German Chocolate Cake Macarons

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch, 2 cm) ready. If you set the pastry bag in a glass it's much easier to fill.
• Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond flour and cocoa so there are no lumps. Use a food processor since purchased almond meal isn't quite fine enough.
• In the bowl of an 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 in 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).
• Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined sheets in 1 inch (3cm) circles, evenly spaced 3 cm apart.
• Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Sprinkle the tops of half of the macarons with finely chopped pecans when you pipe them.
• The nuts won't stick to the dough after it forms a skin. Let them set at room temperature for about an hour until they form a skin that doesn't stick to you finger when you touch them.
• Bake for anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. It's trial and error until you find the temperature and baking time that work for you. Let macs cool and then carefully remove them from the baking sheet.
• Coconut Pecan Filling :
  Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 15-18 minutes or until mixture thickens and turns a light golden brown, stirring constantly. The mixture won't be thick enough to spread and will thicken up after the coconut is added. Add coconut and mix well. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate to a consistency that will hold its shape. Makes about 4 cups. Fill macarons and refrigerate.