How to Make Chocolate Macaroons

Makes: 10

Preparation time: 1 ½ hours

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients needed to make Chocolate Macaroons:

• 3 egg whites
• 4 oz ground almonds
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 7 oz icing sugar
• Pinch of red food colouring
• ½ tsp cream of tartar

For the chocolate filling:

• 7 fl oz double cream
• 7 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 ½ oz unsalted butter
• 1 tsp brandy

Cooking instructions for Chocolate Macaroons:

• Add the almonds and icing sugar to your food processor and pulse them until properly blended; keep it aside.
• Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer at low speed, until they form stiff peaks.
• Spoon in the caster sugar as well as cream of tartar and continue to whisk the mixture, while increasing the speed exponentially at intervals, until the mixture turns smooth and shiny.
• Add few drops of food colouring to it, along with the almond-icing sugar mixture.
• Fold them together until the mixture becomes frothy and look somewhat like a shaving foam.
• Line a baking tray with a greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Transfer the mixture into a piping bag, fitted with a ½’’ round tip and pipe round circles, each about wide, onto the lined baking tray; in case any peak sticks out, level it with a wet  finger.
• Release any air bubbles trapped in the macaroons by tapping the base of the tray and set it aside for half an hour.
• In the meantime, warm up your oven to 315 degrees F.
• Place the baking tray with the macaroons, into the oven and bake them for about 10-15 minutes or until they are properly baked.
• Take them out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5-7 minutes.
• Once they are cold enough to handle, peel them off from the grease-proof paper and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• To make the filling, place the chocolate in a saucepan and pour the double cream over it.
• Heat the mixture over slow flame, while stirring often, until they are properly blended into a smooth mixture.
• Add a bout of brandy to the mixture, along with a knob of butter and whisk them together until well combined.
• Turn off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Spread the chocolate filling on one macaroon and top it with another one to make a sandwich.
• Leave it in the fridge to chill for half an hour and serve.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons