Chocolate Macarons
Macarons are thin meringue cookies, which originated in France, that are sandwiched together with some kind of filling. Extremely yummy, extremely cute and all the rage at the moment… They are notoriously difficult to make but once you perfect them they will be one of your favourites.
Ingredients
To make 36 of these (18 full Macarons) you will need…
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) ground almonds
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 4 eggs (whites only)
- 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
To make one batch of chocolate ganache filling you will need…
- 180g dark chocolate, chopped
- 4 tablespoons thickened cream
Method
Sift almond meal, cocoa and icing sugar together into a bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved.
Fold half the almond mixture into the eggs until just combined. Fold in remaining mixture until combined and glossy.
Preheat oven to 130°C. Pipe 4cm rounds of mixture onto trays, 4cm apart. Tap trays on bench to remove any air bubbles. Set aside for 1 hour. Setting the macarons aside for 1 hour after piping creates a skin which maintains their shape during cooking.
Bake macarons, one tray at a time, for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are firm. Cool on trays. Make sure you cool macarons before removing from trays, or they will stick.
To make the filling, bring the cream to the boil in a medium saucepan, remove from heat. When the bubbles subside, add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Spread 1/2 teaspoon of filling over flat sides of half the macarons. Sandwich with remaining macarons. Enjoy!