I Bet You Thought Macarons Were Hard to Make

Like many people, I always thought macarons were hard to make.  Anything that expensive that has to be kept refrigerated has to be difficult to make, right?  Well after obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off on Netflix I noticed how the contestants produced macarons at the drop of a hat.  Every time they needed a little extra flair they’d whip up some egg whites and poof, they next thing you know they had three different colors of macarons.  It got me thinking, if they can make macarons on the spot, can they really be that hard to make?  So I decided to try and make them myself.  And, you know what, they weren’t difficult to make at all.

Hazelnut Macarons with Nutella Ganache filling are even more delicious than the are impressive!

Exactly How Do You Make a Macaron Anyway?

Macarons are made just like any other sandwich cookie: first you make the cookie, then you make the filling, then you put it all together.  The only difference is that the cookie part is made with a meringue instead of a typical cookie dough.  People are often afraid of making meringues but if you have a good recipe to follow they basically make themselves.

A macaron turns a simple cup of coffee into a special treat!

The Secret to My Success

The macarons were easy for me to make because I cheated.  Most recipes start with whole nuts (typically almonds or, in this case, hazelnuts) and you grind them into flour, repeatedly pushing through a sieve to remove lumps and then regrinding what can’t get pushed through.  I took a big shortcut and used hazelnut flour that I bought at the grocery store.  That saved time, effort, and a whole lot of extra cleanup.  The recipe below includes instructions to start with whole hazelnuts and make your own flour but if you want to take a shortcut like I did simply replace the whole nuts with an equivalent amount (by weight, not volume) of flour.

Seems reasonable that one person could eat three macarons, right?

A Couple of Quick Tips

You do need a few special tools for this recipe, including a 16″ disposable pastry bag and Wilton tip 1A (or Ateco #804) to make the macarons.  You can use a smaller (12″) pastry bag to pipe the Nutella ganache (just fill and cut off the tip) or spread with a butter knife.  I like to line my baking sheets with Wilton parchment paper because it always lies flat so it’s easier to work with.  Don’t use the silicon mat that has macaron-sized circles already drawn on them, parchment paper is much easier to use.  You could draw circles on the parchment paper to follow but, unless you’re planning on opening a pastry shop, I’d just freehand it.

Did you know that macarons taste better 1-2 days after they’ve been made?

THE RECIPE: HAZELNUT MACARONS WITH NUTELLA GANACHE

Ingredients

Macarons

1/2 toasted skinned hazelnuts (71 grams)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (117 grams)
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar (53 grams)

Nutella Ganache

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 ounces finely chopped bitter sweet chocolate
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons Nutella

Step 1: Make the Cookie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lower third. Place toasted, skinned hazelnuts in a food processor and process until as fine as possible, about 1 minute. Add confectioners’ sugar, process until combined, about 1 minute.

Pass hazelnut mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer solids in sieve to food processor; grind and sift agin, pressing down on clumps. Repeat until less than 2 Tablespoons of solids remain in sieve.

Whisk egg whites and granulated sugar by hand to combine. Beat on medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium high (6) and beat 2 more minutes. Then beat on high (8) for 2 additional minutes.  The beaten egg whites will hold stiff, glossy peak when you lift the whisk out of the bowl.

Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the whipped egg whites. Using a spatula, fold ingredients together from bottom of the bowl upward, then press flat side of spatula through the middle of the mixture.  Continue folding until batter flows like molten lava, about 35-40 complete strokes.

Rest a 16″ pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 1A tip inside a glass. Transfer batter to bag; twist top to secure. Dab some batter onto the corners of two baking sheets and line with parchment paper.

With tip 1/2″ above sheet, pipe batter into 3/4″ round, swirling tip off to one side before removing. Continue piping cookie rounds 1″ apart. Tap sheets against counter 2-3 times to release air bubbles then put in the oven. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until risen and just set, 13 minutes. Let cool. While cooling prepare the filling.

Step 2: Prepare the Filling

Heat 1/4 cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter; stir to combine. Stir in 3 Tablespoons Nutella. Let cool until thick and spreadable.

Step 3: Assemble and Refrigerate

Pipe or spread filling (see” A Couple of Quick Tips” above) on flat side of half of the cookies, then top with remaining halves.  Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.  Cookies taste most delicious after 1-2 days of refrigeration.

Please tell us what you think. We really want to know!

Tell us what you think!

Please comment below if you try the Hazelnut Macaron with Nutella Ganache recipe and let us know how it goes!  Find all of Brooklyn to the Catskills‘ recipes in the Food section of our website.  We’d love to hear what you think about our other recipes too!