Do you know what day it is today? Exactly – Cookie Friday! Yay!
But this are macarons, right?! Exactly – delicious chocolaty macarons! Some may think now “hm… that are no cookies” – but to be precise – macarons are just plain ole cookies with a buttercream filling in the middle. With a fancy name. Ok they are delicious, but still cookies :P
Grab a double layer cookie with filling – just one(!) – and take a seat!
Some of you might have noticed already that something is different here… the pictures look a bit different. You might think “finally, he got some new backgrounds and props for the pictures!” – but no – even though I wish I had some new stuff…
Well – Cookie Friday is on tour the upcoming weeks! Or is it kidnapped? :P
Cookie Friday will still take place here, but all you can see and read (especially the recipes) will be from blogger friends I invited to join me for my little cookie obsession (or in this case it would be a macaron obsession). Lovely Sarah from the famous Knusperstübchen was my first cookie guest some time ago – the experimental guinea pig with some delicious Brownie Peanut Butter Cookies ;) You out there liked that a lot, so I thought I could invite more talented bloggers to bake for me. Finally somebody is baking for ME! Yay! ;)
So let’s get it started, shall we? First one to join me here is Kevin from Austria – but I think I should let him speak for himself…
Hi, my name is Kevin. And today it’s my turn to take over Marc’s Cookie Friday. But first I want to explain, who I am. My blog is called Law of Baking and there are tons of sweet things. The name of my blog is explained very easily: In life 1.0 I’m studying law and in my spare time I bake a lot. Now you can see, the name is program. And that’s not the only thing, where I get in touch with food. As you can imagine, studying law is very expensive, so I have to work too.
There is this little grocery store in our village and when I say little, I mean LITTLE! Just 90 square meters and 500 people living in the village, but there is enough local produce and farmers who are pleased to sell their stuff in our store. We’ve even got a little section with drugstore stuff. And the best thing, for me indeed, is, that the bakery from the next village delivers freshly baked goods every morning. If you compare this to bigger supermarkets, it seems like, we are working in a little deli, but it’s just a smaller version of a supermarket.
As soon as Marc and I discussed my appearance on his blog, one recipe came to my mind. I thought to myself: “If I’m invited to Marc’s Cookie Friday, I will bring some fancy cookies!” But there were a whole lot of troubles during the baking process. Macarons can be very finicky. They are better called “mimosa of the French patisserie”. But soon after that, I get the hang on it and they finally worked out as I planned.
But don’t think that macarons, which doesn’t look very appealing, taste like sh**. No, they’re equally as delicious as the pretty ones. One thing you should know is, that I’m living at my parents’ house. So there are enough people to participate as taste testers or even rest exploiters. Dad likes to call himself: SAUKIWL – as we may call it here in the south-east of Austria. Even if there were the ugliest macarons you could imagine, my whole family was waiting to give them a try and munching them to a better life into their tummy. And these once here: I had to take care of them, so that I can take some nice photos before they are all gone.
So, I don’t want to bother you any longer until you can finally read the recipe. If there is anyone who wants to know more about me, can come over to my blog (www.lawofbaking.com). There are a lot of cakes, cupcakes, cookies or other stuff and many stories about me and my life. Thank you Marc for having me and my macarons. I’ve got a big kick out of it to try the recipe, fail and success, until they were perfect.
Back to me. I’m Marc. Hello ;)
Dear Kevin – have to say it once again here – thanks a lot for your delicious macarons, the recipe and everything! I am happy you are part of the Cookie Family now :) Everybody else out there – go and check out his blog! Make everything he has on the blog! Now! (he is really good!) :)
The “Tour-de-Cookie” will continue next week – we are coming back to Germany and Berlin to meet another talented (male) food blogger… stay tuned!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (100g) superfine sugar
2 cups (500ml) whole milk
14 oz. (400g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the macaron shells:
5 large egg whites, divided equally in 3.5 oz. (100g)
1 1/4 cups (250g) superfine sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) water
2 1/2 cups (250g) ground almonds
2 1/4 cups (220g) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (30g) cocoa powder
another 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, for dusting
5 große Eigelb
100g Zucker
500ml Milch
400g Zartbitterschokolade, gehackt
Für die Macaronschalen:
5 große Eiweiß, getrennt in jeweils 100 g
250g Zucker
80ml Wasser
250g Mandeln, gemahlen
220g Puderzucker
30g Kakaopulver
noch einmal in etwa 20g Kakaopulver, zum Bestreuen
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Put the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover the bowl with cling film, whereas the cling film touches the surface of the ganache and put it into the refrigerator until you need it.
