Chocolate Macarons
French Chocolate macarons are nothing short of a culinary marvel, a harmonious symphony that marries nuanced sweetness with the distinct, nutty essence of almond, all elegantly encased within their soft, moist, and irresistibly chewy shells. These petite, round delights, reminiscent of enchanting miniature hamburgers, serve as the quintessential French sandwich cookies, masterfully crafted from delicate meringue. Their exterior, a light and crispy facade, gives way to an interior that is tender and chewy, offering a medley of layers and textures that enchant the senses.
The flavor profile of macarons is a meticulously balanced melange: the subtle sweetness dances harmoniously with the almond’s gentle notes, while a whisper of sugar and a vibrant splash of food coloring elevate the entire experience. But the true pièce de résistance of any macaron lies in its sumptuous fillings.
Within these dainty exteriors, one can find fillings that span the spectrum of indulgence. Imagine velvety buttercream, rich and smooth chocolate ganache, or luscious marzipan, each contributing its own unique texture and depth of flavor. Sweet jam and succulent fruit compote add a touch of tartness and freshness, making each bite an orchestrated burst of contrasting yet complementing flavors. The interplay of these fillings against the chewy and crispy shell creates an irresistible treat, visually captivating and tantalizingly delicious.
In the world of confections, French Chocolate macarons stand out not just for their taste, but also for their sheer elegance and charm. They are as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the taste buds, making them an irresistible choice for dessert lovers and a testament to the artistry of French patisserie.
Macaron Shells
Ingredients
80g eggs white
20g cocoa powder
90g ground almonds
90g icing sugar
70g white caster sugar
Steps:
1.) Preheat your oven to 300F
2.) Mix egg whites and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and whip them together into a meringue.
3.) When meringue begins to stiffen (about 5 minutes) add food coloring. Add as much as you like! More drops will make for a deeper dark color.
4.) I use the chocolate macaron recipe for this video:
5.) Sift the almond powder and icing sugar together well or use food processor if available.
6.) Whip the eggs whites and caster sugar until stiff peak.
7.) Fold almond powder and the meringue together
8.) using a figure 8 mixing motion. This will knock some of the air out giving the macaron its smooth top.
9.) Put batter into piping bag.
10.) Line a standard sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
11.) Begin piping batter in small 3.5 cm mounds 2cm apart.
12.) Tap tap tap the tray against the counter gently so that the tips of the mounts flatten and become smooth on top.
Before you begin baking, a couple things to keep in mind. Everyone’s oven is different. Your oven might be different from my oven. Also, humid conditions can affect how the macaron turns out, as they have to be very dry before you begin baking. This means that in some climates you’ll only have to wait 20 minutes, while in others you may have to wait over an hour for the batter to become dry. I won’t go too deep into atmospheric science, keep this in mind if you live in a humid climate.
13.) Once the batter is dry, the batter not stick to your finger when touch the skin form on the surface., place in oven on a middle rack and bake at 300F for 15 minutes
14.) Open the oven door and leave open for 2 minutes before taking out the tray.(option for using silicon baking mat)
15.) Let cool for 10-15 minutes. You can check for coolness by touching as well.
16.) when the macarons have completely cooled down, remove from the tray and store in an airtight container before filling.
Preparing For the Filling
Making filling for the desserts is unlimited. You can have from sweet to savoury, whatever you desire! For me, the best of type of sandwich cookies is balanced. Not from adding more sugar into the filling but adding richness to the cream to satisfy your taste. I personally like my filling a little starchy or salty.
By the way: I have ten different kinds of fillings.
Some people might like the macarons without filling. I like the macaron fill with creamy smooth, light with fresh fruit. In this video we’ll prepare a chocolate ganache macaron filling.
This indulgent chocolate ganache macaron is delicious.
The filling uses three main components:
Dark chocolate ganache
Salt caramel
Peanut butter
The salt in salt caramel and creamy crunchy of the peanut butter,
combined with the dark chocolate ganache perfectly complements each other.
Not too sweet, not too salty, just right.
Each component is prepared independently and assembled in layers when putting the cookie together.
Soft chocolate ganache
Ingredients:
200g dark 55% high-quality chocolate
200g 35% cream
70g soft butter
Steps:
Heat the cream to boil
Pour in the chocolate
Stir until the chocolate completely melts
Leave in room temperature or in the fridge to set
Salt caramel
The Salt Caramel
Ingredients
300g 35% cream (heavy cream)
200g light corn syrup
50g brown sugar
100g fine caster sugar
½ tsp salt
Steps:
Combine brown sugar cream and syrup in a saucepan over high heat
Once combined set aside
In a separate saucepan over medium low heat add caster sugar and stir until melted into an amber color
Slowly pour the liquid cream into the caramel while stirring.
Pour into mason jar and let cool in the fridge to thicken.
ENJOY !
The final assembly of the macaron:
Put ganache into pining bag and pipe a generous mound of ganache on the bottom shell.
Spoon a dollop of quality crunchy peanut butter on the centre of the ganache
Drizzle the filling with soft caramel
Place top shell on the filling and gently press down
Keep them set in the fridge one day before serving
That’s it!