Chocolate Peanut Butter MacaronsBy Erin at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
For the Macarons:
110 gm almond flour
200 gm minus 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred)
100 gm egg whites (from about 3 eggs), aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
50 gm granulated sugar
Peanut Butter Butter Cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tbls milk
Combine almond flour, confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder until well blended (I used my food processor). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until a smooth, shiny meringue with stiff peaks forms. Add the ground almond mixture to the bowl with the meringue and quickly but gently fold together using a wide rubber spatula until no streaks remain. You want to achieve a thick batter that ribbons or flows from the spatula when lifted.
Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip. Pipe into small rounds on the prepared baking sheets (each round should be about 1-1½ inches in diameter), spaced about 1 inch apart. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell.
Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on size. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies.
While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Stir together all the ingredients until it is the right consistency. I always just add the milk at the end to get the texture I want. Put into a piping bag, fitted with a plain tip.
Once the cookies are cool, match them up so they are paired with one that is a like size. Squeeze some frosting onto the base, and place the top on. Gently press down. They are best to eat the next day. Enjoy!
