Ingredients

For the rose blossom filling:

62.5g/2.25oz

good quality white chocolate, melted and left to cool a bit

62.5ml/2.25oz

double cream

15g

unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces

1.5tsp

Steenbergs Rose Blossom Water

For the batter:

125g/4.5oz

organic ground almonds

125g/4.5oz

organic icing sugar

1tsp

red food colouring (use beetroot if you wish to)

2 tsp

Steenbergs organic rose blossom water

90g/3oz

egg whites (somewherearound 3 eggs areneeded)

125g/4.5oz

caster sugar

Macarons are delicate shells that when bitten reveal a soft chewy middle. the best time to eat these little French almond biscuits is the day after you have filled them so the shells and filling soak into each other. I never manage to wait that long before testing them, if you are the same just make plenty x

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180oC /350oF. Line two baking trays or sheets with baking parchment paper andget a pastry bag ready with a 2cm plain tip.
Start by making the rose flavoured filling. Melt the white chocolate bits in a mixing bowl over boiling water. Heat the double cream and when the cream is just about to boil, remove from the heat and add to the white chocolate, then stir until smooth. Add the butter and mix these through until completely smooth. Now add the Steenbergs organic rose blossom water and mix thoroughly. Cover the filling with clingfilm touching its surface and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
In a food processor, grind together the icing sugar and ground almonds until really fine and then sieve.
Put the egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until they start to rise, then add the caster sugar in two parts, adding the Steenbergs rose blossom water and colouringwith the second batch ofcaster sugar,and continue to whisk until the egg whites become stiff, firm and slightly glossy on the outside.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients in two parts into the beaten egg whites with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and the last streaks of egg mix disappear, stop mixing and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.
Carefully pipe out the batter into 3cm round evenly spaced every 3cm apart onto the parchment paper. Rap the baking tray three times on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Then bake for 15 – 18 minutes with the oven door kept slightly open held by wooden spoon. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then carefully detach and leave to cool completely.
Toput the pink rose macarons together, pipe some of the rose blossom filling onto a macarons and then sandwich another similar shaped macaron on top, twist it slightly until the filling spills our a bit. Carry on until you have built all of the pink rose macarons.
Cover them and store in the fridge for about 24 hours before taking out of the fridge and serving at room temperature.