See the full post for macaron making tips and more photos here.
Hazelnut Macarons
Often paired with chocolate, hazelnuts shine on their own. These crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside macarons feature hazelnuts as the star. Iced coffee lovers will adore the scrumptious hazelnut-coffee buttercream filling. No time to make the buttercream? Fill these macarons with a bit of Nutella.
YIELD: about 22
PREP TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes
BAKE TIME: 16 minutes
For the shells:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract/flavoring
For the hazelnut-coffee buttercream filling:
3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract/flavoring
2-3 tablespoons milk
Place egg whites in a bowl on the counter while preparing cookie sheets, for up to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Pour hazelnuts onto a small rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and take off as much of the skins as possible, using one of two ways: place warm nuts in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously or place warm nuts in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Agitate to remove skins. If skins are difficult to remove, cook for 2 minutes more.
Place cooled nuts in a food processor and run on high until the hazelnuts are chopped fine, similar to almond flour. Remove from processor and set aside.
Use a 1 1/2 -inch round cookie cutter to trace circles on two pieces of parchment paper. About 20 circles will fit on one sheet. Flip the sheets over and place on rimmed cookie sheets set aside.
Place almond flour, two tablespoons reserved hazelnut flour, and powdered sugar in the food processor bowl. Run on high speed until well combined. Sift mixture into a bowl, discarding any large pieces that won’t fit through the sifter mesh.
With the whisk attachment of a mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed for one minute. Very gradually, add the granulated sugar into the eggs with the mixer running. Once all of the sugar has been added, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the eggs are glossy, thick, and just hold a stiff peak. Beat in the hazelnut extract/flavoring.
{NOTE: a stiff peak is when the beater is pulled from the bowl and the meringue holds its shape without flopping over.]
Pour the almond flour mixture into the egg whites and use a silicone spatula to fold in slow strokes from the bottom of the bowl. The mixture will seem dry at first and then come together and loosen. Keep folding gently until the egg whites and flour mixture is combined and falls off the spatula in a ribbon.
Pour batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, such as a Wilton #24. Alternatively, cut about a 1/2-inch opening in the piping bag. Pipe batter onto the prepared circle templates, releasing pressure on the bag when the circle is filled.
From a height of a few inches, drop the cookie sheets onto the counter. Let the batter set for 30-60 minutes until the tops feel a bit dry when lightly touched. An oscillating or ceiling fan on low near the cookie sheets can help.
Preheat oven to 300. When the cookies are ready, bake for 16-18 minutes or until the shells lift effortlessly from the parchment. Let cool on the cookie sheet until room temperature.
Make the hazelnut-coffee buttercream filling. Beat butter with a paddle attachment until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix on low. Meanwhile, stir espresso powder, vanilla, and hazelnut extract/flavoring together in a small bowl. Add to the mixer. Add two tablespoons milk and beat until the filling comes together. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes until thick and fluffy. Add remaining tablespoon milk if needed.
Place filling in a piping bag fitted with a #12 tip, or snip the tip. Pipe filling onto half of the shells, not quite to the edge. Carefully sandwich with the remaining shells. (You will have buttercream left over. Pop it in the fridge and use to spread onto graham crackers.)
Refrigerate until ready to serve, then bring to room temperature. Macarons are best when made ahead and can be refrigerated up to a week and frozen 3 months.
