Chocolate macarons with dark chocolate ganache

I have been obsessed with french macarons since the first time i saw them. There is something about the texture and colors that lure me in, EVERY single time I come across them. When we were in Paris, I was stopping constantly to peek inside windows to see all the different colors and crazy flavors. And if those melt-in-your-mouth treats weren't 3,60EU for two, I would have bought two of each flavor at Pierre Herme. I think they had like? 20 different kinds (?)? In amazing shades of green, pink, purple, white, silver, blue, black and more. PH is definitely heaven for the macaron obsessed.



I had been meaning to try my hand at them for awhile now, but it sounded daunting and I wanted to do plenty of research and spend time reading hundreds of recipes.



And it paid off, because it was a success on my FIRST TRY. I couldn't believe it. I literally ran around the house screaming "THEY HAVE FEET!", which i hear is what frustrates us new comers. It was a huge check off my "baking fears" list. It really was an easy process, don't be scared to try.



I used the recipe from David Lebovitz, but read and reread many of Tartelettes posts on macarons.

Chocolate Macarons with dark chocolate ganache
Macaron Batter
1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C).


Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.


Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.


In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.


Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).


Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.


Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To make the filling:
Melt dark chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Once melted, add cream until desired taste and consistency.


Recipes coming in the next couple days:
Sweet and sour tofu with asparagus (vegan)
Chocolate peanut butter pie (vegan)
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce muffins (perfect to use up thanksgiving leftovers)

Plus DIY christmas decorations that are too cute.