Whenever you want to impress your friends or family, I recommend making a macaron which is nothing more than a giant chocolate macaron. Fill it with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Source:Home Cooking Adventure
Makes about 8 servings
Chocolate Macaron – Italian Meringue
1 1/2 cups (150g) ground almonds
1 1/4 cups (150g) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
55g egg whites (about 2 small eggs)
1/4 teaspoon (1g) salt
55g egg whites (about 2 small eggs)
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons (38ml) water
Raspberry Filling
4 oz (120g) fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
Buttercream sweetened condensed milk
7 oz (200g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
9 oz (260g) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
To decorate
Leftover butter cream
Fresh raspberries
Mini macarons
Guide
Macaron Lemon Peel
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together and set aside.
Heat a small pot of water on the stove to create a double boiler for Swiss meringues. Beat the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are frothy (about 120F).
Remove mixture from heat and use a whisk on high speed to beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract, lemon extract, and food coloring and mix for a few seconds, until they are completely combined.
Use a stiff spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. This process can take some time, just keep folding and pressing the dough against the sides of the bowl until the mixture can separate and form a complete ‘8’ shape without breaking. Don’t mix too much.
Using a piping bag with a moderately rounded tip, thread two 4-5 inch circles onto a pre-lined cookie sheet. Hit the pan on the stovetop a few times to remove any air bubbles inside the dough (use a toothpick to remove visible air bubbles and not splatter).
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet while preheating the oven to 300F. Bake each tray in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. The macaron will be slightly darker in color.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely on a tray before taking them out.
Lemon Curd
Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes. The curd should be thick enough to cover the back of the spoon.
While still hot, pass the curd through a sieve into another bowl/jar, cover and let cool completely to room temperature. Store covered leftovers in the refrigerator.
Cream cheese coating
In a large bowl, use a whisk to beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat slowly until the mixture is almost completely gone, then turn the speed up to high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
Meeting
Place the first macaron shell, facing down, on a flat surface. Use a pastry bag with a star tip to coat the top of the macaron with cream cheese. Then sprinkle some passion fruit on top of the frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Macarons are best chilled just a little bit. Take the macarons out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving so the cheese frosting can soften a bit.
