Almond macarons with chocolate filling

Ingredients:

Ganache

• 55 g finely chopped milk chocolate
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

Cookie

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 0.5 cups whole blanched almonds, finely ground
• 2 - 4 drops liquid neon food coloring, such as McCormick (optional)
• Whites of 2 large eggs, room temperature
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• Special equipment: pastry bag with a nozzle, parchment paper

Preparation:

1. To make ganacheCombine the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with 2.5 cm of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Heat over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt, then remove from heat. Set the ganache aside to cool and thicken, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Position the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 325°F (165°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. To bake cookiesOn each sheet of parchment, draw 15 circles, spaced approximately 5 cm apart, using a small glass or a 3-4 cm wide cookie cutter. Turn the parchment over; the outlines will be visible on the back, and you won't need to bake in the ink. Prepare a pastry bag fitted with a 0.5 cm round tip.
4. Sift the powdered sugar and ground almonds into a bowl, discarding any large chunks. If you have more than 1 tablespoon of chunks, pulse them until they form a flour and sift again. Combine the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-low speed until foamy, then add the granulated sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very soft peaks form. Add the almond extract and a few drops of food coloring, if using.
5. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold about one-third of the sugar-almond mixture into the egg whites, then fold in the remaining two-thirds.
   
   
   The dough should be slightly runny, but not too runny. It should drip slowly from the spatula and sit on the surface of the dough for a while before blending. If the dough seems a little thicker, stir it 1-2 more times, but be careful not to overmix it. The cookies themselves depend on the right consistency of the dough, and it's better if it's slightly thicker than runny.
6. Transfer the dough into the prepared pastry bag. Holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe the dough onto the parchment paper, filling the circle you've drawn. Release the pressure on the bag and pull it toward you to avoid creating a pointed tip on the surface of the macaron. Repeat with the remaining circles. Gently smooth out any dots on the surface of the dough with a damp fingertip.
7. Tap the baking sheet on the counter to release any air bubbles and let stand at room temperature until the tops of the cookies are slightly dry, 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Bake 1 baking sheet at a time until the macarons are lightly crisp and pull away from the parchment paper, about 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies and cool completely on a wire rack.
9. To collect the cakesSpread a thin layer of chocolate ganache on the bottom of one half of the cookies, about 1/4 teaspoon per cookie. Top with another cookie, gently pressing the ganache to spread to the edges.

10. Adviсe

    
    To prevent the batter from leaking out of the tip of the pastry bag, use a mini marshmallow to plug the hole;
    
    Instead of ground whole almonds, you can use store-bought almond flour. Sift it with 2/3 cup powdered sugar, breaking up any larger pieces if necessary, and sift again.
    
    You can also spoon the dough onto the parchment paper. The cookies won't be perfectly round, but they'll still be delicious.