ChocoParis decided to let a bouquet of Easter flowers (tulips) serve as inspiration for this month’s MacTweets Mac Attack Challenge.

These pretty pink chocolate and raspberry macarons were made with just a few simple variations to last month’s recipe for chocolate macarons.

The basic recipe for French macarons can easily be adapted according to taste and imagination.

For these, the unsweetened cocoa was of course omitted. A tiny bit of Wilton’s “Rose Petal” food colouring (just the tip of a knife) was added to the beaten egg whites, just after the second addition of sugar.

For the filling, half the batch was garnished with leftover ganache (below) and the other half with “Bonne Maman” raspberry jam (bottom photo).

The often-mentioned and apparently good advice about letting the egg whites “age” for 48 hours when making macarons was followed this time.

As egg whites age, they lose moisture, resulting in a thicker batter, which helps the macarons hold their shape better.

To age egg whites, simply separate them from the yolks, cover and leave on the countertop for a day or two.

Egg whites may also be aged in the refrigerator, but remember to bring them to room temperature before using them.

Aging the whites made a difference over previous batches – the batter had a perfect consistency and the macarons baked evenly, producing lovely ruffled “feet,” as you can see in the photos. The shells were firmer too.

The basic recipe for macarons is posted here, along with a link to a very helpful instructional video (in French).