Banoffee Macarons for MacTweets!

This month's Mac Tweets challenge was to try something new with your macarons.
I wanted to create a mini dessert with mine, and see what would happen if I used brown sugar instead of the granulated sugar. I also added a couple of spoons of grated dark chocolate to the mixture. The result was very chewy macarons and they had larger feet than I wanted, but they still tasted pretty good. I used a one egg white recipe again, as I was experimenting.


Ready for the oven



Out of the oven and waiting to be filled



Top with sliced banana and drizzle with caramel

Banoffee Macarons
This recipe uses 1 egg white and only makes about 14 halves, 1½" across. Bear in mind that these were experimental using some brown sugar, and that did make for a more chewy texture. I did not age the eggwhite overnight, but bought it to room temperature for about an hour before using.

42g ground almonds
75g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Dark chocolate - a couple of squares, finely grated
38g egg white (roughly 1 large egg white, which you can 'age' overnight if you prefer)
10g light soft brown sugar
pinch of salt

Filling
60ml double cream, whipped until stiff
½ banana finely chopped or top with slices of banana
Couple of tablespoon of caramel


Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and chocolate together in a bowl and put to one side.

In a large clean, dry bowl, whip the egg white with a pinch of salt until it becomes foamy and stiff. Gradually add the brown sugar, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is stiff and shiny.

Gently fold in the almond mixture using a large spoon or spatula, until incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and firm, but with a bit of 'flow' to it. Don't over-mix it or it will be too runny.

Fill a piping bag with a 1cm round tip and pipe the mixture onto Silpat or baking parchment. Tap the sheets gently to remove air bubbles. Let dry at room temperature for about an hour or so before baking.

Bake in a preheated oven, 160º/325F for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove from the oven and leave to go cold. Peel off the Silpat or baking parchment.

Whip the cream until stiff and gently fold in the banana. Pipe or spoon onto one half of the macarons, drizzle with caramel and top with the other half before serving.


Don't forget to look at all the other macarons that have been made this month by heading over to the Mac Tweet blog!




Other Macarons on Cherrapeño:
Christmas Macarons (Cranberry & Pistachio with White Chocolate & Vanilla Cream)
Chocolate Macarons with Caramel Cream
Coffee Macarons with Nutella Cream

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