This is one of my favorite times of year for baking; we’re officially into the fall season in  Chicagoland! Today’s recipe for Nutella Macarons is so fun, so fancy, and so simple, you’ll definitely make it again and again throughout the entire holiday season. Last month, we explored Hispanic flavors from around the globe; today we’re heading to France for inspiration. If you’ve ever been intimidated by macarons, this is the perfect time to try them! If I can do it, so can you! There’s nothing more satisfying than debuting an impressive looking cookie during the upcoming holiday months. Let’s go for it!

This recipe includes several secret (or not so secret) ingredients. First, how can you go wrong with Nutella®? It’s one of my favorite ways to instantly create rich, deep flavor, and I love that it doesn’t contain any artificial colors or preservatives. Best of all? Nutella® will help give breakfast to kids in need through No Kid Hungry®! If you’re looking for more inspiration, you can find more holiday recipes using Nutella® at Nutella.com. I’m planning on using this hazelnut spread as the star of lots of goodies this season.

I’m also excited to share Country Crock Plant Butter!  I used the stick variety in this recipe, and I’ve found that it can be substituted 1:1 for dairy butter in ANY recipe. This is HUGE, particularly if you avoid or eliminate dairy products. It’s 100% dairy-free, vegan, and certified plant based. The fact that I can get this easily at Meijer? Even better! It literally cooks, bakes, and tastes just like butter, but with 25% less saturated fat. 

In my research for this recipe, I also discovered that Country Crock plant butter production uses LESS THAN HALF the greenhouse gas emissions than production of dairy butter! Truly makes me feel good about using it. Baked goods are especially great with Country Crock Plant Butter; think brownies, cookies, quiches, and pies. The olive oil leaves no artificial taste and serves as a neutral flavor. 

And without further ado…on to the macarons! There are several important points to discuss before you begin. When you view this recipe, you may be surprised to see ingredients called for by weight (grams) rather than by volume (cups). There’s a very important reason for this! Macarons are by nature very finicky. When measuring by volume, your amounts can vary due to temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors. 

Ever wonder why you’ll sometimes need more milk to thin the pancake batter, and other times you’ll need less? Measuring flour by volume (using a cup measurement) produces slightly different results each time. For some recipes, this isn’t a big deal, but for macarons, it is! The answer? Weigh your dry ingredients. 

I’ll admit; there have been points in my life where I’d scroll by any recipe that required a kitchen scale. Don’t make that mistake! You can buy a great kitchen scale for under $15, and you’ll be surprised how often you use it! It’s even useful for craft projects, determining how much postage will be, and more. Trust me; it’s worth it! When you’re baking with kids, it’s also a great learning opportunity to discuss grams, ounces, pounds, and more.

I’ve also noted an important step when separating your egg whites and yolks. Cold eggs separate better, so split your whites and yolks with eggs right from the fridge. However, room temp egg whites whip up much better, so go ahead and leave your whites in the bowl on the counter to come up to room temperature. 

Finally, it’s critical that there’s no grease on the whisk or the stand mixer; otherwise, the egg whites won’t whip properly. A great way to do this is to run a cloth with lemon juice or vinegar along the bowl and mixer attachments to ensure everything is pristine.

Make sure to read the entire recipe before you begin, and weigh, measure, and assemble all ingredients before you get going. This is great when you have kids helping, too; even little hands can add in ingredients that are already pre-prepped. The French call this idea “mise en place,” and it means to have all your materials ready to go. Let’s face it; the French know a thing or two about fine baking! I know you’ll love the recipe as much as I did; let me know what you think!