24 December, 2015

December recipe: Chocolate macaroons

Chocolate macaroons




If you like chocolate, this recipe is for you.  These chocolate macaroons are light, surprisingly simple to make, and delicious enough for any festive occasion. When you’ve eaten enough fruit cakemincemeat meringue and mince pies for one Christmas, try these for a change.

You can use the egg yolks in sweet pastry, or substitute two egg yolks for one of the eggs in custard tart for a richer custard.

Chocolate macaroons

For the macaroons
2.5 oz (approx 60 g) ground almonds
4.5 oz (approx 125 g) icing sugar
0.5 oz (approx 12 g) cocoa
0.5 oz (approx 12 g) granulated sugar
2 egg whites

For the ganache filling
2 oz (approx 50 g) plain chocolate
2 Tablespoons (2 x 15 ml spoons) double cream
0.5 oz (approx 12 g) unsalted butter

To make the macaroons
Sieve the icing sugar, ground almonds and cocoa together.
Whisk the egg whites until starting to thicken.
Add the granulated sugar and whisk until stiff.
Fold the icing sugar, cocoa and almonds mix into the egg whites using a metal spoon.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment. (Yes, you really do have to do this. If you just grease the tray the macaroons will stick).
Spoon (or pipe, if you have a piping bag) the mixture onto the baking parchment in discs about 2 inches (about 5 cm) in diameter, well separated.
Leave to stand for 15 minutes to form a skin.
Bake in a hot oven at 180 C for approximately 12-15 minutes, until the macaroons are dry on top.
Remove from the parchment using a palette knife and cool on a wire rack.

To make the ganache filling
Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Stir in the butter and double cream.
Remove from the heat.
When the ganache has cooled but is still soft enough to spread, sandwich the chocolate macaroons together in pairs.

This quantity makes about 16 macaroons (8 pairs).

Before you sandwich them with the ganache, the macaroons will keep for several days in an airtight tin.
After you’ve sandwiched them together with the ganache, they will keep for a day or two. Not that they are likely to get the chance.

Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.