Chocolate Hazelnut Macarons Recipe

Ingredients

For the shells:

275g almond flour
250g powdered sugar
210g sugar
210g egg whites
Gel food colouring (optional)
Crushed hazelnuts (optional)

For the milk chocolate buttercream:

6 1/2 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the hazelnut spread:

2 cups (16 oz.) hazelnuts
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
Crushed hazelnuts, for sprinkling

	PREP TIME 20m	COOK TIME 20m	TOTAL TIME 40m
YIELD about 40 macarons

Instructions

To start, put the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it's clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed.
Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. If adding food colouring, add it now and beat to combine.
The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined.
Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter.
The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out.
This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you'll just be able to feel when it's ready.
Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles, sprinkle crushed hazelnuts on top, if desired, and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they're ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven.
Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18).
The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
Melt your milk chocolate and set aside to cool.
Once chocolate is completely cool, sift the powdered sugar and cream together with the butter.
Add the cream and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
Fold in the melted chocolate, then beat until buttercream is nice and fluffy.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
Place roasted hazelnuts in a food processor and blend for five to 10 minutes. Wipe down sides of food processor with a spatula as needed.
Add cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt. Blend for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a jar and store in a cool place for up to one month.
Pair together macaron shells of similar shape and size. Pipe a ring of buttercream on one half of each pair.
Dollop hazelnut spread inside the buttercream ring, sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts and gently sandwich together.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.