September Sweetness

As always, it's been a busy month at Highland Angel HQ. Our lovely team has expanded, we're getting ready for Christmas and have lots of new products and exciting plans in the pipeline. We also updated the Press section of our website to include our BRIT Awards coverage - take a look here. Inspired by the Great British Bake Off, we've also been busy in the kitchen, attempting to master the macaron. Here's how...

Ingredients:
* 100g icing sugar
* 100g ground almonds
* 2 medium egg whites
* a small pinch of salt
* 55g caster sugar
* 150g butter, softened (for the filling)
* 75g icing sugar (for the filling)
* raspberries (for the filling)

Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 150°C.
* Sieve the icing sugar and ground almonds into a large baking bowl. Discard any larger flakes of almond left in the sieve.
* In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until they form soft peaks. Add the caster sugar a little at a time and whisk until thick and glossy. Ideally, you should be able to hold the bowl upside down without anything falling out - if you're brave enough!
* Gently stir in the icing sugar and almonds. The mixture will lose some air and become loose but don't worry, this is normal.
* Fill a piping bag with the macaron mixture. Pipe small blobs onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Remember the mixture will settle a little, so allow room between each blob.
* Gently tap the tray a few times to help the mixture settle and break any air bubbles. Leave to dry for 20 minutes - the surface of your macarons will become smooth and shiny.
* Bake for 7-8 minutes. Open the oven door to release any steam then close and cook for a further 7-8 minutes. The macarons are cooked when they feel firm and slightly risen.
* Slide the greaseproof paper onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Don't try to move the until they are cold or they will break.
* For the filling, beat the softened butter until it is fluffy and gradually add in the icing sugar.
* If you wish to add raspberries to the mixture, you might want to reduce the butter or add more icing sugar to compensate for the added liquid.
* Place the filling on the flat side of one macaroon and sandwich together with another, then twist slightly to create a bond.
* Enjoy immediately or if you can resist, refridgerate for 24 hours to make them even more chewy and delicious!