If your almond flour is coarse, run the mixture through the food processor to grind it fine. Don’t grind it for too long, though, or the mixture will turn to almond butter. If you don’t want to make chocolate macarons, leave out the cocoa powder.
At this point you can beat in flavorings such as vanilla, peppermint extract, or almond extract to the wet batter. Add about a teaspoon of your favourite flavouring. Mix in drops of food colouring to make the macarons more colorful. Match the color to the flavor you have chosen for a nice effect. Keep in mind that macarons tend to lighten when baked, so you may want to add in an extra drop of food colouring in order to achieve the desired shade.
You’ll probably need to punch the batter about 10 - 12 times before it’s ready. Make sure not to overmix the batter. Stop when it looks like pudding; if you punch it too many times, it will become runny, which ruins the consistency of the batter.
If you don’t own a pastry bag, you can make your own by using a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off one of the corners, then fit it with the icing tip. Experiment with different icing tips. Most bakers make macarons in the classic round shape, but if all you have is a star-shaped tip, give it a try!
You can open the oven door after a couple of minutes to let any humidity escape. This helps the macarons rise and take the correct shape. Don’t over bake the macarons, or they’ll brown on top and the texture won’t be quite right. Baking macarons is a fussy process, and takes a lot of practice. If your macarons fall on the first try, consider changing the temperature or cooking time in the future.
To help the macarons cool down quickly, baker Eric Lanlard recommends lifting the parchment paper and pouring a little cold water beneath the sheet and the paper. This will create steam, enabling you to remove the macarons with ease.
You can also freeze the macarons and keep them frozen for a month.
