French Macarons

French Macarons

Yield: 1 cake

Serves: 16-18

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 50 min

Ready: 1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

• 1 plus 1/4 tsp powdered stevia

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

• Pinch of cream of tartar

• food coloring

Coconut Cream

• 2 tbsp raw cream

• pinch of salt

• 1 tsp coconut extract

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 sticks of butter, softened

• 1/4 cup coconut cream (thick cream on top of canned coconut milk)

• 3 tsp powdered stevia

1. Stir the cream, extracts, and salt together until the salt dissolves. Beat in the butter and coconut cream in a separate large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low-medium, add stevia and beat until smooth, then beat in cream mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4-6 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

• 8 oz. dark chocolate

• 1/2 cup coconut cream

• optional flavorings such as cinnamon, coffee, orange zest or brandy

1. Melt the chcolate and mix the ingredients together in the top of a double-boiler until smooth.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 tsp of sweetener and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add the 1/4 powdered sweetener. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Add a drop of color if desired and continue mixing.

2. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds (1 inch apart) on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. I also sometimes just use a large Ziplock bag and snip the corner off – be careful to only snip a very small hole. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air.

3. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.

4. Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.) Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling (recipes above). Can be frozen between layers of parchment for up to 3 months.