Chocolate Pistachio Macaroon Recipe

This macaroon recipe may easily become your favorite treat.

Ingredients

Macaroons
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup almond flour or almond meal
3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Pistachio Buttercream
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg
½ cup ground pistachios
Garnish
¼ cup chopped pistachios (optional for garnish)
Makes 40

Directions

Pistachio Buttercream

In thebowl of an electric mixer beat the butter until very soft, about 3 minutes.

Place the egg into a clean bowl of your mixer and beat.

Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat.

When the syrup is formed, pour the syrup in a thin stream into the beaten egg.

Continue to beat the meringue mixture until the mixture becomes white and heavy.

Add the butter in three parts to the meringue mixture, beating after each addition.

Continue beating on a high speed until the mixture becomes creamy.

Add the pistachios and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Fit a large pastry bag with a ½ -inch plain open tip; set aside.

Use a food processor, pulse confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt until fine.

Sift mixture and set aside.

Beat egg whites for 30 seconds on medium speed or until opaque and foamy.

Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium high, for about 1 minute.

Continue to beat, slowly adding the granulated sugar, until the sugar is combined, the peaks are stiff, and the whites are shiny, about 1 minute more. Be careful not to over whip.

Transfer the meringue to a large bowl.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry mixture into the egg whites bit by bit until the dry ingredients are justcombined.

With the final addition, stop folding when there are no egg whites showing.Transfer the mixture into to the pastry bag.

Pipe out 1¼-inch rounds 1 inch apart onto the baking sheets, about 20 per baking sheet.

To create the macaroon base, pick up the baking sheets and bang them flat down against your counter.Let the rounds sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to dry the tops and ensure even cooking.

Bake the macaroons one sheet at a time for 7 minutes.

Rotate the sheet and bake for 7 minutes more. Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with second sheet of cookies.

Garnish

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a plain round nozzle. withbuttercream andpipe onto the flat side of one macaroon in each pair, sandwich the macaroons pairs, but be careful because the filling should not come out the edges.

Optional: top macaroons with any remaining buttercream and chopped pistachios.

Refrigerate, covered, at least 24 hours before serving