Mouth-meltingly good Coffee Macaroons

LEFTOVER EGG WHITES in the fridge from the Christmas festivities and an afternoon stretching ahead of you with the rain streaming down the windows? What better to do than to whip up some delicious coffee macaroons? My macaroon adventure started a few summers ago with Nigella’s delectable chocolate macaroons from her Domestic Goddess book, but they use four egg whites and considerable amounts of dark chocolate and cream – perhaps not quite what I had in mind after the excesses of Christmas eating, scrumptious though they are. Instead, I tried this recipe, loosely based on one of Great British Bake-off winner Jo Wheatleys’s from A Passion For Baking. Definitely moreish – and easier than you’d think – especially if you use the special macaroon moulds from Lakeland (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/15816/Silicone-Macaroon-Mould-) to stop them spreading and resist the urge to make bigger and bigger macaroons. I ended up with a miscellany of odd-shaped macaroons when I first made Nigella’s chocolate version as it’s harder than you think to make consistent sizes – needless to say, my son and his best friend were very appreciative of the jumbo macaroons and still maintain they are the best (even better than the pretty pastel ones we brought back from Paris, or so they say…)!!

 Coffee Macaroons

4oz ground almonds
4oz icing sugar
2 large egg whites (not a problem if these have lingered in the fridge for a few days!)
2oz caster sugar
1 tsp Camp coffee essence
Espresso coffee powder to decorate (optional)

Filling:

4oz icing sugar, sifted
1oz  butter, softened
1 tbsp Camp coffee essence
1 tbsp milk
½ oz dark chocolate, just melted in the microwave

 Recipe

Mix the ground almonds and sifted icing sugar in a bowl until well blended.

Whisk the egg whites in another large bowl until they reach the soft peak stage, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar. Gradually fold in the almond/icing sugar mixture a third at a time and finally add the coffee essence until smooth and shiny.

Spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe 24 small rounds, perhaps 1½” across, onto a parchment-lined baking tray or, even better, one of Lakeland’s macaroon moulds, placed on a baking tray for support and sprayed with a fine oil spray to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with finely sieved espresso powder if liked.

Leave to set for at least 30 minutes so that a skin can form and they don’t spread during cooking.

Bake at 150°C (fan) / 170°C (conventional oven) / Gas Mark 3 for about 15 minutes or until firm and crisp on top. Another test is to see if one can be lifted gently from the tray without sticking or leaving a gooey residue – return to the oven if they do! When you’re happy that they’re done, remove from the oven and leave on the trays until completely cold.

For the filling

Cream together all the ingredients until light and fluffy, but only adding half the milk until you can gauge the consistency. You need it to be firm enough to sandwich the macaroons without oozing out, but not too firm that it becomes stiff.

When the macaroons are cold, spread one half of each pair with the filling and sandwich together. Serve and enjoy!