3. For the macaron shells: Put the first 3.5 oz. (100g) egg whites into a clean bowl of a stand mixer and set aside. Cook the superfine sugar and the water in a saucepan over medium high heat. You will need a candy thermometer. Check the sugar constantly without stirring. When the mixture reaches 114°C (237°F) start whisking the egg whites on high speed.
4. When the mixture reaches 121°C (250°F) take it off the heat and turn the mixer down to low. Poor the sugar in a slow but steady stream into the egg whites and then crank up the heat and beat until triple in volume and cooled down.
5. In the meantime put the ground almonds, powdered sugar and cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. If your almonds aren’t as fine, put them together with the other two ingredients into a food processor and ground them up. Then sieve them into the large mixing bowl.
6. Add the last 3.5 oz. (100g) egg whites and work them into the dry ingredients until a paste forms.
7. Now fold in the meringue mixture in three stages until it looks like wallpaper glue or running lava. If you put up a spoonful of the mixture and let it drop back into the rest it should slowly but steady disappear into the rest of it.
8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper und put the mixture into a piping bag with a medium round nozzle. Pipe dots onto the parchment paper with 3cm (1.5 inch) and leave some space between them. Try to held the piping bag straight upwards and slightly twist the back, when you are finished. Dust each macaron shell with a little bit of cocoa powder.
9. Let the macaron shells rest for at least 30 min or until they have dried out a little bit. In the meantime preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Convection ovens are not very precise here, so try to bake it separately.
10. After the shells have dried out, bake each baking sheet for 12 minutes. or until the shells are firm when lightly touched. Let them cool completely.
11. Take the cooled ganache out of the refrigerator and stir until smooth again. Put it into a piping bag and snip a little tip off. Pipe a little bit of the ganache onto the bottom of one shell and lightly sandwich it together with another shell.
12. It’s best to let them rest in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Danach durch ein feines Sieb über die gehackte Schokolade gießen, kurz stehen lassen und verrühren. Bis die Schokolade geschmolzen ist. Nun bis zur Verwendung mit Frischhaltefolie, welche die Oberfläche berührt, abdecken und in den Kühlschrank stellen.
3. Für die Macaron-Schalen: 100g Eiweis in die Schüssel der Küchenmaschine geben. Den Zucker und das Wasser in einen Topf geben und bei mittlerer bis hoher Hitze aufkochen. Hier braucht man nun ein Zuckerthermometer. Sobald dieses 114°C (237°F) anzeigt, die Eiweiße auf höchster Stufe aufschlagen.
4. Sobald der Zucker eine Temperatur von 121°C (250°F) erreicht hat, diesen vom Herd nehmen und die Maschine auf eine niedrige Stufe zurückschalten. Den heißen Läuterzucker in einem dünnen Strahl zu den Eiweißen geben und nun solange schlagen, bis die Masse wieder kalt wird. Das Volumen sollte sich verdreifacht haben.
5. In der Zwischenzeit die gemahlenen Mandeln, den Puderzucker und das Kakaopulver in eine Schüssel sieben. Sollten eure Mandeln nicht fein genug sein, einfach zusammen mit dem Puderzucker und dem Kakao im Food Processor noch etwas feiner mahlen und danach sieben.
6. Zu dieser Mischung kommen nun die restlichen 100g Eiweiß und das Ganze wird zu einer Paste verarbeitet.
7. Zu dieser Paste nun jeweils 1/3 der Meringe-Masse hinzufügen und vorsichtig unterheben. Solange miteinander verrühren, bis eine zähflüssige Masse entstanden ist: Ungefähr so, wie wenn Lava einen Berg hinunterfließt.
