French Chocolate Macarons | Recipe

Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside- this is a perfect sweet cookie that you can re-create at home, impressing friends and family with them having thought these just came out of a famous French patisserie!
For me, the perfect macaron must have a light, thin 'egg-shell'-like texture, and the inside of the macaron shell should soft and ever so slightly chewy. Since macarons need to be precise and accurate in order to achieve the right texture, and for the 'feet' to appear, it is vital to measure the ingredients using a digital food scale rather than relying on cups for measurement to achieve the best results everytime. Enough with the talking, here is the recipe:

French Chocolate Macarons Recipe                                                                        Recipe by iSaamuel

 INGREDIENTS;
- 40g of Egg Whites,
- 16g of Caster Sugar,

- 75g of Powdered Sugar,
- 10g of Cocoa Powder, (replace with more Powdered Sugar if wanting plain macarons)
- 50g of Almond Flour,

Ganache filling;
- 60g of Dark Chocolate, melted, (use Milk if you like),
- 3 Tablespoons of Heavy Cream.

1. Whisk egg whites and caster sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
2. Sift in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and almond flour on top of the stiff egg whites.
3. Cut and fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites with a spatula (this process is called 'Macaronage'). Do not over-mix or under-mix.

Over-mixing will result in flat macarons, while under-mixing creates 'cracked' macarons.
Mix until the batter is a 'lava-like' drooping consistency. The batter is ready when it spreads out gradually after being poured.

4. Pour the complete batter in a piping bag and cut the corner.
5. Pipe macaron batter into even circles on a lined baking sheet. Drop the baking sheet 3 times to release any air bubbles.
6. Let the macarons rest and air-dry for 30 minutes to an hour, or until dry to touch.
7. Once dried, bake at 160C for 15-18 minutes. During the process you should see 'feet' forming under the cookies. The macarons are done when the peel  off the baking sheet easily.

For the Chocolate Ganache filling;
1. Melt dark chocolate with cream in the microwave or over a 'bain-marie' (double boiler- a pan of simmering water under a bowl). Mix well to combine and you're done!

Fill or pipe this filling in between 2 cookies and decorate with Cocoa Powder or edible glitter/luster dust! Enjoy.