Chocolate "French" Macarons

First of all, let me start by saying I am in no way an expert on the subject of french macarons. I have never made them before and I have never even been to France. (Although it is on my list of dream destinations.) I do however have a love for baking and cooking and love a challenge in the kitchen! Rumor has it, these little suckers are hard to make and there is a science to making them. Every recipe and website has different tips and tricks for perfecting them. I took a chance and tried a simple recipe for a chocolate macaron with an espresso ganache. Now like I said before, I've never had a real one, but I have an image in my head as to what they should look and taste like, and these came pretty close to what I'd imagined! Two little pillows of crunchy, melt in your mouth meringue, with a rich dark chocolate and espresso ganache sandwiched in between. Until I make it to France to taste the real thing, this will have to do.

ENJOY! Chocolate Macarons

Macarons:

• 1 cup icing (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 3 Tablespoons coco powder
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/3 cup white sugar

Ganache:

• 1/8 cup cream
• 1 cup dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso

1. In a large bowl, sift together icing sugar, coco and almond meal.
2. In a separate bowl, or electric mixer, whisk egg whites until thick. Add white sugar in 2 separate parts, whisking in between each. On high, continue to whisk until very stiff peaks form.
3. Fold egg whites in to almond mixture until just combined. It's important not to over mix.
4. Fill a pastry bag with mixture. Pipe on to baking tray lined with baking paper. Form small flat circles, about 1 teaspoon, about an inch apart. Rap baking tray on the counter top a few times to flatten the macarons out slightly.
5. Bake for 12-15 mins. Remove and place on cooling racks completely.
6. To make ganache, put cream and espresso in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add chocolate and let sit for 2 mins. Stir with a whisk until smooth.
7. Place a small amount of ganache between 2 macaroons making sure not to squish out the sides. Let set on cooling rack for at least an hour to set.

*From what I know of french macarons, these turned out ok in some ways and not in others. They tasted great and the texture was fantastic. They had the "foot" on the bottom of the macaron and did not crack during baking. They did not however have the smooth shiny finish across the top as they should have. It think this may be because I did not ground the almond meal as most recipes suggest, so that is is fine like flour rather than sand. I may have also over mixed it a bit. They also raised a bit more than they should have. I think this is because I used icing "mixture" rather than pure icing sugar. The mixture contains cornflour and may have caused it to rise a bit.