Baking Trends - Macarons

Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Ganache

It seems like colorful macarons are a big trend right now. Shops sell beautifully colored cookies stacked up in pretty boxes. Note: these are macarOns not macarOOns (the coconut cookies)...people seem to get the names confused calling both macaroons.

Before baking this recipe I had never had a macaron let alone baked them. It takes a while to make macarons (you have to let them sit for an hour on the baking sheet before going into the oven) but the process isn't that difficult. It is important to pay attention to all the instructions because the cookies are very sensitive. This meant using a scale to weigh out the ingredients instead of just using measuring cups. This ensures that you get the exact right amount of each ingredient. Another weird aspect of making macarons is that you need to "age" your egg whites. This kind of grossed me out, but after you separate the eggs you let the whites sit at room temperature anywhere from 12 to 48 hours. I let mine sit about 16-18 hours. Apparently, this helps the egg whites become more liquidy, yet they will still be safe to eat. Lastly, I used parchment paper to baking my cookies on, but I think I need to invest in silicone baking mats because a lot of my cookies stuck to the parchment and I lost a lot of cookies =(

Chocolate Macarons

Ingredients:

110 gm blanched slivered almonds
200 gm minus 2 tbs confectioners’ sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder
100 gm egg whites (about 4 eggs), aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
50 gm granulated sugar

Espresso Ganache (see below)

Directions:

1. Put the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and process until well blended. 
2. In a large bowl use a hand mixer with whisk attachments (you could use a stand mixer), beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should be smooth and shiny.
3. Add the ground almond mixture to the bowl with the meringue and using a rubber spatula, gently fold mixture until there are no streaks. The mixture should be thick, but should be able to fall in ribbons off your spatula.
4. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper). Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip (I used a #12 tip). Pipe into small rounds onto the baking sheets (1 or 1 1/4 inches in diameter) leaving about 1 inch inbetween. 
5. Let cookies sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell.
6. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Bake for 9-11 minutes, depending on size. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies.
7. Match all the cookies into pairs of equal size. Pipe a layer of ganache onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Carefully, sandwich the two cookies together. Continue with the rest of the cookie pairs. Store in an airtight container (can be stored in the fridge for about a week).

Espresso Ganache

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs granulated sugar
  1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  3 tsp espresso powder

Directions:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.
2. Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer and pour over the chocolate. 
3. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk gently until chocolate is melted and mixed in. 
4. Add espresso powder and mix until combined. 
5. Let the mixture cool (place in refrigerator to speed cooling) until it is thick enough to pipe.