Hazelnut Macarons With Chocolate Ganache Filling

Along with the cocoa macarons with espresso buttercream that I shared with you yesterday, Jen and I also made these hazelnut macarons with chocolate ganache.


Hazelnut Macarons (adapted from Joanne Chang and Fine Cooking)
(Printable version)

Ingredients

1  cup (100 grams) almond flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) hazelnut flour
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) confectioners' sugar
4 egg whites (120 grams), at room temperature and at least a day old
4 tablespoons (50 grams) sugar

Preparation

Line a clean, flat cookie sheet with a Silpat, and set it aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in middle of oven.

Sift together almond flour, hazelnut flour, and confectioners' sugar, and set aside.

In a spotlessly clean stand mixer bowl, whip whites on medium speed until they are foamy and you can start to see the tines of the whip leaving a trail in the whites, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, and continue to whip for about 30 to 45 seconds. Add another tablespoon of sugar, and whip again for another 30 to 45 seconds. Repeat with the third and fourth tablespoons of sugar.

When all of the sugar is mixed in, whip the whites for about another minute or two until they become glossy and shiny. Remove from mixer.

Fold in about half of the nut flour/confectioners' sugar mix; when most of it is folded in, add the rest of the dry mix. Fold until mixture is smooth and a little stiff -- it should drop smoothly off of the spatula.

Using a piping bag and a small round tip, pipe out small rounds of macaron batter about 1 inch in diameter. Try to pipe straight down and quickly pull away when you are done to minimize peaks. Pipe until you’ve used up all the batter.

Rap the cookie sheet several times to flatten out the mounds and to pop any bubbles that might be in the batter.

Let cookies rest for about 15 to 30 minutes, until they are no longer tacky to the touch.

Place in oven, and immediately turn oven down to 300 degrees. After 8 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet. Depending upon your oven, cookies take from 15 to 20 minutes and are done when they turn very light golden brown. Remove from oven, and let cool.

Remove cookies from Silpat, and fill with chocolate ganache (recipe below).

Cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

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Chocolate Ganache (adapted from Joanne Chang and Fine Cooking)

Ingredients

6 1/2 ounces (180 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (or use chocolate chips)
3/4 cup (180 grams) heavy cream

Preparation
Place the chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, scald the cream over medium-high heat (bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan, but the cream is not boiling). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds, then slowly whisk the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

The ganache can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before piping.

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Note: You'll notice that our cocoa macarons look a little better than the hazelnut ones. I really want to blame the rain for this. When we made the cocoa macarons in the morning, it wasn't raining, but when we made the hazelnut ones in the afternoon, it was. Macarons are known to be temperamental, and the humidity can definitely have some effect.

Jen and I have another baking date this weekend, so we'll have more goodies to share with you soon!

What dessert or baked good makes you nervous when you think about attempting to make it?