Ingredients (makes 50 macaron cookies) For the macaron shells:
- 164g egg whites, divided to two
- 200g white granulated sugar
- 50ml water
- 205g almond flour/ground almonds
- 205g brown sugar powder
- 5g Nescafé espresso instant coffee, grind
For the filling: – dark chocolate & coffee ganache
- 200g dairy free dark chocolate
- 60ml heavy cream
- 20ml strong filter coffee
- 20g brown sugar powder
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Prepare two baking sheets with baking paper or silicone macaron baking sheets.
- Divide your egg whites to two, leaving 82g aside and placing 82g in your mixing bowl.
- Place the granulated sugar and water in a pot and put it on the stove on medium heat, at the same time start whisking the egg whites in your mixing bowl in medium high speed.
- When the sugar and water mixture starts to boil let it boil for one minute until it comes a thick syrup
then lower the whisking of your egg whites to low speed and slowly pour the syrup in the foam.
- Turn whisking on high speed and continue whisking for about 5 minutes until you get stiff and glossy peaks.
- Meanwhile mix your almond flour, powdered sugar and grinded instant coffee until fully incorporated, then add your second part of egg whites in and mix.
- Add the almond paste in your bowl with meringue and gently mix it by folding with a spatula or big spoon.
- Pipe the macaron shells onto your baking paper or silicone macaron mat.
- Get rid of possible air bubbles by lifting your baking sheet 10 cm and dropping it on a flat surface, do that few times and you are ready to bake the macarons.
- Lower the temperature of your preheated oven to 150°C and bake one sheet at time, in the middle of the oven for 18 minutes.
- Let the shells cool down for 5 minutes before peeling them off.
- Line the shells up for filling, matching shells next to each other.
- Prepare the ganache and fill the macarons:
- Place the heavy cream in a small sauce pan and bring to boil
- Break the dark chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl or a deep plate.
- Pour the hot cream and hot coffee over the dark chocolate, leave it for a minute and then mix.
- Once all chocolate has melted sift the brown powdered sugar in and mix well.
- Place the ganache in a piping bag and start piping in circles on the flat side of the shells.
- Top with another shell to make a sandwich
and you got a ready macaron! The coffee flavor is still very mild and the dark chocolate flavor definitely dominates. I will next time add some more coffee and maybe sprinkle some grinded instant coffee on the top of the shells too. The feet fell short again which I will try to fix next time by letting them sit for some time before baking though Italian method does not normally require that step. Letting it form a thin layer on top will help in forming feet. I’ll also have a go with French method before summer heat and humidity.