Chocolate Macarons

I always feared French macarons because I heard they were hard to make. I decided to watch several videos on youtube and checked out some library books. After much research I decided to give these cookies a try. Honestly my first batch was hard. The main reason was because I needed to get the basics down. The more I make them the easier they get. 

I like to think about macarons in 4 steps: 

1. Sift the dry ingredients. I know, sifting is not the most pleasant part of baking but it is a must for this recipe. The cookie batter needs to be nice and smooth and the only way to achieve this is by having all your dry ingredients sifted.
2. Know how to make a good meringue. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Also, cream of tartar helps a lot with achieving stiff peaks.
3. Be gentle when folding your batter. Pay close attention with every fold to make sure you don't over mix.
4. Make sure you let the cookies rest before you bake them. This is so important. You pretty much want the cookie to dry out so it creates a shell. When you bake them the shell doesn't let them spread, instead the only way they can grow is up-hence the famous feet. 🙌

Ingredients for Cookies:

3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Ingredients for filling:
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
6 tbsp cup heavy whipping cream


Cookie Steps:

Step 1: Take a sheet of parchment paper and draw out circles that are about 1 1/2 inch (you can easily find pre-made templates online). Place the template parchment underneath the clean parchment paper. I like to use binder clips to keep both parchment sheets from slipping while I pipe.  Do this for two cookie sheets.

Step 2: In a bowl sift together almond flour, confectioners sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside.

Step 3: Place the room temperature egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until you start to see some froth. At this point add the cream of tartar and pinch of salt. Continue to beat on high speed.
*It is important that the egg whites are at room temperature. If they are not, they will not rise as nicely as they should. Also, you need to make sure that the bowl you use is clean. Any residue will not allow the egg whites to rise and you won't get a nice meringue.

 Step 4: Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
*Make sure to slowly add the sugar so that it fully incorporates with the egg whites and it doesn't affect the meringue process.

(This is what stiff peaks should look like.)

Step 5: Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg whites and gently fold in with a spatula until it is incorporated. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold until fully incorporated.
* When you first start to mix the batter will look crumbly. You don't want to under mix or over mix. As you are folding with the spatula the batter should go from one large lump to a smoother ribbon like consistency.  In other words, be gentle.  You really only need a couple extra folds after the dry ingredients have incorporated to the wet ingredients.

(Under mixed, needs more folding)

(Now we are talking. The batter is ready.)

Step 6: Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a medium round tip.
*You can always improvise by using a zip-lock bag and cutting one of the corners.

Step 7: Pip the batter onto the parchment paper we set up on step 1. When you are all done with each cookie tray remove the template sheet by gently sliding it off. Tap each pan about 5 time to remove any air bubbles that may be in the batter.

Step 8: Set the macaroons aside and let them rest for about 45-60 minutes. You want them to dry out before placing them into the oven. You want to be able to lightly touch them without any batter sticking to your finger.
*This step is important if you want your macarons to have what they call "feet". Feet are a sign of a good macaron.

Step 9: Preheat oven to 300 degrees and bake for 20 minutes in the middle rack.
Let them cool completely before assembling your macaron.
*Do one tray at a time to guarantee an even bake time.

Step 10: Pipe some filling into each cookie and sandwich them together.
*Cookies are best served the following day.

Filling Steps:

Step 1: In a small sauce pan bring the heavy cream to a simmer.

Step 2: Pour warm cream over chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Slowly mix until the chocolate and cream have been well incorporated. Set aside to cool off.
* I like to make my filling while the cookies are resting so that it has cooled off when the cookies are done. You can also make the filling the night before.