Decadent Passover Chocolate Macarons

Adapted from Joy of Kosher. No photo yet, but everyone was swooning over them, so I'm obviously going to make more

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes or less (I wasn't counting) 
Baking time: 10 minutes

Makes 2 dozen or so

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (eggs separate more easily straight from the fridge, so let the separated egg whites sit on the counter until room temperature (about 10-15 minutes)
1 1/3 cup almond flour   (the kind I buy is coarse so I pulse a few times in my food processor)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F/220C and line rimmed baking sheets (I needed two) with parchment paper.   Stack an additional baking sheet under the first for more insulation and keeps the bottoms from browning.

2. Use a pastry bag with 1/2" plain tip or if you're like me and don't bake enough to own one...use a large Ziplock baggie and cut a small hole in one corner.  Voila!  your own pastry bag.

3. In a medium sized bowl sift together almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder.  Stir and set aside.

4.  In the large bowl of a stand mixer ( hand mixer works too), whip egg whites until they are firm and glossy (Joy of Cooking people say not to over whip... but not being a real baker I'm not sure what that looks like).

5. Fold the dry ingredients gently into the beaten egg whites in three additions.  Transfer to the pastry bag.  

6. Use a small amount of the batter under the corners of the parchment so the the paper won't stick to the macarons.   Pipe the batter into 1" rounds (I did find this step sticky and a little challenging to separate the dollop from the batter in the bag.)

7.  Before baking, rap the baking sheets sharply against the counter.   This removes air from the cookies and keeps them from puffing up ( keeping that awesome chewiness I love )

8. I prepared two baking sheets of cookies but baked them one at a time in the center of the oven.

9. Place the macarons in the preheated oven and immediately turn the oven down to 350F/175C and bake for 10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are firm to the touch.

10. Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack.  

11.  Remember to raise the temperature to 425F/220C before baking the second batch and lower the heat to 350F/175C to bake.