So DD3 requested of me today that I make the "Almond thingies with the chocolate stuff".
Because I am a cross between a complete fussbudget and a total slacker when it comes to cooking, I will make them tomorrow. That gives my egg whites time to age properly. No really, this comes out much better if you let your egg whites sit out at room temperature for a day or three.
So here you are, "The Almond Thingies with the Chocolate Stuff"
First "the Almond Thingies"
Macaroon Cookies
4 room temperature egg whites a generous 1/4 cup almond meal 6 tablespoons confectioners sugar (european icing sugar works fine here) 3 scant tablespoons granulated sugarBaking parchment, or brown paper, or decent quality typing paper I have used deconstructed old paper grocery bags in a pinch.
You may have to alter the amount of almond meal slightly up or down depending on the size and water content of your eggs. I find that a 1/4 cup plus a tablespoon works with the large organic eggs I get.
Line the baking sheets with parchment.
Sieve the confectioners sugar, and then combine it with the almond meal and sieve it again. Beat the egg whites until foamy and then take them to stiff peaks while gradually adding the granulated sugar. They should be rather glossy, but firm. Gently fold the almond meal mixture in. The result should hold a peak for a moment, then flatten out.
Either spoon the mixture into about 1 inch circles onto the parchment, or pipe the circles on using a pastry bag with a 1 cm (3/8s inch) tip. I find it easier to get nice evenly sized cookies by piping them. Leave them out to dry for an hour or two if you can.
Bake at 300F for about 10-12 minutes. If you know your oven bakes unevenly, turn the sheets around half way through.
When you take them out, just slide the paper off the sheet and onto a cooling rack. The cooling rack is mandatory for these. If they don't have air circulation underneath as they cool, they tend to get moist and sticky on the bottom, which is not what is wanted.
You can eat them plain if you like, or you can make sandwich cookies (by far the more common thing) and fill them with any number of things.
For example "The Chocolate Stuff":
Chocolate Ganache
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated or chopped finely 1 cup heavy whipping creamBring the cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Gently pour over the chocolate. Stir slowly in a spiral from the center to the edge. Avoid making bubbles, you do not want to add air. When the chocolate is completely melted and fully incorporated, set it aside to cool. It will thicken as it cools.
When it is the right consistency for filling your cookies, just spoon or pipe it onto one cookie and sandwich it with another.
There really isn't much to either of these, and they go well together. They are gluten free too.
NightMist