Love is in the air and it’s time to consider what delectable sweet treats to share with the ones we love. It’s also time for the monthly MacTweets challenge!

For those of you unfamiliar, Mac Tweets is made up of people all over the world mesmerized and obsessed with a little French cookie called the macaron. For February, the Mac Tweets theme is – and how could it not be – Valentine’s Day!

These simple little cookies can produce such frustration, that even the most accomplished baker approaches the oven with not a little trepidation when the timer goes off. I have tried all the famous recipes, and some not-so-famous ones. But, I have finally refined the basic recipe and technique to a point where I’m getting consistent results and feel comfortable sharing what I’m doing, with you:

RJ’s Basic Macaron Recipe

Ingredients:

1 rounded cup blanched, slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbs + 1 tsp. granulated sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300º. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Place the almonds and powdered sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and run until the nuts are superfine and combined with the sugar. Sift the mixture into a bowl and set aside.

In a larger glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Sift in the cream of tartar and sugar, and continue beating until glossy, stiff peaks form.

Fold half of the nut/sugar mixture into the egg whites until nearly incorporated. Add the other half and continue to fold until the whites are completely incorporated, with no white streaks showing. The batter is the right consistency when a bit of batter dropped from a spoon onto a flat plate loses its peak in a few seconds. If the peak remains, give the batter two or three additional folds and test again.

Load the batter into a pastry bag with a large round tip and pipe into circles about 1-1/2″ in diameter onto the baking sheets, keeping them about 1-1/2″ or more apart. If decorating your macs, this is the time. For these Valentine Macs, I placed a 1/2″ heart-shaped cutter on top of the mac, and lightly sprinkled red sanding sugar inside till the surface was completely covered, then gently removed the cutter in a straight-up motion.

Leave the macarons out on the counter for at least 45 minutes to dry. You may have to let them sit longer in higher humidity. They’re ready to bake when they’ve formed a light skin over the top. Touch one lightly with your finger. If it feels dry and not sticky, you’re good to go.

Bake for 18 – 20 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from pans with offset spatula and fill if and how desired.

Filling continues to be my personal bugaboo. So I didn’t fill these. But they’re so light and crispy – yet chewy on the inside – that I decided to leave well enough alone.

For more Valentine’s Day cookie options, try these Linzer Torte Cookies, cut in heart shapes, or these Stained Glass Lemon Cookies, with heart cut-outs!

Lured in by @Vindee, @lifesafeast, and @ShelleyBakes, – new friends of mine on Twitter – I accepted the challenge to bloggers and Twitterers all over the world to attempt to make that delicate filled sandwich cookie, the French macaron.

Not to be confused with the macaroon, the French macaron is an airy cookie made of meringue and ground nuts. Sandwich a yummy creamy filling between two of them and you have the macaron.

Making macarons is not as easy as it sounds, and in the end, I must admit defeat. As in de feet. A proper macaron has a smooth, crispy outer shell, a chewy interior, and a rough”foot” from which it rises a bit. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

I ain’t got no feet. But they are delicious!

Pistachio Macarons with Chocolate Almond Butter Cream – 3rd attempt

Hazelnut Macarons with Coffee Cream – 4th attempt

And you know what? I’m good with that. My second attempt (failed for other reasons) was a recipe for chocolate macarons out of A Passion For Chocolate by Maurice and Jean-Jacques Bernachon (adapted by Rose Levy Bernabaum for the American kitchen). In a photo illustrating their macarons – guess what? – no feet! But as MJ said when I gave him one to taste: “They don’t need feet to get ‘em to my mouth.” I love him. Anyways…

So, whether to blame the humidity, oven temperature(s), or any of the other minute variables, I can’t tell. And under the circumstances, I’m not going to share these particular recipes. But do visit Jamie at Life’s A Feast and see how she and other food bloggers (in whose company I am most humble) who took up the Mac Attack challenge, did!