Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons

I think these are my favorite, from all the macarons I've tried. Chocolate and peanuts are a classic combination, and this is definitely a good place to combine the two. They went down a storm when I served them, so I think most people would tend to agree with me here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
about 20 cookies

3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped

filling:
75 g unsalted butter
85 g creamy peanut butter
powdered sugar, to taste

Combine powdered sugar, almonds and cocoa powder in your food processor, and grind until very fine. Sieve. Re-grind any lumps or big pieces of almonds. Mix carefully (they tend to separate a little bit when sieving, since the sugar falls through first.)

Beat egg whites and sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Don't overbeat. Stir in the almond-sugar powder, and fold together. Don't overmix this - most seem to say that you should use less than 50 strokes. (You can try it by dolloping a little batter on a baking sheet - if the peak falls down, it's ready. If it doesn't, try a few more strokes.)

Pipe small rounds on a baking sheet with baking paper. Sprinkle half of them with salted peanuts. Leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, to form a skin.

Bake at 150°C for 15-20 minutes. (I have a convection oven, and 15 minutes was perfect for me.) Let them cool completely before filling. Unused shells can be frozen, or kept in an air-tight container for a day or so.

For the filling, beat butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar to taste - start with a few spoonfuls and keep going until you find it sufficiently sweet, and sturdy enough to spread. Spread onto half of the shells - the ones without peanut sprinkles - and top with the other shells.

Recipe in Swedish:
Choklad- och jordnötsmacarons