Macarons Attempt #2 and 3- Salted Caramel and Chocolate

On the left: my fail batches as you can see already from the unbaked shells, they were way too glossy and liquidy they could barely stay in shape! But i didn't want to waste my efforts so I baked them anyway and as I suspected, failure! On the right: these were much better, the prebaked batter was not overglossy and the feet sprang up really nicely. Now I just have to learn how to avoid hollow shells!

2 years after attempting my first macaron, I thought naively, well, if I could do it 2 years ago, I'm pretty sure I can do it now too... Well as you'll see, boy was I wrong! Attempt 1 failed miserably and I was certainly guilty of overmixing the batter and handling waaay too long. And plus I was just plain disorganised that first time round I promised myself I would prepare everything beforehand to make the actual making process go much smoother which was what happened in attempt #2. It was by no means perfect, behind their poofy shells lie nothing, YES nothing, it was pretty much hollow! Well, I guess that'll just give me even more reason to venture and experiment more until I'm happy with it! If you're keen for the recipe, read on!

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Macarons

Makes around 30 macarons depending on size.

- Recipe adapted from the amazing Tartelette

For the shells:

90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds (whatever you want, blanched, whole, sliced etc.)
1 teaspoon Dutch cocoa powder
A few spoonfuls of finely chopped nuts or whatever (I used pistachios/almonds, crushed cornflakes, and some pink Lyonnaise pralines)

1. Place the powdered sugar, almonds and cocoa powder in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Pass them through a sieve to make sure you've completely gotten rid of any big lumps. 
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until stiff peaks- you obtain a glossy meringue (Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.
3. Add the meringue to the almond/sugar mixture, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. When you lift your spatula, there should be a trailing ribbon GRADUALLY falling back to the batter. See here to see right consistency. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.(But don't be afraid to mix! You NEED to fully incorporate the egg whites in, no foamy lumps should remain!)
4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto baking paper or silicone mats lined baking trays. Sprinkle with the nuts/toppings if desired. Preheat the oven to 280'F/140'C. 
5. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.
6. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. 
7. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon of salted caramel buttercream or chocolate ganache in the center of one shell and top with another one.

For the coffee paint:

1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon hot water

Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water and gently brush the paint over the baked macaron shells. Let dry completely.

For the salted caramel buttercream (makes enough to fill the 30 macarons):

100 g caster sugar
165 g thickened cream (minimum 35% fat content)
15 g salted butter
70 g softened salted butter

1. Place cream in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Put it aside and keep it warm.
2. Add 1/3 of caster sugar to a heavy-based small saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the sugar melt and shake the pan every now and then to help the sugar dissolve.  When the sugar has dissolved, put another 1/2 of what's left of sugar into the pan and let it melt. Repeat with the rest of the sugar. (I know it's tempting to get a wooden spoon to mix it, but for best results refrain from doing this!)
3. Leave the sugar caramelised until it turns dark amber. Remove the pan from the heat and add 15 g of butter. 
4. Add warm thickened cream to the sugar mixture. Be careful as the mixture might spatter. Quickly shake the pan (at this stage I myself couldn't resist to get a wooden spoon!) to help blend the cream and caramelized sugar.  Put the saucepan back to medium-heat and let it boil until it reaches 108°C. 
5. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a bowl. Cover the mixture surface with cling wrap to prevent the skin forming. Set aside to cool down and won't melt butter in the next stage.
6. When the sugar mixture is cool, beat butter on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy (approx. 8 – 10 minutes). Mix the sugar mixture into the butter in two batches. Chill the mixture until ready to spoon into a piping bag with a plain tip and pipe the shells.

For the chocolate ganache (makes enough to fill the 30 macarons):

1/2 cup thickened cream (you could use low fat thickened cream if you prefer)

120g good quality dark chocolate
2 tbs. unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

1. Finely chop chocolate and place into a medium bowl
2. Place thickened cream in a small bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Repeat until milk is very hot, almost scalding and steam is rising from it
3. Pour cream into the chocolate and let rest for one minute before adding butter and whisking to a smooth, glossy ganache
4. Let cool for about 20 minutes so it firms up a little before spooning into a piping bag with a plain tip and piping onto the shells. 

Note: Place filled cookies in an airtight container and leave it in the fridge overnight or a day before eating for best taste. But I know alot of you won't be able to resist so I don't know why I'm even bothered to say this!