8. Zwei Backbleche mit Backpapier belegen und die Masse in einen Spritzbeutel mit einer mittleren Lochtülle füllen. Damit nun etwa 3 cm große Kreise auf das Papier spritzen. Dabei den Spritzbeutel senkrecht halten und beim Abschluss eine leichte Drehung machen, damit die Masse keine Spitzen wirft. Sollte man doch kleine Spitzen erhalten, kann man die ganz einfach mit einem feuchten Finger glatt streichen. Die Macaron-Schalen mit Kakaopulver bestreuen.
9. Die Macaron-Schalen müssen nun für 30 Minuten antrocknen, bevor sie in den Ofen können. In der Zwischenzeit den Backofen auf 150°C (300°F) Ober- und Unterhitze vorheizen. Bei den meisten Öfen ist Umluft nicht empfohlen, da dadurch kein gleichmäßiges Backergebnis garantiert werden kann.
10. Nach diesen 30 Minuten ein Blech nach dem anderen für etwa 12 Minuten in die Mitte des Ofens schieben. Die Schalen sollten bei leichtem Fingerdruck nicht nachgeben und das kleine Füßchen geformt haben. Komplett abkühlen lassen.
11. Die Ganache aus dem Kühlschrank nehmen, glatt rühren und in einen Spritzbeutel füllen. Nun die Unterseite einer Macaron-Schale mit Ganache bespritzen und eine zweite Schale sanft darauf drücken.
12. Am besten schmecken sie, wenn man sie über Nacht im Kühlschrank lagert.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Chocolate Macarons with Creamy Ganache
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 120
Ingredients
For the creamy ganache
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (100g) superfine sugar
- 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
- 14 oz. (400g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the macaron shells
- 5 large egg whites, divided equally in 3.5 oz. (100g)
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) superfine sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) water
- 2 1/2 cups (250g) ground almonds
- 2 1/4 cups (220g) powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup (30g) cocoa powder
- another 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
- For the creamy ganache: Put the milk in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle bubble over medium heat. In the meantime whisk together the egg yolks and the superfine sugar until frothy and pale in color. Just before the milk starts the cook, took it off the heat and slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture while constantly whisking. Put it back into the saucepan, cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Put the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover the bowl with cling film, whereas the cling film touches the surface of the ganache and put it into the refrigerator until you need it.
- For the macaron shells: Put the first 3.5 oz. (100g) egg whites into a clean bowl of a stand mixer and set aside. Cook the superfine sugar and the water in a saucepan over medium high heat. You will need a candy thermometer. Check the sugar constantly without stirring. When the mixture reaches 114°C (237°F) start whisking the egg whites on high speed.
- When the mixture reaches 121°C (250°F) take it off the heat and turn the mixer down to low. Poor the sugar in a slow but steady stream into the egg whites and then crank up the heat and beat until triple in volume and cooled down.
- In the meantime put the ground almonds, powdered sugar and cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. If your almonds aren’t as fine, put them together with the other two ingredients into a food processor and ground them up. Then sieve them into the large mixing bowl.
- Add the last 3.5 oz. (100g) egg whites and work them into the dry ingredients until a paste forms.
- Now fold in the meringue mixture in three stages until it looks like wallpaper glue or running lava. If you put up a spoonful of the mixture and let it drop back into the rest it should slowly but steady disappear into the rest of it.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper und put the mixture into a piping bag with a medium round nozzle. Pipe dots onto the parchment paper with 3cm (1.5 inch) and leave some space between them. Try to held the piping bag straight upwards and slightly twist the back, when you are finished. Dust each macaron shell with a little bit of cocoa powder.
- Let the macaron shells rest for at least 30 min or until they have dried out a little bit. In the meantime preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Convection ovens are not very precise here, so try to bake it separately.
- After the shells have dried out, bake each baking sheet for 12 minutes. or until the shells are firm when lightly touched. Let them cool completely.
- Take the cooled ganache out of the refrigerator and stir until smooth again. Put it into a piping bag and snip a little tip off. Pipe a little bit of the ganache onto the bottom of one shell and lightly sandwich it together with another shell.
- It’s best to let them rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
