French Macarons with SBMC Filling

Ingredients:

40g almond powder
65g icing sugar
15g castor sugar
1 medium size white egg

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
2. Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold soft peaks. Sift confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, about 30 strokes.
3. Spoon a small amount of batter into a plastic bag with a small corner cut off and pipe a test disk of batter, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, onto prepared baking sheet. If the disk of batter holds a peak instead of flattening immediately, gently fold the batter a few more times and retest.
4. When batter is mixed enough to flatten immediately into an even disk, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 285 degrees F (140 degrees C).
6. Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let cookies cool completely before filling.

 Yield 20 standard size circles = 10 macarons 

For other fillings:
Salted Caramel
Cream Cheese


Hazelnut Macarons

INGREDIENTS
100g toasted skinned hazelnuts
117g confectioners' sugar
2 large egg whites, room temperature
53g granulated sugar

FILLING
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Nutella spread


Instructions

Place the powdered sugar and ground hazelnut in a food processor and buzz for about a minute, until a very fine powder forms.
Sift into a bowl, to make sure there are no lumps and whisk briskly to lighten the mixture. Set aside.
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (You can add a pinch of cream of tartar) Beat on high till medium peaks. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until whites are glossy and holding medium stiff peaks. Our instructor told us this is the time you should add your color, but keep in mind that the color would lighten when you add the nut flour-sugar mix, so keep it a shade or two darker than what you would like.
Add one third of hazelnut flour-sugar mix, salt and fold to combine. Repeat with two more additions. Fold till all the ingredients are incorporated.
Place the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip (tips 802-804 would do).
Pipe 1-2 inch rounds about 1.5 inches apart on parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Once piped, tap the bottom of the pan a few times to flatten the tops and even out the surface.
Preheat oven to 300F ( I preheated to 290 and baked a little longer) Let trays sit for 20 minutes or more until until the tops of the macarons form a slight skin.
Place in a preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes ( I baked for about 15-18 minutes) or until set (the bottoms should be set enough to just lift from the parchment with a centre that is still slightly moist). I also baked with a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep the door slightly ajar and reduce possible humidity.Remove trays from oven and let cool completely before removing. Pair according to similar sized and keep aside.