Macaron blanco with chocolate filling

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 90 g egg white (approx. 3 eggs), weighed to the exact gram
• 30 g sugar
• 200 g powdered sugar
• 110 g almond(s), peeled, ground
• 1 pinch of salt
• 125 g chocolate, whole milk
• 60 ml cream
• 10 g butter
• possibly food coloring (powder)
• Grease for the tray

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 2 hours 15 minutes

makes about 30 pieces

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Wash your hands with hot soapy water beforehand to prevent any grease residue from getting into the egg whites. If even a drop of egg yolk gets into the egg whites, discard the egg whites and start again. Cover the egg whites and let them stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours. If you have shell-free, ground almonds, grind them again in a food processor. If you want to use whole almonds (I personally prefer this), pour boiling water over the almonds, let them sit for about 5 minutes, drain, then peel them. Spread them on baking paper and let them dry overnight. Then grind them finely in the food processor. Sift the ground almonds through a fine sieve. Then weigh it again; it should be exactly 110 g. Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve as well. Mix with the almonds and, if desired, the food coloring. In a tall bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until 3/4 stiff. Then slowly add the granulated sugar and continue stirring until the sugar no longer crunches, meaning it is dissolved. Then put about 1/4 of the egg whites into a mixing bowl, sift about 1/4 of the powdered sugar and almond mixture over it (to remove any lumps that may have formed while mixing the two ingredients), and very carefully mix it in with a spatula. Continue in this way until the mixture is complete. The consistency should now be such that the mixture flows easily but does not run. If it is still too firm, meaning it does not flow very slowly from the spatula, stir a little more. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag (round nozzle) or a freezer bag (corner cut off). Grease the edges of 2-3 baking sheets with margarine or butter or something similar and place baking paper on top. Smooth it out, making sure the paper does not curl at the edges – otherwise the macarons will turn out crooked. Pipe evenly round mounds, approximately 3 cm in size, onto the baking tray, leaving at least 2-3 cm between each mound. The consistency should now be such that there are small mounds with small peaks on top from the dough being torn off. Now hold the tray in one hand and tapping it under the tray with the other. The shaking should make these peaks disappear and the macarons become more even. Do not hold the tray at an angle. Now let the dough flatbreads dry for 45 minutes. Keep windows and doors closed. Preheat the oven to 140°C (fan oven). Carefully place all the trays in the oven without shaking them and bake at the same time. If the trays are shaken, the dried shell will tear. Bake for 15 minutes. Slowly open the oven door and let it cool for about 5 minutes with only a crack open. Then remove the baking trays, pull the baking paper down with the macarons, pour water onto the baking tray and spread it out (about 50 ml is enough), then put the baking paper and macarons back on. The baking paper will now soak up the water, then the macarons can be carefully removed. Don’t let them soak for too long, or the cookies will soften again. Set them upside down to one side or in a tightly sealed container in a cool place (e.g. refrigerator). Melt the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan, or heat the cream and pour it over the finely chopped chocolate in a tall container and mix with a hand blender. Add the butter. Place in a lunch bag or other small bag and let cool in the refrigerator, kneading every few minutes. When the mixture starts to harden, cut off the tip of the bag and place it on half of the macarons, then cover with another macaron half. Let cool in the refrigerator and consume within 2-3 days. Tip: The cookies will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, as will the chocolate mixture. Assemble them just before eating. To do this, warm the chocolate mixture in a water bath until slightly softer. Don’t be surprised by these very precise instructions. Making macarons is truly tricky. It’s crucial to follow the exact quantities, and even the precise instructions make sense.