Chocolate Coffee Flavoured Macarons

The urge to make macarons has struck me again.  I think I have to blame my girlfriend's daughter for this.  Her teenage daughter has been pestering me to give her a lesson in macarons.  I've been turning her down because I have not actually perfected the act as yet.  I have had my fair share of failures with cracked and burnt tops.  So in a way I really dare not commit until I have somewhat perfected this skill.

I shall not say that this time round I was successful as I did have about a quarter of my shells cracking. Even though they cracked the taste and flavour was still there.  The ones you see here in this post are the "better looking ones". 





Chocolate Coffee Flavoured Macarons

For the Shells:


110g powdered sugar


50g ground almonds


1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp espresso coffee powder

60g egg whites 
(about 2 eggs) *

35g granulated sugar

Cocoa nibs for topping, if desired

* Aged one day in room temperature.  If using fresh egg white, I would zap them in the microwave oven for about 12 seconds

Ganache: 

8 oz dark chocolate, chopped coarsely


8 oz heavy cream


1 tsp Kahlua or coffee liquer

Method:

1) Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or silpats and set aside.

2) Add the powdered sugar, almond meal, cocoa and coffee powder to a food processor and process to a fine, even powder.  When done, sift the contents into a large mixing bowl to remove any last lumps. Throw out the lumps. If there are quite a lot of lumps, return all ingredients back to the processer and continue to grind until fine. 

3) Add the egg whites to a clean dry bowl and whisk until frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the meringue holds stiff peaks.


4) Add one half of the meringue to the mixing bowl containing the almond meal mix and gently fold in until just barely mixed using a silicon spatula. Add the remaining meringue and continue to gently fold until the batter looks like flowing lava. It should be thick but should still spread (about 50 folds in total)

5)  Pipe out circles of batter on the prepared baking sheets approximately 1.5” wide in diameter. Allow some distance between the piped circles for spreading. When finished piping, rap the baking sheets a couple of times on the counter firmly to allow any air bubbles to settle. Sprinkle cocoa nibs on half of the shells.

6) Preheat the oven to 160C. Set the pans aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the macarons to dry and a skin to form on top. Test by gently poking with your finger. The macarons will be ready when dry to the touch and your finger only leaves a slight impression. 


7) When ready, bake for 12-14 minutes and rotate the pans midway through to ensure even baking and coloration. Remove to a rack to cool.

8) For the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer over medium high heat in a small saucepan. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. When the cream has reached a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and set aside for a minute or two until the chocolate is mostly melted. Add the liquer. Use a whisk or spatula to stir the ganache to a smooth consistency. Set aside to allow the ganache to set up or place it in the refrigerator to cool which will hasten the process.

9) When cool, spread your ganache or other filling on the flat side of a shell and sandwich with another, squeezing gently.  Allow the macaron to rest overnight in the refrigerator. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.