Tasty Tuesdays!

My First

MACARONS!

Coffee Macarons with Chocolate Nutella Ganache

(to be exact)

I've heard that these little guys were quite hard to make, 

but I had an OK time with them.

Mine are by no stretch perfect

(and in the hoopla of the party I only got a few sub-par pictures...grr...)

but let me tell you they. were. HEAVENLY.

Holy Moly, I literally could eat these all day everyday.

Let's get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites) AGED FOR 24-48 HOURS!!

*IT SOUNDS GROSS, BUT THEY WILL BE FINE. SEPARATE YOUR EGG WHITES AND PUT THEM IN A BOWL WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL OVER IT FOR 2-3 DAYS BEFORE YOU'RE READY TO COOK. TRUST ME.

25 gr to 50gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar

200 gr ( 1.5 cups + 2Tb) powdered sugar

110 gr almonds ( 3/4 cup) (I used slivered)

2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee (Additional for Topping If Desired)

*Don't let the grams scare you - just use the good ol' measurements.

For The Nutella Ganache:

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

3/4 Cup Dark Chocolate

3 Tablespoons Nutella

Here we go...

In a food processor, blend the almonds, coffee and icing sugar until very finely ground.

Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the (AGED) egg whites until foamy. 

Slowly begin to add the granulated sugar until you have created a glossy meringue.

Add the almond mixture to the meringues all at once, 

and quickly fold to blend and break up some of the air.

Once you have the right consistency, fill a pastry bag with a plain tip with the mixture. 

Carefully pipe circles of about 1.5 inches in diameter about 2 inches apart onto parchment paper.  

Let the macarons rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour to develop a skin. 

(You can tell if this has happened by lightly touching the top with your finger, 

if the mixture doesn't stick to your finger they are ready for baking.)

Preheat the oven to 280 degrees F. 

Carefully slide the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how large you piped them. While baking they should rise with airy feet developing. 

Once baked remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Store macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to add the filling.

To make the filling:

Heat the cream in a small pot until just before it begins to boil. 

Break up the chocolate and mix it into the hot cream until it has completely melted. 

Add the Nutella and stir to blend. 

Refrigerate the filling for an hour or two until it begins to

 firm up enough to be of spreading consistency.

 Either pipe or spoon some of the filling onto one half of a macaron, 

and then top with another of equal size. 

enjoy!

adapted from Italian Food Forever