Last night’s third annual Samuels Family Holiday party was a
raging success.
For the first couple of hours I was starting to think that
this year’s party might fall short of last year’s rip roaring good time.
But that was when I realized I was probably just a lot more
sober than everything else. Literally five minutes after I thought there was
going to be nothing fun for me to video, this happened…
Leave it my family and our friends to provide me with some
great musical entertainment.
But more importantly, the food was great.
So great that the stew leftovers I was really hoping to eat
for lunch today didn’t happen. Boo.
But these macarons made up for it.
No, not the coconut type of macaroons. The French kind. The
kind with delicious filling sandwiched between two phenomenal cookies.
I may have made these two big for everyone to have one but
that just meant we all got to share. Sharing is caring.
You will need…
For the Hazelnut Cookies:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 ounces peeled and toasted hazelnuts, about ¾ cup (or you can just buy
the already peeled and chopped ones in the baking section and toast them with a
little olive oil on the stove for a couple of minutes)
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment
paper. Whatever you do, do not skip this step. I learned that the hard way.
Grind
1 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the hazelnuts, and cocoa in a food processor until powdery, about 3
minutes.
Sift mixture through a medium
mesh strainer onto a piece of parchment
paper, then discard any large pieces of nuts that didn't come through the
strainer.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until
they hold firm but not dry peaks, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar, a tablespoon at a time, scraping
down the sides of the bowl as needed; this can take up to 3 minutes. Beat for
an extra 30 seconds until the peaks are firm and shiny but still not dry.
Fold the nut mixture gently into the egg whites with a
large rubber spatula.
Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag fitted
with a 1/2-inch plain piping tip (or if you are like me and are not a pro
baker, you can use a large Ziploc bag with the tip snipped off.
Pipe 32 1-inch by about 1/3-inch thick rounds, evenly
spaced, on each of the prepared pans. Set aside to air dry for 30 minutes
before baking.
Meanwhile make the filling: Put chocolate in a medium
heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream, with espresso powder
mixed in, to a boil. And make sure to read the directions and not put some of
the chocolate in the saucepan as well.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and shake the bowl gently so
cream settles around the chocolate.
Set the mixture aside until the chocolate
is soft, about 5 minutes.Whisk gently until smooth, taking care
not to incorporate too many air bubbles.
Cool at room temperature until set up.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Bake the macarons until set and puffed, about 18 to
20 minutes. Take care not to overcook the macaroons or they'll crack.
Cool cookies for 5 minutes then
gently peel from paper. Let cool completely.
Spread 1 teaspoon of mocha filling on a cookie and sandwich
2 cookies together.
