Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache
French macarons are like fluffy clouds of deliciousness. Traditionally, they are made with loads of sugar but we have been experimenting with the recipe to bring you our Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache filling. Macarons are not hard to make but can be fiddly – be patient and don’t be disheartened if they aren’t as pretty as the ones in the shop window – they will still taste amazing.
Tips
- Leaving the raw mixture to sit for 30 minutes is an important step in making macarons – don’t skip this step.
- Do not over mix the meringue or the macaron batter.
- You will need a piping bag for this recipe.
Ingredients (Macarons)
- 2 cups Flannerys Own Xylitol
- 1 cup Flannerys Own Blanched Almond Meal
- 3 TBS Flannerys Own Organic Cacao Powder
- 1/4 tsp Flannerys Own Fine Himalayan Salt
- 3 large organic egg whites, room temperature
- Pinch of Flannerys Own Gluten Free Baking Powder
- 3 TBS extra Flannerys Own Xylitol
Ingredients (Chocolate Ganache)
- 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut cream
- 4 TBS Flannerys Own Organic Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Flannerys Own Organic Cacao Powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method (Chocolate Ganache)
- In a medium saucepan combine the coconut cream and maple syrup over a medium heat. Allow to simmer for 45 – 60 minutes or until the mixture is quite thick.
- Remove from the heat, sift in the cacao powder and stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Method (Macarons)
- Line two baking trays with baking paper and preheat oven 160 degrees (fan forced).
- Add the xylitol, almond meal, cacao powder and salt to a food processor and pulse until fine and well combined. Sift this mixture twice into a large bowl.
- Place the egg whites in clean bowl (to ensure the bowl is extremely clean wipe it out with a little vinegar on paper towel). Beat the egg whites on medium speed using an electric mixer until the foamy, then add the baking powder. Increase the speed to high and beat the egg whites until they are white in colour. Add the 3 TBS of xylitol and continue to beat the eggs until they have formed soft peaks. Do not over whip.
- Using a spatula, fold the dry mixture in the egg whites in five batches until the dry ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the mixture to the piping bag and pipe 2-2.5cm circles, around 2cm apart.
- Pick up the trays and gently drop them against a work surface to release any large air bubbles from the macarons. Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking the macarons, one tray a time for 7 minutes. Then rotate the tray and bake for a further 7 minutes.
- Transfer the macarons to a biscuit rack to cool completely.
- To assemble the macarons remove the ganache from the refrigerator and transfer to the piping bag. Pair two macarons of similar size and pipe a grape size amount of ganache on one of the macarons and top with matching macaron.
- Serve immediately or store in an air tight container for later.
We have used xylitol in our recipe in the place of white sugar. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener. It is a sugar alcohol, which is found in fibrous plant material. Originally xylitol was produced from the bark of the birch tree but now comes from a variety of different plants, including corn.
It has a very similar look and taste to sugar but that is where the similarities end. It is sweet but does not have an unpleasant aftertaste; it can help reduce dental decay and plaque formation; and it has around one third less calories than sugar. Xylitol is also slowly absorbed by the body, having little effect on blood sugar and insulin secretion, making it a popular choice for diabetics.
