re finished harvesting your lavender, you can store the excess for your next cooking adventure with lavender.
How to store your harvested lavender?
Store in an airtight container or resealable bag. Store your container in a dark area. The darker the area, the more likely the vibrant purple color will stay. If your lavender is exposed to light, the color will fade.
How to use lavender in cooking?
When you’re using lavender for cooking, you’ll be infusing the flavours like you do when you make tea. For making ice cream you boil the flavour to infuse it into the ice cream. Then you strain out the florets afterwards so it makes it a creamy lavender flavouring.
If you’re using it with cookies, you’ll be grinding it up with a mortar and pestle into a fine ground powder as much as possible. You don’t want to be using the full floret, as that won’t give you the texture you’re looking for in your baking. Texture is incredibly important when you’re baking, so try to stick to your recipes and what they recommend on how to process it when you’re using lavender in cooking.
How to use lavender in a cocktail?
Use the full florets in a shaker. Add lime and a bit of sugar. Muddle the lavender so the flavour will be infused into your cocktail. Add a little more if you need more flavour.
How to use lavender when making a lavender mojito?
Put the lavender in with the mint, lime and sugar and muddle it all together at the same time. You’ll love this new twist to your mojito!
13 lavender recipe ideas for your newly harvested lavender
Removing lavender buds from their stems is very easy and only takes a few minutes of patience. Your hands will smell like lavender after touching your dried lavender stems. If you don’t want to smell like lavender, you might want to put on some gardening gloves for this.
Before removing the lavender buds, be sure to have the lavender fully dried. It takes about ~1 week for it to be fully dry and ready to remove the buds. To dry your lavender, hang the stems upside down. Use a rubber band or string to tie the stems together, then hang it on a nail on the wall for a full 7 days. Try to pick the darkest room in the house so the scent and color will hold as you dry it out.
How to Remove lavender buds from stems
Hold the stems. Put a plate under the lavender to gather all of the buds. Shake the lavender until the buds fall from the stems.
If you only need a few buds run your finger down the stem to remove the buds.
Place dried lavender in a sealed bag. Roll the bag until all the dried lavender buds have been removed from the stems. You’ll have to tip the bag at an angle to get them out from the bottom. Or, you can remove the stems from the bag and you are ready to store your dried lavender buds.
How to store your lavender buds
Store in an airtight container or resealable bag. Store your container in a dark area. The darker the area, the more likely the vibrant purple color will stay. If your lavender is exposed to light, the color will fade.
How long do the dried lavender buds last?
They will last for over a year. Best to make new dried lavender annually so it’s as fresh as possible. The scent will deteriorate over time.
Store dried lavender buds by placing them in an airtight container. You can also place them into a sealable bag. Be sure to store your dried lavender buds in a dry place so they wont get wet.
When to harvest lavender for drying?
Try to harvest the lavender when it’s most fragrant. This is when the buds are a vibrant purple color right before they open. Cut the lavender stems during a hot day. You don’t want to pick them when they have been recently rained on.
How to dry lavender?
Dry the lavender by putting a rubber band around the stems and hang it in a dark warm area. By drying them in a dark area it will keep its vibrant color as much as possible. Put a paper towel under them to catch any that fall on the floor. They should be ready to store after about a week of drying.
Remove the buds from the stem of the lavender. Store the dried lavender buds in an airtight container in a dark and warm area until you’re ready to use them.
Powdered Sugar is dusted by using a sifter to separate the powdered sugar into dust form.
How to put a dusting of powdered sugar for a decoration on the top of your recently made creation:
Put about ¼ cup powdered sugar into a sifter
Place over your creation, touch the side of the sifter with a bit of force to let the sugar be dusted onto the creation
Move the sifter to a different location until the whole item is covered to your liking.
What is a sifter?
A sifter is used in the kitchen to separate clumps of food. It looks like a mesh bowl with a handle. It looks similar to a strainer, but it has a long handle. The mesh on a sifter is very fine, unlike a strainer which is a bit larger. This way, it will have to pass through very small holes creating only a tiny amount of icing sugar passing through at a time.
This creates the “dust” look on a dessert
How does the sifter work?
A sifter increases the surface area of the icing sugar by separating it.
Sifters are made of stainless steel. They resist wear and tear, and you can put them in the dishwasher when they are very dirty.
How to clean a sifter?
Tap the sifter on the garbage can, or into the sink to get the excess off. Wash with soap and water when you want to give it a good clean after a few uses.
Only use your sifter when it’s fully dry. Otherwise, you’ll have clumps of icing sugar that will not be able to pass through your sifter.
Dusting powdered sugar onto your dessert is easily done by using a sifter and about ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Tap the sifter gently to dust lightly onto the food. Add more as needed.
Sifting with a heavy mesh colander will make it a lot easier to break up the clumps of almond flour.
Otherwise, you’ll spend hours sifting almond flour just to make a couple of batches of macarons.
Your hands will get tired and frustrated because you won’t be able to get all of your almond flour sifted.
When you don’t sift your almond flour for your macarons, the shell will be lumpy and will not turn out.
When baking macarons, the almond flour is crumbly and clumpy.
