Peaches and Cream Peaches and Cream

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Chocolate Macarons

If you’re looking for an easy recipe for Valentine’s Day, then this is definitely not the recipe for you. I am not going to lie; these little guys take a lot of patience and love. And I mean, lots of love. And patience. Plus it helps if you’re slightly obsessive about macarons. After spending weeks of researching these cute yet incredibly intimidating and finicky cookies, I went with a trusted source: Annie’s Eats. She has a wonderful tutorial that (almost) guarantees the success of your macarons. I say almost because there are a variety of things that potentially could go wrong, so it is important to follow the instructions precisely. What I can say is that you can still eat the ones that didn’t turn out and they will still taste amazing! Regardless of whether or not you succeed-it’s okay. Practice makes perfect.

Anyway, back to the cookies. I did not make any changes to this recipe as this was my first time with them and wanted to get the feel of the technique. It is important to use a digital scale in order to measure out the correct quantity, as well as using a food processor and strainer to ensure your almonds are ground extremely fine. The eggs whites do need to be aged at room temperature for 12-24 hrs. Yes it seems ridiculous, but I really can’t mess with a good thing right?

You can make them in various types of flavors, but I thought I would start with chocolate. It’s slightly disturbing how fast these cookies disappeared, but c’est la vie. The idea of having a filling stuffed in-between these cookies is simply ingenious. They definitely taste better after a day, if they last that long! 











Chocolate Marcarons

INGREDIENTS
For the Macarons
110 grams blanched almonds  (I used slivered almonds)
200 grams minus 2 tbsps powdered sugar
2 tbsps cocoa powder (I used Dutch processed)
3 egg whites (about 100 grams), aged 12-24 hours at room temp
50 grams sugar

For the Espresso Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps unsalted butter
2 tbsps granulated sugar
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

DIRECTIONS
For the Macarons
Add the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and pulse until well-blended. Use a strainer to ensure almonds are finely ground.

Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy and gradually add the granulated sugar while whipping until a stiff, dry, shiny meringue forms.

Add the almond mixture to the bowl with meringue and quickly (but gently) incorporate the mixture with a rubber spatula into the meringue until no streaks remain, but don’t overbeat. You want to achieve a batter that flows and “ribbons” for at least 5 seconds.

Line the baking sheets with silicone mats or alternatively, use parchment paper. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe small rounds, approximately 1-1/2 inches in a diameter, and leave 1 inch in between rounds. Take hold of the sheet pan and hit it hard against the counter. This will remove any air bubbles. Sit at room temperature for an hour; it will let the macaron develop a hard shell.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake 8-10 minutes, depending on size. Cool completely before removing macarons off the pan.


For the Espresso Ganache
Heat the heavy cream, butter, sugar in a small saucepan on medium-high sweet and bring to a boil. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the 8 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate and 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and espresso. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Keep at room temperature until it is thick enough to pipe.


*Macarons may be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. I found that the flavors were better balanced after a day. Sit at room temperature prior to serving (no one likes a cold cookie!)


Source: As seen on Annie’sEats, via Use Real Butter, who adapted it from Tartellete 

No comments:

Post a Comment

 

Blog Design by Eedee Design Studios