Gourmandises!

Macarons are these cute French almond cookies that come in different flavors and colors and make everyone goes:" WOW! I want one!". I remember when I made my first macarons here They look funny, don't they!?? the color looks odd and they are too fat! but over all I was quite happy with my result as a first attempt, ehm ehm!!!
The thing with macarons is that you either like them or hate them. but honestly who can resist those cute friandises??..........my hubby does, he always tells me "what!?? you made them .....again??? they are too sweet! " It is true that they are sweet, and I haven't come across a recipe that uses less suagr than this recipe, but the thing is macaons are so flavorful that you don't need to eat a ton! have them with coffee or tea, just find a reason to eat them!!



If you ask me what is the perfect macaron? I honestly don't know. I never had macarons other than mine, so - according to "me" - a macaron should Not be too flat nor too fat (like my first catastrophic attempt!). I personally prefer them on the flat side because usually they'll be filled and sandwiched so we don't want a cookie that is as high as the empire state building. Also, it has to be chewy on the inside, but again not undercooked,and should be slightly crunchy on the outside. Finally, the top of the cookies should come out shiny, not grainy or cracked.
Voila, I think that should be the "A B C's" of macarons. Oh! I almost forgot that one of the most important thing to remember when making macarons is the OVEN TEMPERATURE. They should cook in a low oven, no more than 325 f.
after so much talking, I know you can't wait to check the recipe. I used in mine half almonds and half hazelnuts but you can use only almonds and omit the coco if you want other flavors.I also used hazelnut praline in the filling which is basically a cooked caramel and nut that is cooled and ground to a powder. I have to mention that if you are expecting a very chocolaty macarons, you should look for another recipe! or stick with this one and add more coco!


Chocolate hazelnut Macarons

Macarons batter
100 g egg whites (some recipes require 1 day or 2 day old whites. whenever I have leftover whites I use them for that, otherwise I just use fresh ones and they both work fine)
200 g powdered sugar.
65 g ground blanched almonds.
60 g ground hazelnuts.
30 g granulated sugar
20 g coco.

Ganache filling
150 g dark chocolate
75 g heavy cream
4 tablespoons hazelnut praline

Preparation

1- Preheat the oven to 320 f. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2- In a food processor, combine the ground almonds, ground hazelnut and powdered sugar. Mix until you get a thin powder. Remove from the bowl, add the coco and Sift the mixture. Set aside.
3- Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peak. Gradually, add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until the mixture becomes shiny. At this point, you add the desired food coloring (if using).
4- Sift the dry ingredients over the egg whites in 3 steps. fold the mixture until shiny. Do not over mix.
5- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round 1/2 inch tip with the batter and pipe evenly the cookies leaving 2 inches between them. Let the cookies rest for about 20 minutes.
6- Cook the macarons for 12 to 15 minutes. Let them cool before filling with the ganache.

Ganache Filling
1- Finely chop the dark chocolate and put in a bowl.
2- Heat the cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes then whisk it gently until smooth and shiny. Let the ganache cool a little bit then add the praline.