Gluten free macarons laced with seasonal peppermint flavours make an excellent Christmas treat!

Yield:
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Gluten Free Christmas Peppermint Macarons

I love how versatile macarons are and these peppermint macarons are no exception! I've crushed some peppermint flavoured candy cane for the tops and filled them with sweet peppermint flavoured buttercream. Serve these dainty gluten free desserts at your Christmas party or wrap them in Christmassy gift boxes and distribute to your secret Santa. Or simply enjoy them on Christmas Eve in front of the twinkling Christmas tree lights with a cup of something warm after you've wrapped all the presents.

Macarons are naturally gluten free as they're made from ground almonds and egg whites. They can be tricky to make, but they shouldn't be too intimidating. For the perfect macaron, you're looking for a shell that has a foot, the frilly bit just at the bottom. You also want your macarons to have an egg shell-like texture on the outside and to be soft and chewy on the inside.

When making your shells, make sure you sift your dry ingredients and whisk your whites from ambient, room temperature and not from chilled. Also, you don't have to age your egg whites, some people say this helps to stabilise the shells, but it's never made much difference to me. Just do what works best for you. Finally, it's important to sprinkle the decorations onto the shells soon after you've piped them. Leave too much time between piping and adorning and your shells are more likely to crack. And if your first few batches don't turn out quite right, remember this: no matter the macarons look like, they'll always taste fantastic!

Ingredients:

For the macarons
2 medium egg whites
35 grams caster or superfine sugar
70 grams ground almonds
140 grams icing sugar, sifted
red paste food colouring
green paste food colouring
crushed candy canes or peppermints
holly sprinkles
For the peppermint buttercream
4 tablespoons vanilla buttercream
peppermint flavouring
red paste food colouring

Gluten Free Christmas Peppermint Macarons

Instructions:

1. Sift the almonds and icing sugar together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the egg whites in a medium-sized bowl, adding the caster or superfine sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.
3. Divide the whites in half and gently fold in the red paste colouring in one bowl and the green in another. 
4. Divide the dry ingredients in half and fold into each coloured egg whites.
5. Pipe the batter onto a parchment-lined baking tray, topping the green macarons with holly sprinkles and the red macarons with crushed peppermint or candy cane.
6. Let the macarons rest for at least 20 minutes or until a skin has formed.
7. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 150 c/300f.
8. When the macarons are fully rested, bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.
9. Meanwhile, combine the shop bought buttercream with some of the red paste colouring and some of the peppermint flavouring. Use as little or as much as you like and until the desired flavour and colour is achieved.
10. Once the macarons have cooked and cooled, sandwich some of the peppermint buttercream between one green shell and one red shell.

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