coffee nutella macaronsOkay, I'm a little obsessed with macarons at the moment. (I know, who isn't a little obsessed with macarons at the moment?) They're dainty and charming and delicious and light and barely count as food at all. Eating macarons is too lovely a pursuit to ever be regarded as overly indulgent. (So tiny! Why not eat 12 or 13 of them?)

The only problem with macarons is that although there exists an endless variety of flavors and colors and combinations, rarely if ever does one come across a bakery creative enough to diverge from the standard selection of vanilla, pistachio, and strawberry.

So I'm going to attempt -- deep breath -- to make these phenomenal-sounding Coffee Nutella Macarons all by myself. I don't expect them to be perfect. But if they look or taste anything remotely like this picture, my homemade macarons will have been well worth the trouble.

Coffee Nutella Macarons

For the shells:

90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds
1 teaspoon espresso powder

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the powdered sugar, almonds, and espresso powder in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, 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. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. 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.


For the coffee paint:

1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon hot water


For the chocolate Nutella ganache:

1/2 cup of heavy cream
3/4 cup dark chocolate
2 Tb. Nutella


Fill the macarons shells ... and eat!



Image via jamieanne/Flickr