Preheat the oven to 150C (302 degrees Fahrenheit)
Place egg whites and caster sugar in a bowl and mix with electric mixer.
Beat until stiff and glossy, you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the meringue falling out.

While the egg whites are whisking sift the almond meal, cocoa powder and icing sugar twice. Discarding any almond lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve. Once the egg whites are ready immediately fold in the icing sugar mixture. It should take roughly 50 folds until the mixture is smooth and very viscous, not runny. Over-mix and your macarons will be flat, under mix and they will not be smooth on top.

Pipe onto trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Firmly bang trays on the bench (this prevents cracking) and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven and then move to the bottom of the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Filling your macaroons

My favorite filling is flavoured ganache, for these macarons I used white chocolate ginger ganache.

Ganache Recipe
200g (7.05 ounces) white chocolate
70ml or 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp cream (35% fat)
25g (0.88 ounces) grated fresh ginger
few drops green colouring – optional

Bring the cream and ginger to the boil, remove from heat and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Return to the heat and bring to the boil again. Pour through a sieve over the white chocolate. Let stand for a minute or two and then stir. If it is not adequately melted then microwave for 20 seconds and stir – repeat until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before piping onto macarons.

For a variation try making choc chip macarons – use this easy macaron recipe and add 50g (1.76 ounces) of grated chocolate.

howtocookthat.net

2013