These are different from coconut macaroons. The French macaroons, or macarons, are soft and chewy and oh-so-freaking delicious. The cookie parts are made with almonds and filled with a dark chocolate center, but you can get creative and put whatever filling you’d like in the middle. You can even eat the cookie without the filling because they are THAT good.
- 5 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) freshly ground almonds
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 large egg white
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ounces dark chocolate
- cocoa powder for dusting, optional
Preheat oven to 425F. Place the ground almonds, confectioner’s sugar and egg white in a food processor and blend togetehr for 1-2 minutes. Add the creme fraiche, then vanilla. Drop three-quarter teaspoons of the mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 3/4-inches apart. Your cookies should look like like flat rounds, if not you’ll need to add a bit more creme fraiche.
Bake the macaroons for 8-11 minutes. propping the door open with a wooden spoon, until they start to brown slightly/ Turn the cookie sheet around and bake for 4 minutes longer. Allow the cookie to cool. They should be soft to touch.
Put the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and gently melt. Spread 1/2 teaspoon onto the macaroon and sandwich with another until you have done that with all cookies. Once the chocolate has set you can dust them with cocoa powder. They will keep in an airtight container for a few days.
Entries (RSS)