Violet macaroons

Enough for 12

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• 200 g (2 packets) ground almonds
• 110 g icing sugar
• 70 g caster sugar purple food colouring (I use gel food colouring purchased at a specialty shop)
• 2 egg whites 2 extra-large eggs
• creamy filling
• 12 fresh violets for decoration

Preheat the oven to 130 ° C. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

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1 Sift the almonds through a very fine sieve. Weigh the almonds. You should have 100 g ground almond flour. Sift the almonds and icing sugar together three times.

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2 Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar tablespoon for tablespoon while constantly whisking.

3 Beat until the mixture is thick and glossy. Fold the meringue mixture into the almond mixture. Add a drop food colouring.

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4 Mix the mixture well, you do not have to be careful with the egg whites.

5 Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1 ½ cm nozzle and spray 2½ cm circles on the prepared baking sheet. Leave a gap of 5 cm between each. Bake for 15 minutes.

6 Open the oven door slightly and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

7 Remove the macaroons carefully with a palette.

8 Spoon the creamy filling (recipe alongside) into a piping bag with a 2½ cm nozzle and spray a little in the middle of six macaroons. Place another macaroon on top and squeeze gently until the cream is just visible around the edges.

9 Put on a pretty platter and put a violet on each macaroon.