Coffee Macaroons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, combine the almonds and brown sugar. Process until completely ground. Using an electric mixer, fitted with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until frothy. Add 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping until very stiff peaks and the whites just begin to slip and streak around the side of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixture and fold in the almond and sugar mixture. When almost completely incorporated, add the 2 teaspoons of coffee and continue folding until mixed. The batter must be smooth an shiny, and it should spread easily without being runny. If it is dull and firm, fold it a little longer to deflate it slightly and get the required consistency. But do not deflate it too much or the batter with spread too much and the tops of the cookies will crack when baked. Fill a large pastry bag, fitted with a 3/4 inch plain pastry tube, with the batter. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Pipe the domes in staggering rows 1 inch wide and 1 inch apart. Unless you have 2 ovens, pipe only 1 sheet of cookies at a time. Bake for 1 minute. Place an empty baking sheet underneath the sheet of cookies, and continue baking, using a wooden spatula to hold the oven door ajar, until the tops of the cookies are very lightly browned and dry to the touch white the insides are still soft and the bottoms still pale, about 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the baking sheet of cookies off the empty baking sheet and take it to the sink. Pour cold water, about 1/2 cup, between the paper and the baking sheet (tilting the baking sheet so that the water runs over the entire surface and drains thoroughly into the sink) to steam the cookies off the paper. Then place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool. Spread the bottoms of half the cookies with some of the Ganache. Place the remaining cookies, right side up, on top of the Ganache, pressing slightly to form a sandwich. Place the filled macaroons on a serving plate.
• Chop the chocolate and put it in a small stainless steel bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually stir the cream into the chocolate with the whisk and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Then, allow it to cool, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula, until it starts to thicken.

Steps:

• Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add ⅓ of the granulated sugar and with mixer on high, continue to beat until egg whites are stiff peaks. Add another ⅓ of the sugar and beat again until egg whites are back to stiff peaks. Repeat with last ⅓ of sugar, beating until whites are shiny and fluffy.
• Using a fine mesh strainer, sift together the almond flour, confectioners sugar, and espresso powder into the bowl with the egg whites. Discard any large pieces that remain in the strainer.
• With a rubber scraper, fold the mixture into the egg whites, about 35-45 strokes, or until the batter falls on itself but a slight peak remains (Do not overmix or batter will be too thin and runny).
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe batter onto prepared baking tray into 1 ½ inch (4 cm) disks.
• Lift and drop the baking tray onto a hard surface 2-3 times to smooth out the batter and knock out any air bubbles. Allow cookies to rest at room temperature for one hour, until a skin forms on the surface of the cookies.
• Preheat oven to 285˚F (140˚C)
• To make the filling, beat the butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Set aside.
• After about one hour, gently brush the top a cookie with your finger to check that a skin has formed. The batter should not stick to your finger, if it does, allow to set for an additional 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the cookies peel away from the parchment when lifted.
• Allow the cookie shells to cool completely.
• Pipe the buttercream frosting onto the bottom side of a cooled shell and sandwich together with a similarly sized cookie.
• Dust with optional cocoa powder and serve. *Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Make the macarons: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
• In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out).
• Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the food coloring and beat until just combined.
• Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up.
• Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Place 4 dots of the batter in each corner of a rimmed baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over it, using the batter to help adhere the parchment to the baking sheet.
• Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½-inch (3-cm) circles, spacing at least 1-inch (2-cm) apart.
• Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5 times to release any air bubbles.
• Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch.
• Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
• Bake the macarons for 17 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don't stick to the parchment paper.
• Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
• Make the buttercream: In a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until desired consistency is reached.
• Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Add a dollop of buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream.
• Place in an airtight container for 24 hours to "bloom".
• Enjoy!