I’ve always wanted to but never had the chance to try a macaron.
All thanks to Baking Bites and her Nutella Macarons Recipe, I can finally try a macaron for myself.
The recipe was easy to follow (noobie-friendly check mark) and very straight forward. I used almond meal instead of hazelnut meal simply because Bulk Barn didn’t sell it. I didn’t let the piped macaron dough sit for twenty minutes and it’s probably why they don’t look smooth and authentic like Baking Bites’. Overall, it was a successful baking session and the macarons were delicious.
All italicized writing means it was taken from original poster: Baking Bites.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups hazelnut meal (180 g) [I used almond meal instead]
2 cups confectioners’ sugar (200g)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (30g)
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar (180g, granulated)
1/4 cup water
approx 1 cup Nutella
1. Sift together hazelnut[/almond] meal, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
2. Add two egg whites [into the bowl above] and stir mixture until it comes together into a very thick dough. This may take a few minutes, but the mixture will eventually all come together.
*I was getting impatient and added in another egg yolk which made the mixture really moist. “Patience is virtue.”
3. In a small saucepan, bring granulated sugar and water to a rolling boil.
4. In another large mixing bowl, beat remaining two egg whites until frothy. When sugar mixture comes to a boil, beat egg whites to soft peaks.
5. With the mixer on medium speed, drizzle the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites very slowly until all of the syrup has been incorporated and you have a thick, fluffy meringue.
6. Take 1/3 of the meringue mixture and mix it into the chocolate paste with the electric mixer. Fold in remaining meringue in two or three additions.
7. Transfer batter to a piping bag (or plastic bag) with an approx 1 cm opening.
8. Pipe dough onto prepared baking sheets to form 1-inch discs (approx 1 1/2 tbsp per disc); batter will spread slightly after piping. Leave about 1-inch between discs on the baking sheet.
9. Once all of the batter has been piped out, let the macarons sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to form a “skin” that will give them a smooth, shiny top during baking.
10. While the macarons sit, preheat the oven to 350F.
11. Bake macarons for about 11-12 minutes, until the tops are set.
12. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
13. Once macarons are cool, sandwich them together with about 1 teaspoon of Nutella.
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