Chocolate French Macarons

This recipe adapted from Delicious Everyday, Eat Live Travel Write and Stella from Bravetart - who has been making macarons using a tried, tested and true method. This is my second EVER attempt. Unfortunately my sifter broke half way, and I don't think I quite had the texture I needed. I'll continue to do more digging on good macaron-making techniques. It was a good attempt and I think I have the method (steps) down pat. 

Makes: 20 Macarons

Ingredients

Macaron:

• 57 g of almond flour
• 115 g of icing sugar
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 36 g sugar
• 72g of egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

* Its important that your ingredients are measured precisely.

Cream Cheese Buttercream used from a previous recipe. 

Directions

Preheat oven to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. 

1. Measure out almond flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder. Put in food processor, and pulse on high until while ground (~15 times). Sift TWICE into bowl that you will set aside.
2. Mix egg whites, sugar using an hand/standing electric mixer with a whisk attachment - and time yourself for this next part: 3 minutes on low speed, 3 minutes on medium, then 3 minutes on high. 
3. Now, add the salt and vanilla extract (at this point you would add food colouring or flavours, but we do not do that for this recipe) and bump the speed up to maximum for 1 minute (time yourself!). 
4. Your meringue should be very stiff. It should NOT be runny, and should clump in the middle of the whisk. If it doesn't, beat for another minute or keep beating until it clumps in the middle of the whisk.
5. Add the salt, vanilla extract, food colouring, cinnamon, tumeric, and allspice.
6. Now add the dry ingredients, and using a spatula FOLD the ingredients, which should take approximately 25 "folds" turns. 
7. Pipe 1 inch onto baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12 minutes, turn the baking sheet around after 6 minutes. 
9. Remove from oven. Allow to cool complete, then gently slide them off the parchment paper. If they are still sticking, put in freezer for 1 minute. 

STEP BY STEP ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS »

1. Measure out your almond flour, icing sugar, and cocoa powder. 

2. Place in food processor, pulse on high 15 times. 

3. Sift TWICE. Re-grind/food process the remains and resift. 

4. Mix egg whites, sugar using an hand/standing electric mixer with a whisk attachment - and time yourself for this next part: 

 

3 minutes on low speed (Hamilton Beach 6 speeder, speed 2)

3 minutes on medium (Hamilton Beach 6 speeder, speed 4)

then 3 minutes on high (Hamilton Beach 6 speeder, speed 6).  

5. Now, add the salt and vanilla extract (at this point you would add food colouring or flavours, but we do not do that for this recipe) and bump the speed up to maximum for 1 minute (time yourself!). 

 

6. Now add the dry ingredients, and using a spatula FOLD the ingredients, which should take approximately 25 "folds" turns. 

  

7. Pipe 1 inch into a baking sheet. 

8. Bake for 12 minutes, turning after the 6 minute mark. 

9. Allow to cool complete, then gently slide them off the parchment paper. If they are still sticking, put in freezer for 1 minute. 

The Final Product

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