“Into The Woods” Macarons
Makes roughly three dozen finished cookies
Macaron paste:
3 large egg whites
2 ¾ cup almond flour (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill)
2 ¾ cup confectionary sugar
Swiss meringue:
3 large egg whites
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp peppermint extract
A few drops of green food coloring (I prefer color gels)
Spiced dark chocolate filling:
1 ¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp chili powder
10 ounces dark chocolate morsels
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1) Make your chocolate filling. In a medium saucepan, stir together the heavy cream, espresso powder, cinnamon and chili powder. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring often. Put all the chocolate in a medium glass bowl and when the cream is ready, pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy and then add the butter and continue to stir until it has melted and fully incorporated into the chocolate. Set the mix aside to cool and firm.
2) Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and draw your macaron template. The circles should be 1 ¾” in diameter and leaving at least ½” gap between the circles. I actually prefer to use Silpat macaroon templates – now available everywhere!
3) For the macaron paste, put the three egg whites in a large glass bowl, and mix in the almond flour with a spatula or dough scraper. Sift the confectionary sugar over and mix in thoroughly. This will form a very, very thick paste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you make the Swiss meringue.
4) For the meringue, put the three egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring constantly with a whisk, bring the mixture up to 150 degrees (to fully melt the sugar into the egg whites). Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer and use the whisk attachment on high to create a stiff, glossy meringue. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
5) Gently fold the meringue mixture, one large spoonful at a time, into the macaron paste. Once all the meringue is folded in, fold in the peppermint extract and then a few drops of green food coloring to reach your desired color.
6) Pipe the mixture evenly over the marked circles on your template. Leave the pans to stand, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to dry the skins. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
7) Bake the macarons for 10-12 minutes until risen and set. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets before assembling. When the cookies are cool, pipe a bit of the chocolate filling on half of the macaron disks and sandwich with the remaining discs.
