Vegan macarons

Preparation

Pulse meringue base

1. Whisk together the water and Vitessence Pulse 3600.
2. Place in a Thermomix and heat to 90°C and hold for 5 minutes.
3. Cool down and reserve for later.

Plant-based macarons

1. Place the meringue base in a Kenwood bowl. Dry blend the xanthan gum and 2 g of icing sugar and add to the mix.
2. Whisk the mixture on full speed for 6 minutes, until stiff peaks are achieved. 
3. Dry blend the 1/3 caster sugar with the starch and add to the mixture, whisk for 3 minutes then slowly add the remaining sugar and whisk for a further 3 minutes.
4. Sieve together the icing sugar and ground almonds & cocoa powder removing any large pieces. 
5. Fold in the almond mixture to the meringue gently then place in a piping bag with a 1 cm nozzle. 
6. Pipe onto a sheet of baking paper to required size and bang flat a few times, leave to dry outside for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 140°C, place the macarons in the oven and cook for 8 minutes, open the oven door to release any steam then cook for a further 20 minutes. 
8. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and leave to cool before removing.