Chocolate Macarons - I finally did it!

After a couple of failed attempts at macarons (the first lot had to be eaten with a spoon) I had given up and decided my favourite french treat is something I would only ever buy. Then I spotted a macaron masterclass on a deal website and thought it would be an ideal opportunity to learn the ricks of the trade.

Tea and Scones is in central London and taught by Caroline Hope in her tiny apartment, but this was back in March and from the looks of her website she has now moved to Swiss Cottage in North London. Caroline studies tea and aims to impart her knowledge of tea drinking traditions and english baking on her students. I went with a couple of friends and at the time it was great and I wished I had made some macarons sooner. We were taught how to make pistacho (my favourite) and chocolate in a small group, but I was put off by the expensive equipment - metal bowls, silicon mats, decent piping bags and flat baking trays were all recommended.

There were a few tips which stayed with me though...

• When folding in the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture, be confident but use the least amount of folds possible.

•  Use baking trays with no sides as this makes sure you have an even bake.
• When filling your piping bag place it in a tall glass to hold it in place.
• Once the macarons are piped drop the trays from a height to get rid of any air bubbles and flatten them slightly.

• Leave to air dry for 30 to 60 minutes until they have a skin on.
• Open the oven door a couple of times during cooking to let steam escape.
• Match the macaroons halves up depending on there size before beginning piping.

All these tips help create perfect macarons.

I was prompted to give macarons another go when I spotted a special macaroon mould silicon mat in Lakeland and a rubber piping bag, so I treat myself and researched a recipe online. I tried one from the guardian food section, the writer had already tested out lots of different recipes so had done all the hard work.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My ganache split though but was easily fixed by whisking in some more cream. The macarons had a perfect little foot and only a few cracked on top, they were relatively evenly sized and best of all the tasted like proper french macarons.

I left them in the fridge overnight and let them thaw for 20 minutes (I couldn't wait any longer) before serving, they were even better the next day with a crisp shell and chewy inside - I will be making them again.

Chocolate Macarons
Makes about 10

Ingredients:

• 65g ground almonds

• 85g icing sugar

• 25g cocoa powder

• 75g egg whites

• Pinch of salt

• 60g caster sugar

For the ganache:

• 100g whipping cream

• 100g dark chocolate, chopped

• 20g butter, cut into small pieces

• Pinch of sea salt

Method:

• Make the ganache first. Heat the cream in a small pan until it's just beginning to boil, then take it off the heat and add the chocolate. Leave it be for a couple of minutes, then stir furiously until smooth. Gradually beat in the butter and finish with a pinch of salt. Set aside to ... set.

• To make the macarons, you'll need a template. Cut two pieces of baking parchment to fit your baking tray and, using a glass or pastry cutter about 3.5cm in diameter, cover one piece with dark ink circles spaced about 2cm apart. Put this on the baking tray and cover with the other piece of parchment: you should be able to see the circles through it. Prepare a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle, or cut the end off a disposable one so you have a hole about 1cm in diameter.


• Blitz the almonds in a food processor or spice grinder for a couple of minutes, then sift these, the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Repeat, so they're well mixed.


• Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt into the mixer and begin whisking. As soon as the whites begin to hold their shape, whisk in the caster sugar, and continue whisking at high speed until you have a stiff meringue – you should be able to hold the bowl upside down without fear (go on!).

• Fold in the dry ingredients, and then beat the mixture vigorously until it's of a consistency which falls off the spatula: if it's too thick, it will be hard to pipe. Don't worry about beating the air out of it: you don't want too much trapped in the shells.


• Spoon the mixture into the piping bag and carefully pipe on to the circles. Pick the baking tray up and drop it on to the worksurface a couple of times, then leave to rest for about 30 minutes until the macarons feel dry to the touch: they should not be sticky. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180C.

• Bake the macarons for about 17 minutes until firm, opening the oven door briefly a couple of times during cooking to let off any steam. Once you're sure they're cooked, slide the baking parchment off the tray immediately to stop the macarons cooking. Cool completely on the paper, then carefully peel off: if they're cooked, they should come away easily.

• When cool, match up equally-sized macarons, and then, using a small palette knife or spoon, sandwich them together with ganache. Refrigerate for 24 hours, then serve at room temperature.