How to Make Chick Macarons

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3 and line 2 large baking tray with baking paper. Fit a 16 inch decorating bag with tip 1A.

Whizz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture then sift into a bowl.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites, and salt on high speed until foamy, then with the mixer running, slowly add the sugar. When the mixture reaches soft peaks, add vanilla and a few drops of yellow Color Right to the bowl, gently mixing until you reached your desired chick colour.

Continue whipping until mixture forms stiff peaks.

Gently pour the almond mixture over the whipped egg whites so they don't deflate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond mixture into the egg whites until the mixture holds a 10 count, (meaning when batter falls from the spatula to the bowl it takes about 10 seconds until it fully blends into the rest of the bowl in the batter). The mixture should be thick enough to pipe without running everywhere, but the peak at the top of each piped cookie will fall on its own, making a perfectly smooth macaron.

Transfer the batter to the prepared decorating bag.

Pipe 1 inch rounds of batter onto the parchment lined pans, spacing at least 1 inch apart.

Tap the pans hard on the countertop 4-5 times to release trapped air, and then let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or until the unbaked macaron forms a skin and does not stick to your finger when touched. Allowing the macaron to crust over is what leads to their signature “feet,” the holey ring that arises during baking at the base of each cookie.

Bake for 18-22 minutes on a shelf in the centre of the oven. If baking 2 pans at a time on different oven racks, rotate the pans from bottom to top midway through baking. There isn't a great visual on how long to bake macaron. When under baked, the centres can be wet. When overbaked, they start to brown slightly and become very crunchy instead of crisp on the top with a softer interior.

Cool the macaron completely on a cooling grid before sandwiching with your filling of choice. Flavoured buttercreams, jams, and chocolate ganache are all great options.

Draw your little eyes, beak, wings and head feathers onto the Chick Macarons with the food writer as per the photos or use royal icing with a no. 2 tip.