CHOCOLATE MACARONS WITH ESPRESSO GANACHE FILLING

Steps:

• Pulse the almonds in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground.
• Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and process until blended.
• 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.
• (Look, they have feet!)
• While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache. Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream mixture to a simmer, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk gently in small circular motions until the ganache forms. Blend in the espresso powder. Let the mixture cool until it is thick enough to pipe. (To speed chilling, transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator and let cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until thickened.)
• Macs baked on parchment paper - a few had less than perfect bottoms.
• Baked on the silpat - all were perfect! (Hence, I have now invested in a second silpat.)
• Once the cookies are totally cooled, match them up by size. Pipe a layer of ganache onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich together with the remaining cookie, pushing the filling to the edges. Store in an airtight container.