Chocolate macarons

Attempt number 3! There are so many different recipes and techniques out there.. it's quite overwhelming. I'm sure all can work fine and it just depends on technique and practice. Practice is indeed something I need more of. Yesterday I used this recipe and they didn't develop nice feet, they spread out too much, appeared splotchy and were impossible to remove from the baking paper. I think they probably should have stayed in the oven a bit longer. In general though I think I go wrong in the egg white whipping stage. Or the folding in. Ok ok - the whole process!!

Today I used the first recipe I used to make macarons. They turned out much the same as the first time. Nice feet, nice texture, easy to lift from the baking paper BUT I think the mixture was much too thick. I don't know whether it's due to overwhipping the whites or due to the actual recipe asking for too high a ratio of dry components. I think I need to seek guidance from someone who has perfected the technique.

Ingredients

90 g egg whites (equal to whites of 3 large eggs), at room temperature
125 g ground almonds or almond flour
125 g icing sugar
25 g unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
125 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) divided into two equal portions

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 140C fan-forced. Pulse the almond powder, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor just until a fine powder is obtained. Then sift the mixture into a large bowl. (If using almond flour, you may simply sift the almond flour and icing sugar together).

2. Place the egg whites in a bowl and add half of the caster sugar. Begin beating the whites and sugar at low-medium speed. 

3. After 2 minutes, when the mixture starts to rise and holds its shape, increase the mixer speed.

4. Continue beating at medium speed until firm peaks are obtained. Add the rest of the caster sugar and beat until all the sugar is dissolved.

5. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a larger bowl (if necesssary) and add all of the almond powder mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold the mixture until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, taking care not to overmix. The batter should be smooth and glossy and have a lava-like consistency. It should form a ribbon when dripped from the spatula.

6. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Fill a large pastry bag half full with batter and, using a 2-cm (1/2 inch) tip, vertically pipe the mixture into small mounds about the size of walnuts. The batter should be fluid enough that the macarons slowly flatten themselves out (mine didn't). Tap the trays against a hard surface a couple of times to remove any air bubbles.

7. Allow to the macarons to sit for 20 to 30 minutes until a “skin” forms and they are no longer wet when lightly touched.

8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate tray halfway if necessary. Shells should be smooth and shiny, with the characteristic “foot” or ridge underneath. You can tell when they’re done by very lightly tapping the side with a knife or fork. The macaron top should not slide but remain firmly on its foot.

9. Remove macarons from the oven. Cool for a few moments and remove with a lifter. They should come off easily.

 Buttercream filling - I halved the recipe and this produced the perfect amount for my 12 macarons (24 shells)