Chocolate Macarons with a Chocolate Filling

Okay, I will admit I'm going through a crazy macaron phase. I can't seem to turn away from them. In my opinion, they are one of the most delicate, and beautiful desserts. You can basically make any flavor you can imagine into a macaron, but I had a chocolate craving when I made these. If you happen to have these basic ingredients laying around in your pantry you should definitely take a stab at making these.

Let me first note that you can't make macarons without a basic kitchen scale (preferably digital). Also, you should separate the egg whites at least 24 hours in advance to "age".

Macaron Batter:

1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Valrhona Cacao)
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Chocolate Filling:

½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syerup
4 ounces (120 gr) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 gr) butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
2. Place metal bowl in the fridge so it is cold enough for the egg whites.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
4. Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps. (use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn’t quite fine enough.)
5. In the metal bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
6. Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).
7. Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
8. Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons 
9. Leave the macarons out for about 15-20 minutes.
10. Bake them for 15-18 minutes. 
11. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Chocolate Filling:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.

Gently frost the macarons with the chocolate filling and sandwich with another macaron half. Be careful when frosting. You don't need to put too much filling because you don't want the filling to spill out of the macaron.

After frosting, place macarons in the fridge for at least 24 hours...Okay, I know you will cheat and have a couple, but the true flavor and texture of the macaron won't reveal itself until they have rested in an air-tight container in the fridge.

This recipe was adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz