(Adapted from Life’s a Feast)
Ingredients:
(macaron)1 3/5 cups (200 g) powdered/icing/confectioner’s sugar
slightly less than 1 cup (112 g) finely ground almonds
3 large eggs whites (about 3.5 oz / 100 g)
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon (35 g) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
(Chocolate Ganache)
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
(110 – 115 g) dark chocolate
Instructions:
Prepare 2 large baking sheets. On 2 large pieces of white paper the size of your baking sheets, trace 1 – inch diameter circles (I used the bottom of a candle….) evenly spaced, leaving about 1 inch between each circle. This will be your template to help you pipe even circles of batter onto the parchment paper. Place one paper on each baking sheet then cover with parchment paper. Set aside. Prepare a pastry bag with a plain tip.
Sift the powdered sugar, the ground almonds, the cocoa powder and the spices together into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
With a hand mixer, whip the egg whites for 30 seconds on low speed then increase speed to high and whip until the whites are foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar as you continue to whip the whites until you obtain a glossy meringue and all of the sugar has been beaten in. The meringue will be very stiff (turn the bowl upside down over your head stiff) and be dense.
Gently but firmly fold the whipped whites into the powdered sugar/ground almonds/cocoa, using a silicon spatula or the equivalent, turning the bowl as you lift and fold, making sure you fold in all the dry ingredients completely.
Fill your pastry bag with the batter. Pipe circles onto the parchment paper, using the traced circles on the template sheets to guide you, holding your pastry bag above each circle and piping into the center. DO NOT FORGET TO CAREFULLY REMOVE THE WHITE PAPER TEMPLATE FROM UNDERNEATH THE PARCHMENT PAPER. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS TEMPLATE TO GO IN THE OVEN! (All caps because should you start a fire, I don’t want it to be my fault.)
Allow the macarons to sit out for about an hour or even longer if the shells are not ready to bake. The top of each shell should form a “skin” (it will feel like it hardened a bit when gently touched and not stick to your skin). Preheat your oven to 280°F (140°C). Bake the shells for 15 – 25 minutes, depending on their size. Mine baked for 17 minutes and my oven bakes fairly slowly.
Remove the tray from the oven and immediately slide the parchment paper with the shells off of the hot baking sheet and onto the counter. Allow to cool completely before sliding the shells very gently off of the parchment paper. Be extra careful with the center of each macaron- that’s where the worst sticking occurs!
Now make your ganache. Coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream just to the boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and creamy. Allow to cool until desired piping consistency.
When the macaron shells are cool, pair the shells up evenly, each with a matching partner. Smear a half teaspoon or more of the ganache onto the bottom shell of each pair. Carefully sandwich the shells together.
And now to finally enjoy them!
