Chocolate Macarons With Toasted Hazelnuts Recipes

HAZELNUT MACARONS

Steps:

• 1. Mix the 158 g water and 236 g granulated sugar in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Gently mix the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. 2. Place the probe of the thermometer into the syrup and cook until it reaches 248F degrees. (see Note 1 at the bottom).3. Remove from heat immediately when the temperature is reached.* If the syrup has crystallized, discard and start over. Use the syrup cooking time (it might take about 10-15 minutes) to sift the dry ingredients and prepare the egg whites.
• 1. Sift the 106 g of almond flour and 106 g of hazelnut flour, 30 g of cocoa powder and 212 g of powdered sugar twice into a large bowl.2. Heat 172g of egg whites in the microwave in 5-7 second intervals, mixing after each, for about 30 seconds or until the egg whites are barely warm to the touch. 3. Add 82 g of egg whites to the sifted mixture. Pour the rest of the egg whites into a grease-free bowl and add a 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside. 4. When the syrup is at about 240F, with a sturdy wooden spoon quickly mix egg whites with the sifted mixture until paste forms.
• 1. When the syrup is at about 243F to 244F, start to whip egg whites and sugar on medium speed, getting them ready for when the syrup reaches 248F and you can pour it into the fluffy egg whites.2. Once the egg whites are foamy and the syrup is at 248F degrees, remove the syrup off the heat, increase the mixer speed to high and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites between the whisk and the bowl. Continue whipping until the bowl is cool to the touch and the meringue has reached stiff peaks.
• 1. Fold the whipped meringue into the almond/sugar paste in 3 additions, trying to reach the "lava" stage when the batter flows off the spatula into the bowl like lava, or when the batter dropped into the bowl takes about 30 seconds to dissolve into the rest of the batter, or when you're able to draw a figure 8 with the batter falling off the whisk. Stop immediately once you reach this stage as overmixing the batter will ruin the macarons. It is better to under-fold, then over-fold.
• 1. Fill the prepared piping bag fitted with the 1/2 inch round plain tip with the macaron batter. You can drape the empty bag over a tall glass to make it easier to fill the pastry bag.
• 2. Pipe the macarons onto the prepared parchment-lined (or a Silpat, but with Silpat you will need to increase baking time) baking sheet by pressing out 1.5-inch circles about 1 inch apart.
• 3. Rap the sheet against the counter 5-10 times to remove any large bubbles. If you use a softer surface to avoid the loud noise that comes with rapping the sheet on the counter, increase the number of raps. 4. Next, use a pin or something sharp to pop any remaining bubbles that have risen to the surface of the macarons, but haven't popped.
• 1. Place into a preheated to 350F oven and immediately reduce the heat to 325F. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing off the parchment paper.2. Bake the rest of the macarons in the same fashion, preheating the oven to 350F each time a new baking sheet is placed in the oven.
• 1. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round piping tip with the Nutella filling and pipe about a tablespoon of the filling onto the first half of the macaron shells, then top with the second cookie, matching them by size and shape. 2. Press gently to adhere.
• Place the macarons into a container fitted with a lid and refrigerate or leave at room temperature for 24 hours before eating. This allows the flavors to mend and for the macaron to reach a fudgy and soft inside.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT MACARONS

Steps:

• Grind the nuts: Pulse the blanched hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. (Don't walk away; if you overprocess, you'll have hazelnut butter.) Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the almonds.
• Mix the dry ingredients: Combine 3/4 cup of the ground hazelnuts and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of the ground almonds in a large bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar.
• Make the meringue: Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Don't let the bowl touch the water.)
• Continue whisking until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (If you can still feel the sugar, keep whisking.) Turn off the heat but leave the water in the saucepan.
• Using a rubber spatula, transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. (If you turn the bowl over, the whites shouldn't move.)
• Finish the batter: Fold a few dollops of the meringue into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Gently fold in the rest until smooth and fluffy, scooping from the bottom of the bowl to the top.
• Pipe into rounds: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip and fill with the batter; press out the air. Pipe the batter into 1-inch rounds on the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
• Rest and bake: Tap the baking sheets on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
• Let sit at room temperature until slightly dry, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until you can slide a spatula underneath the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through. Pull the parchment and cookies off the pans; cool.
• Make the filling: Meanwhile, bring the water in the saucepan back to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it over the water.
• Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pan.
• Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until simmering. Stir the warm cream and praline paste into the chocolate.
• Fold in the butter, salt and chopped hazelnuts. Let the filling cool until spreadable, about 15 minutes.
• Sandwich the cookies: Spread the filling on half of the cookies with the back of a spoon and sandwich with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate the macarons, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.

HAZELNUT MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Place hazelnuts and confectioners' sugar in a food processor; pulse until nuts are finely ground., Add salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in hazelnut mixture., With a pastry bag, pipe 1-in.-diameter cookies 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 9-12 minutes. Transfer cookies on the parchment to wire racks; cool completely., For the buttercream, in a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil; cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot syrup into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in espresso powder and vanilla; cool completely., In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in cooled syrup. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Refrigerate until mixture firms to a spreading consistency, about 10 minutes., Spread about 1-1/2 tsp buttercream onto the bottom of each of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT MACARONS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Put the hazelnuts, cocoa powder and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are very finely ground and powdery, about 3 minutes. Sift with a medium-mesh strainer and discard any pieces of nuts that didn't pass through the strainer.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until they hold firm but not dry peaks, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually add the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until the peaks are firm and shiny. Fold the nut mixture into the egg whites with a large rubber spatula until just blended. Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 32 two-inch rounds on the prepared pans. Set aside to air-dry for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Bake until the tops of the cookies are puffed and set, 18 to 20 minutes. Take care not to overcook the cookies or they will crack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes, then gently peel from the parchment and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to a boil in a small saucepot over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and set aside until the chocolate is soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth; let stand at room temperature until thick but still spreadable. Sandwich about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture between two cookies and repeat with the remaining filling and cookies.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED HAZELNUT MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place hazelnuts and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; process until nuts are finely ground. Add almond paste, egg whites and remaining sugar; process until blended, about 3 minutes., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert a large star pastry tip. Fill bag with hazelnut mixture. Pipe 1-1/4-in. rosettes 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake until light brown, 12-14 minutes. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Dip bottom of each cookie in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.