If your almond flour is too clumpy, you can blend it in a food processor for a couple of minutes until it’s a bit finer of a grind. This will make it much faster to sift the almond flour.
Be sure to sift the almond flour again when you go to make macarons, just in case they clump up again by the time you use them.
You can also sift your icing sugar with the same sifter.
Icing sugar clumps up into balls of icing sugar. You want your icing sugar to be like powder, aerated, and feel like dust when you mix your macaron batter together.
The ExcelSteel Heavy Mesh Colander is built keeping in mind best practices for ergonomics. If you’re someone who bakes a lot of macarons, this is the sifter you’ll want to save your hands.
Handles on both sides – easy to hold steady while sifting
Ergonomically friendly
Made so it can rest on the top of a bowl
Stainless steel – strong, resists wear and tear, dishwasher safe
Are there other reasons to use a sifter
A sifter increases the surface area available for mixing to the liquid ingredients. This means the ingredients will be more evenly spread throughout the mixing process, creating a balance of flavors and textures.
What is a sifter used for
A sifter is a kitchen accessory that usually has a handle and metal basket. The basket has metal criss crosses creating a bowl shape that allows small pieces of food to pass through.
This breaks up chunks of food into tiny pieces.
The process of sifting adds air and lightens the food (flour, icing sugar).
This is especially important when making a cake. This allows the cake to cook with small air bubbles throughout the cake. The cake has a bouncy feeling when you push your finger into it. You can feel and taste the difference of a cake that has had the flour sifted.
When do you measure your ingredients, before or after sifting
Measure your ingredients for baking always after sifting. Sifting aerates the food, making it lighter. If you measure beforehand, you could be putting too much of the ingredient in your recipe.
Why do you measure your ingredients after sifting
This is the accurate measurement. Spoon the sifted ingredients into a bowl on your scale to get the weighted measurement.
Even when baking a cake where you are using your measuring cups, you need to spoon the sifted ingredients into your measuring cup. Then level off the excess with the back of a knife (flat edge). This way, you will not be packing your flour into the cup and may inadvertently over-measure the amount of flour and then have your recipe not turn out how you want it to. Too much flour or not aerating your flour will result in a dense cake which will be difficult to chew. It wont give you that light, spongy texture that you picture when you’re eating cake.
How much should you sift at once
Only ⅓-½ full basket
Otherwise, your flour or icing sugar will go over the sides and make a huge mess.
How do you use a sifter
Fill your basket ⅓ – ½ full of your first ingredient.
Move the sifter side to side using your hands.
Tap the edge of the sifter gently to let the food fall into the bowl.
For excess food that isn’t coming through the sifter – the dregs of the last bit – discard this. Don’t try to force it through.
Spoon and measure your ingredient – either with a scale, or with a measuring cup and level off with a knife.
How to clean a sifter
Bang the excess into a sink or into the garbage can
If it’s very dirty, wash it with soap and water. Allow to dry fully before using. Never use a sifter when it’s still wet.
Tips
Only sift and measure one ingredient at a time
Use your sifter over a larger bowl than you think you need
Don’t overfill the sifter – this will take more time than if you only sift a little at a time
Use a spoon to gently measure out your sifted ingredient
Think about your own ergonomics when selecting a sifter
Do you want an extending handle
Do you want handles on the side
How big are the holes for what you’re sifting – do you need small or large holes
How large of a sifter do you want
The larger the sifter, the bigger the bowl needed to catch the sifted food
What foods can you use with a sifter
Flour (almond flour, all purpose flour, bread flour)
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Cocoa powder
A sifter is one of the tools you need in the kitchen at certain times – making a cake, macarons, etc. Select a sifter for your kitchen that you know will work for the desserts you will be baking, and that will last a long time. You will have your sifter for years to come.
Watermelon and mango salsa is a refreshing salsa you can serve with pork tacos, chicken quesadillas, and nachos.
The sweeter the fruit, the better the watermelon mango salsa recipe will taste.
What can you eat watermelon and mango salsa with
tortilla chips
tacos
fajitas
quesadillas
burritos
enchiladas
One of my favorite dishes to serve is fish (salmon) topped with watermelon and mango salsa. It’s refreshing, and a burst of flavor that goes well with salmon.
How to make fresh watermelon mango salsa by hand
Get your biggest cutting board out and get ready to start chopping!
It’s best if you start with the bigger fruits – watermelon and pineapple first.
Cut the larger fruit pieces into ~ 0.5 cm pieces.
They will fit on a tortilla chip well if you cut them this size.
How long is fresh watermelon mango salsa good for
Watermelon mango salsa is best served in the first 2 days, but you can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days after making it.
Chop watermelon, mango, and pineapple into small pieces ~ 1/2 cm cubed. Put them into a medium size bowl.
Put on gloves. Begin to cut jalapeno in half. Remove all of the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno. Discard these. Finely cut the jalapeno into tiny pieces. Add these to your bowl. Wipe the surface of your cutting board clean and discard gloves.
Finely chop red onion and red pepper, add these to your bowl.
Chop cilantro and add it to your salsa.
Juice lime and add it to your salsa.
Pour olive oil over salsa. Add salt, paprika and cumin to taste.
Your salsa is ready to serve. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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