Dutch Cocoa & Marshmallow Macarons

There is nothing that I love more, on a cold winter's night, than to come inside from the outdoors into the warmth of my home. Snuggling up on the lounge in my jammies, next to my gorgeous giggly girls, sipping thick hot cocoa taking turns to dunk our marshmallows. Thick oozy chocolate all over our lips, dripping down the little girls chin, big smiles and later, lots of cuddles. Excitement buzzing in the air because Easter is just around the corner "I can't wait for the Easter egg hunt" says the eldest gorgeous girl.

Since the Mactweets challenge this month is all about chocolate, I couldn't help but to combine my "Dutch Cocoa & Marshmallow Macarons" with a hint of Easter. My macarons are inspired by the Mactweets challenge and special moments with my gorgeous girls.

I used to love these little fluffy chicks when I was little.

MAKE THE GANACHE 

Use a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream i.e. 200g white chocolate and 100g pouring cream (minimum 35% fat) and add a splash of marshmallow essence.

MAKE THE MACARONS:

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DUTCH COCOA TANT POUR TANT (TPT)

312g sifted TPT (140g almond meal with 150g icing sugar & 22g dutch cocoa)

55g egg whites (fresh)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ITALIAN MERINGUE (IM)

150g caster sugar

37g water

55g egg whites (old egg whites aged 12-24 hours in a bowl on the kitchen bench)

chocolate powdered food colouring

STEP 1. MAKE THE TPT

Mix the Tant Pour Tant (normally equal quantities of icing sugar & almond meal - exception is for this recipe whereby I've added extra cocoa powder) with the fresh egg white until it forms a thick paste, cover with cling wrap and set aside.

STEP 2. MAKE THE IM

Pour your aged egg whites into a Kitchen Aid mixer and insert the whisk attachment.

Bring the caster sugar, water and food colouring to the boil in a small saucepan. When the sugar syrup reaches 115°C start whisking your aged egg whites into soft peaks. As soon as the syrup reaches 118°C slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin stream. Continue whisking the IM in the Kitchen Aid until it reaches a temperature between 50-55°C. 

STEP 3. COMBINE THE TPT & IM

With a spatula, fold one-third of the IM into the TPT and egg white paste and knock out some of the air in the batter. At this stage of the process you can be quite rough when handling.

Gently fold in the rest of the IM into the TPT and combine until you have the right texture (should be glossy and look like cake mixture). Be careful not to over-mix the batter here or it will get too runny and your shells may crack in the oven.

STEP 4. PIPE YOUR MACARON SHELLS

Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter and place some parchment paper over a baking sheet. Put four small dabs of macaron mix underneath the parchment paper in each corner to secure the paper. Pipe 3.5 - 4cm diameter circles onto the parchment paper, tap the tray on the work surface to remove air bubbles and leave to dry for about 15-20 minutes to form a crust and are dry to touch.

STEP 5. COOK YOUR MACARON SHELLS

Cook the macaron for 17 mins at 150°C (fan forced oven). To release steam, leave the oven door open slightly. If this doesn't work for you, keep experimenting until you find the right temperature as every oven is different. Once cooked, remove from the baking sheet and leave to cool on the parchment paper over a wire rack.

STEP 6. ASSEMBLE YOUR MACARON

Remove the shells from the parchment paper and pair like sizes together. Pipe a decent blob of ganache onto the shell, then place the lid on top and twist slightly so that the ganache flows out towards the edge of the macaron. When piping the ganache onto the shell always leave a small rim.

STEP 7. STORE YOUR MACARON
Store your macaron in the fridge for 24 hours prior to eating so that the humidity helps the ganache to soak into the shell and allow the flavours to develop.  Try not to eat your macaron the day they are made as they are dry.  Allow the macaron to return to room temperature prior to serving.