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Silicone Baking Sheet

Kitchenaid Artisan Stand

1) Preheat oven at 300F (150 C). Prepare oven rack on middle shelf.

2) Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Add a few drops of water on baking sheet before placing parchment paper. This way the paper will not move away while you are piping the macaron batter.

3) In a food processor, grind powdered sugar, almonds till fine.

4) In an electric mixer, beat egg whites with pinch of salt. When egg whites are starting to stiffen up, add granulated sugar. Beat at high speed for about 2 minutes till egg whites are stiff and firm. Then add 2-4 drops of food coloring and beat the egg whites at low speed.

5) Remove mixing bowl from mixer. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients (from step 3). Fold gently till you don't see any white streaks of egg whites.

6) Add macaroon batter to a pastry bag or ziploc bag. I use a ziploc bag and cut about 1/4 inch at the tip of the bag.

7) Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pipe 1-inch circles, leaving about 1 inch apart.

8) Slam the baking sheet gently on a flat surface. This will flatten the batter. Let it sit for about 20 mins. Letting it sit will help the macaroon create a nice cracked base while baking.

9) Bake on middle shelf at 300F for 12 mins.

10) Remove from oven and let it cool completely before peeling macaron off the baking sheet.

11) While macarons are baking, make chocolate mocha filling. In a microwave safe bowl, add all ingredients. Melt ingredients in microwave 20 seconds at a time. Remove and stir mixture. If not melted, put it back into microwave for another 20 seconds. Repeat till you get a silky smooth chocolate mixture. Let it cool but do not let it harden.

12) Assemble - Use a teaspoon to scoop chocolate and spread it on the inside of the macaron. Then top it with another macaron to create a sandwich. Let it sit, as the chocolate cools even more, the chocolate filling will harden and melds the sandwich firmly.

13) Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Chef's Note & Story

Important Notes:
1) Measurement is key. Even adding 1 more tablespoon of cocoa powder will mess things up. Stick firmly to measurement above.
2) Every oven is different. I would recommend to bake a few macarons to test if the temperature is right. It's a pity to bake the whole batch to find out that the temperature and/or timing is wrong.