• If you haven't aged your egg whites, you should do it now so they have time to relax and let some of the water evaporate.

Ganache

• I make my ganache 24 hours in advance to give it time to set up.
• Bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer over medium heat.
• Place your chocolate into a heat proof bowl
• Pour the hot cream over your chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Whisk the chocolate and cream together until it's smooth.
• Add the butter and continue whisking until it's smooth.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache and let it set up at room temperature for 24 hours.

Macaron Shells

• Preheat your oven to 310ºF (154ºC)
• Place your almond flour and powdered sugar into the food processor and blend for 30 seconds to combine.
• Sift the mixture to remove any lumps.
• Add in your first measurement of egg white and mix until you get a thick paste. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
• Add your second measurement of egg white and cream of tarter to the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment attached.
• Add your sugar and water to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Once the sugar starts boiling, begin whisking your egg whites on medium speed until they reach soft peaks then reduce the speed to low but do not turn them off.
• Once your sugar mixture reaches 236ºF you can add in any coloring you want.
• When the sugar mixture reaches 244ºF immediately stream it into the mixing egg whites on medium speed. Avoid hitting the whisk.
• Continue whipping on medium speed for 5 minutes then increase to medium high until you reach stiff glossy peaks that have a slight bend in them.
• Add in the vanilla extract.
• Add ⅓ of your meringue into the almond paste mixture and mix it in to lighten the paste. You don't have to be careful.
• Add the rest of the meringue and fold it using the "J" folding technique in my video until the batter can make a figure eight and settles into itself after 2 minutes.
• Put the macaron batter into a piping bag with a medium round tip
• Pipe the macaron batter onto the silicon mat on top of the cookie sheet. Hold the piping bag straight up and down, about ½" from the mat, and squeeze the batter until it goes just past the first circle. Stop squeezing then make a quick "c" motion with the tip to detach the batter from the cookie.
• Hold the pan above the counter about 6" and drop it to remove bubbles from the batter. You can also use a pin or toothpick to pop any bubbles you see.
• Allow the shells to form a thin skin for about 15 minutes. Don't let them sit too long or they will not rise.
• Bake your macarons for 15-16 minutes or until the shell doesn't wiggle anymore when you touch it.
• Remove the silicone mat from the pan and let it cool on a wire wrack. Don't remove the shells until they are fully cooled.

How To Assemble The Italian Macarons

• Match your shells up so that they are similar sized and line the tops and bottoms up in a row.
• Pipe the ganache onto the shell about ⅛" away from the edge with a piping bag.
• Press the top shell on and repeat with the rest of the shells.
• After you fill your shells, refrigerate them for 24 hours so they become soft and chewy. You can even freeze them to eat later!