Martha Stewart Macaron Recipe

Recipe from the Martha Stewart  website. I also found viewing some online videos helpful as you get to see the techniques and how much time should be spent on each method. I have put the recipe up here and added my own notes relating to Kitchen Aid speeds/times etc.

• Ingredients 
• 1 cup icing sugar

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

• Pinch of cream of tartar

• 1/4 cup caster sugar

1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. If using Kitchen Aid use speed 4 for approx 1 minute. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high,(Kitchen Aid speed 8) and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 8-10 minutes. They should slide off the baking paper when cooked. 
   Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)
4. Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.