1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
Strawberry Mascarpone Filling
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons high quality, low sugar, strawberry preserves (or any fruit preserves)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F. To prepare the baking sheets, use a 1 ½ inch round cutter to trace circles onto parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. You will need 4 sheets of parchment paper and baking trays.
Step 2
To make the macarons: In the bowl of a food processor combine the 1 ¾ cups coconut sugar, almond flour and salt. Pulse until the mixture is evenly mixed then remove to a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment mix together the egg whites and cream of tartar on low until the cream of tartar is dissolved. Turn the speed up to medium and whisk for 5 minutes, until the egg whites have formed soft peaks.
Step 4
Lower the speed and begin to add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar- a little at a time- allowing it to mix in before adding more. (If you want to color the macarons, add gel food coloring at this stage so that you have time to adjust the color without over-whipping the egg whites.) Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla bean paste and increase the speed back to medium and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed; the bowl should be able to be turned over without any of the egg whites falling out.
Step 5
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
Step 6
Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in ⅓ of the almond flour until just combined. Continue this process until all of the almond flour has been incorporated, being careful not to overmix and knock the air out of the egg whites. The consistency of the batter should look like wet sand.
Step 7
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Dot dime-sized amounts of batter onto each corner of a baking sheet and then place the parchment paper, traced side down, on top (this will help to secure the parchment paper and make it easier to pipe and bake).
Step 8
Pipe the batter into the middle of the circles by placing the tip close to the parchment paper and gently squeezing the piping bag while slowly pulling it up. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
