French Filled Macaroons

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole blanched almond (or slivered)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup shredded coconut, finely chopped
• lemon curd
• raspberry jam

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325 degrees f. line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. in a food processor, combine blanched almonds and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. cover and process until very finely ground. set aside.
• 2 in a large bowl, combine egg whites, salt, and vanilla. beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). gradually add the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed just until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). sprinkle about one-fourth of the almond mixture over the egg mixture; fold in with a large spatula. continue sprinkling and folding in almond mixture, one-fourth at a time, until the two mixtures are combined.
• 3 transfer macaroon mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (about 1/2-inch). pipe half the macaroon mixture into 1-inch circles on prepared cookie sheets. pipe remaining half of the macaroon mixture into 1-inch mounds on prepared cookie sheets. sprinkle tops of mounds with finely chopped shredded coconut.
• 4 bake in a preheated oven about 10 minutes or just until set (cookies shouldn't crack). cool cookies completely on cookie sheets on wire racks. peel cookies from parchment paper.
• 5 spread about 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd on the top of each of one-half of the rounds. spread about 1/2 teaspoon raspberry jam on the top of each of remaining rounds. top with cookie mounds, flat sides down. makes about 46 sandwich cookies.
• 6 to store: layer unfilled cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. to serve, thaw cookies if frozen. fill as directed in prior step.