Salted Chocolate Macaron + No-Churn Olive Oil Ice Cream Sandwiches
If you've never made french macarons before, I will say they require a little patience and finesse but they aren't as daunting as they may seem. I've made them dozens of times now and have learned some tips and tricks along the way that I'd like to pass along to you. And don't fret if your first batch is less than perfect (mine sure weren't!). Practice makes perfect.
These are the perfect vehicle for ice cream sandwiches, too. They're a little crisp and a little chewy so they still have some give when you take a bite. The olive oil flavor is a pleasant surprise against the salty chocolate flavor, with subtle grassy, almost herbaceous notes. I hope you give these a try!
Salted Chocolate Macaron + No-Churn Olive Oil Ice Cream Sandwiches
makes 12 sandwiches
Macarons
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c finely ground almond flour (Bob's is best!)
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg whites, aged at least 3 days
1/4 c + 2 T granulated sugar
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (such as Jacobsen)
pearl sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Ice Cream
1 and 3/4 c heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c good quality extra virgin olive oil
My tips
Before you dive in, here are some pointers I've picked up along the way that will ensure you end up with an awesome macaron. There's a million different macaron theories out there but these are just the tricks I've learned that have worked for me! Once you get them down, maybe experiment a bit and come up with your own!
- Start with aged egg whites. Might sound kinda gross but I swear, this is key. Fresh whites contain too much moisture so aging them a few days allows some of the moisture content to evaporate. All you do is let your egg whites hang out on the counter for a few days before you make your cookies. Not hard, just requires a little planning ahead. And I promise they won't go bad sitting out on the counter.
- Use high-quality store-bought finely ground almonds. Bob's Red Mill is my favorite. I've tried to make my own by starting with raw almonds and blitzing them to a pulp then drying for what seemed forever in the oven (NEVER AGAIN). Way more trouble than it's worth. I've tried using a coarser almond flour which is probably perfectly suited for other baking applications, but because it contained the almond skins and had a coarser texture, my macarons turned out lumpy. The taste will probably still be good, but let's be honest, these cookies rely heavily on their aesthetic. Finely-ground almonds = smooth cookie tops.
- Allow the cookies to completely dry after piping before baking. This can take between about 30 minutes to an hour. I know, kind of annoying. But this allows the exterior of the shells to dry while the interior stays wet and when they bake, the outer dry shell rises above the interior and creates the signature crinkly little bottom of the cookie, known as the "foot".
Make the ice cream
Line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with wax paper, allowing a few inches to hang off either side and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil and condensed milk. Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream, being careful not to lose the air you whipped into the cream. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight. I made mine the day before I made the cookies and assembled the sandwiches.
Make the macarons
First, be sure you have aged egg whites ready to go. Crack and separate 3 eggs, reserving the yolks for another day. (Creme brûlée or hollandaise for brunch this weekend?) Put the whites in a bowl and cover with a paper towel, and store at room temperature for 3 days. You still want air to circulate around the whites so be sure the whites are just covered with a paper towel or dish towel or some other porous covering, not an airtight lid.
Line two baking trays with parchment or a silpat and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and granulated sugar until thick and glossy and stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the ground almond mixture by hand in 3 batches. Keep folding until the batter is fully incorporated and the consistency is thick but has movement when you drizzle it back on itself in a ribbon. Think lava: slow moving but flowing.
Line a tall glass or jar with a piping bag and fill it with the batter. You can either choose to fit the bag with a medium sized round piping tip, or just snip the top off the bag. Pipe 2 inch circles, using a spiral pattern, starting in the middle and working your way out. The circles should be about an inch apart. (If you need a little help making uniform circles that are all the same size, trace circles on the back of your parchment using a cup or cookie cutter then flip it over so the pencil marks are on the bottom.) Dip your finger in a small dish of water and gently pat down the tip of the cookies where you pulled up the piping tip. Sprinkle half of the cookies (these will be the tops) with a pinch of the flaky salt and pearl sugar, if you wish, for a little extra crunch. Allow the cookies to rest for about an hour, or until the cookies are completely dry to the touch. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, until firm and little feet have formed on the bottom. Set aside to cool. Resist the urge to pop the cookies off the sheets right when they come out of the oven. The middles haven't set yet and will probably stay on the parchment when you try to pull the cookie off.
Assemble the sandwiches
Pull the ice cream out of the freezer and using the wax paper, lift the sheet of ice cream out of the baking dish. Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut the ice cream into disks and sandwich each disk between two cookies.
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
Other Cookie Options
Alternatively, if you didn't want to make ice cream sandwiches, you could fill these with buttercream, ganache, or lemon curd. If you don't want to make chocolate macarons, simply substitute the cocoa powder for more powdered sugar or another powdered flavoring, such as ground pistachios, or ground freeze-dried raspberries. Try to stay away from liquid flavorings, though, as they can start to mess with the consistency of the batter. Trust me, I've learned the hard way.
