Almond Praliné Macarons

Sick of macarons yet? I'm not. They're still as delicious as ever, and I really love making them, too. These ones came about right after the Royal Wedding Cake, as I had both leftover egg whites and almond praliné. Turned out to be perfect - very candylike. The filling sets up a lot in the fridge though so make sure to let them come to room temperature before serving.

Almond Praliné Macarons
(printable recipe)
About 20 finished cookies

3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almonds, blanched

Combine powdered sugar and almonds 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. Leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, to form a skin.

Bake at 150°C for 10-15 minutes. (I have a convection oven, and have recently found that 10-12 is 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.

Filling:
200 g milk chocolate
100 g almond praliné

Melt the chocolate, and stir in the almond praliné. Let it cool slightly, if it's too runny to spread (or pipe) on the macarons. When it's thickened slightly, fill the cookies. Keep them in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer.

Almond praliné:
100 g sugar
65 g almonds, blanched and peeled

Lightly toast the almonds, either in the oven or in a dry frying pan. Chop coarsely.

Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan, and heat (on medium heat) until it's starting to melt. Don't stir it! Shake the pan lightly to help the sugar melt evenly, and when it's all turning golden brown, quickly add the almond and stir. Pour onto a silpat or teflon mat, and try to make it as thin as possible. (It's very very hot, so do this by covering with a second silpat or teflon mat, and press with an oven mitt.)

When the caramel has cooled, coarsely chop it and place in a food processor. Run into a very fine powder. This is your finished praliné - keep it in a tight-lidded jar.

Recipe in Swedish:
Macarons med mandelpraliné