Ancho Chili and Chocolate Macarons

Sunday May 19th is World Baking Day 

  It's a day to bake for fun, bake with friends or family, it's your day to bake brave!  How about trying something new, something out of your comfort zone, or maybe using an unusual ingredient in your recipe. My Ancho Chili and Chocolate Macarons are crispy, chewy little chocolate gems that have a surprise in the center, a creamy, spicy chocolate filling that really adds just a touch of heat.  Ooh la la Picante!

Ancho Chili and Chocolate Macarons

Ingredients

110 g. almond meal

1 teaspoon dry egg powder

100 g. aged egg white (egg whites that have been brought to room temperature, preferably overnight with a paper towel draped over top, this will help evaporate some of the water in the whites.)

50 g. granulated sugar

200 g. confectioners sugar

5 teaspoon dark cocoa powder

Ancho chili powder for dusting

1.   Place confectioners sugar and cocoa in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to remove any lumps.  Add almond meal and pulse a few times to incorporate sugar and almond meal.  Do not over mix.  Place in large mixing bowl and set aside.

 

2.   Beat egg whites in an electric mixer until frothy then add dry egg powder and mix until soft peaks form.  Add slowly the granulated sugar and whip on high until stiff peaks form.  Do not over mix or Macarons will be dry. 

3.   Add meringue mixture to the dry ingredients and fold in quickly at first to beat out the air bubbles from the meringue.  Do not over mix!  The mix should flow like lava and a small streak of the mixture on the surface should disappear after a minute. 

 

4.   Place in a piping bag and with a plain 1/2 " tip, pipe out 1 1/4" to 1 1/2 " rounds on two parchment lined baking sheets.   Holding the baking sheet in both hands, rap each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the "pied" or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. If after 15 minutes, the batter is still sticky, let it dry longer. This may take up to an hour on humid days.

5.   Place baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. The macarons are done when they are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not under bake (insides will still be mushy) or over bake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.

 

Ancho Chili Buttercream Ingredients

10 tablespoons butter, softened 

4 oz. confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 oz. white chocolate 

1 1/4 oz. dark chocolate

1.   Cream butter in a mixing bowl on high until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add confectioners sugar, cream, vanilla and spices, mix until incorporated then whip on medium high speed until light and fluffy.

2.   Melt white and dark chocolate together in a microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring until melted.  Cool slightly, add to butter mixture and mix by hand until blended.  Fill a piping bag, using a plain 1/2 " tip, pipe half the shells and sandwich with the remaining shells.  

 

 

For more recipes click the link below!

Pattern Patisserie

Chocolate Almond Sandwich Cookies

   My never ending adoration for chocolate leads me to the first of many chocolate recipes I intend to deliver to you throughout my blog journey.  These crispy chocolate filled sandwich cookies are an almond and chocolate bliss.  This was one of the first recipes I tried from Nick Malgieri's Chocolate, and although his book is well worn, Nick's Chocolate Almond Fingers are my favorite!

Ingredients

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons Dutch Process cocoa powder

1 cup ground almonds, about 3 1/2 ounces

1.   Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.   Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter on medium speed until light.  Slowly beat in sugar and beat until mixture whitens.

                                                        

3.   Add the egg whites, one at a time and beat until creamy.  Sift the flour and cocoa together several times and add to the butter mixture, mix to combine.  Stir in the ground almonds by hand and mix until well combined.





4.   Scrape the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip.  Pipe dough out in fingers about 2 1/2 inches long by positioning the bag at a 45° angle to the pan and letting the bottom of the tube touch the paper.  Squeeze the bag and draw the tube toward you, then release the pressure and pull the tube upwards.  Pipe the cookies about 2 inches apart.

5.   Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies have spread and become matte-looking.  Cool in pans for 5 minutes than transfer to a rack with a spatula to cool completely.

Cookies may be enjoyed at this point, or you may continue and make the chocolate filling as follows...

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 pound dark chocolate

1.   Combine heavy cream and dark chocolate together, melt in a double boiler stirring occasionally until melted.  Cool to spreading consistency.  Spread or pipe the chocolate onto the flat side of half the cookies and top with the other half.