Kate at The Clean Plate Club really threw down the challenge this month. This has been on my "to bake" list for ages. A friend told me, these are the very difficult since the ingredients consist of egg whites and beating them until stiff. She also indicated that they are very expensive about $3 bucks a piece. Yowza! I didn't believe her. Come on how hard can making a cookie be. I was sooo wrong. This cookie challenge kicked tush really hard. Here is a picture of the anatomy of a perfect macaroon.
Picture from: sushtopia.com
See how its suppose to have the foot. Notice how its flat and smooth. That is a perfect macaroon. Are you ready to see mine? I am so embarrassed. I am even getting all red as I write this post.
None of the cookie had that foot at the bottom, nor did they have that egg shell like crust. I decided to tweak the recipe a bit. I added cocoa powder to give it a chocolaty taste. I was unable to locate hazelnuts, so I used the traditional almond flour. Instead of regular ganache that the recipe asked for, I used nutella. If you have not had nutella, you must have been living under a rock. Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread. It is great on just about anything.
Practice does make perfect. I think the French pastry chefs out there would pick me up and dust the poweder sugar off me. They would tell me to get my tush back into that kitchen and try again. I might just do that.
The Verdict
Papa Bear: He ate a couple cookies. He had nothing much to say as this was his first time eating a macaroon. I might have to splurge and buy him a real one to taste.
The other bears: Sorry babies. Chocolate and nutella do not mix in your diet.
Myself: It was very nice. I was on the same boat as Papa Bear. I never had one. I think I need to make a trip to the local bakery for the real deal.
Practice does make perfect. I think the French pastry chefs out there would pick me up and dust the poweder sugar off me. They would tell me to get my tush back into that kitchen and try again. I might just do that.
The Verdict
Papa Bear: He ate a couple cookies. He had nothing much to say as this was his first time eating a macaroon. I might have to splurge and buy him a real one to taste.
The other bears: Sorry babies. Chocolate and nutella do not mix in your diet.
Myself: It was very nice. I was on the same boat as Papa Bear. I never had one. I think I need to make a trip to the local bakery for the real deal.
4 comments:
I can now appreciate why they charge $3/a piece for these cookies.
They were sooo much work but so worth it.
Love your post. I am not a macaron fan so opted out of this month's carnival. Would be interested to hear what you think about the fancy cookie shop version. I had my first (and only) macaron in Paris and didn't like it. Not a huge meringue fan, I guess. Now coconut macaroons, they're another story:-)
As long as it tastes good that's all that matters :) I had fun making these and subbed my filling with a home made hazelnut chocolate spread. SO GOOD!
I'd read about these expensive little cookies before Kate chose a version of it for the carnival. I couldn't believe the price of them!! Holy Cow!!
Everyone is right, as long as you thought it tasted good, that's all that really matters.
I didn't get a chance to make these due to moving and school activities but I'm planning on making June's recipe. See ya at the end of the month!
Post a Comment