Chocolate Dipped Almond Pistachio Macaroons Food

CHOCOLATE DIPPED PINEAPPLE-COCONUT MACAROONS

Steps:

• For the pineapple filling: Puree the pineapple in a food processor and transfer to a medium skillet along with the sugar and 1/4 cup water. Heat over medium-low and bring to a low simmer. Use a rubber spatula to stir and move the mixture around as it reduces and thickens to the consistency of very thick jam, 18 to 20 minutes (you should have about a heaping 1/2 cup). Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely in the skillet. The pineapple filling can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and coat lightly with nonstick spray.
• For the macaroons: Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Toss the coconut, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with your hands in another large bowl. Add the coconut mixture to the egg whites and combine with your hands; the mixture should pack together tightly when squeezed. Divide the mixture into 24 slightly heaping tablespoons and roll each into a smooth ball (slightly wet hands can help with rolling). Hold a ball in the palm of your hand and use your thumb to make a slight indentation in the middle. Reshape the edges of the macaroon back into a round if it cracks. Arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, rotating the tray as needed for even browning, 20 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely on the tray.
• Set up a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds; stir. Repeat until all of the chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip the bottom of each macaroon into the chocolate and press into the chocolate about halfway up the macaroon. Use a fork to help lift it out of the chocolate. Transfer to the cooling rack and allow to sit at room temperature until the chocolate hardens and sets up, about 20 minutes.
• Fill each macaroon with about 1 teaspoon of the pineapple filling. Store and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ALMOND MACAROONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line baking sheets with parchment paper., Preheat oven to 350°. Add salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold in almonds. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-12 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. , For buttercream, combine sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture is thickened and reaches 160°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. , In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in cooked sugar mixture. Beat in cocoa until smooth. If necessary, refrigerate until buttercream reaches spreading consistency., Spread buttercream over bottom of each cooled cookie. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Dip bottom of each cookie in melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED COCONUT MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine condensed milk, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt, and egg white in a bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add about 2 1/3 cups shredded coconut. Mix with a spatula until mixture is sticky and holds together. Form into balls using a sorbet scoop.
• Roll balls in remaining coconut. Space macaroons evenly onto a silicone-lined baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place 3/4 of the chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate until it melts.
• Dip the base of each cooled macaroon about 1/8 inch into the chocolate. Place cookies, chocolate-side down, on parchment paper. Let chocolate harden completely.

DARK CHOCOLATE DIPPED MACAROONS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the shredded coconut, potato starch, sugar and salt till well blended. Break up any chunks of potato starch with the fork.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg whites and vanilla till frothy.
• Pour the egg white mixture into the dried coconut mixture. Use the fork to stir the batter together, making sure the coconut is fully and evenly moistened by the egg whites. Let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes while the coconut rehydrates.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir the batter again with a fork. Line a baking sheet with parchment or with a Silpat. Scoop up the batter in tablespoonfuls and drop them onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced. They won't spread, so you can bake them fairly close together.The batter will be delicate... it won't "hold" together the way a cookie dough does, but as they bake they'll stick together and solidify. When you've dropped all of the batter onto your baking sheets, use wet fingers to gently shape the macaroons into rough domes or haystacks. Don't worry, they're not supposed to be perfect.
• Bake the macaroons for 20-25 minutes till the bottom edges turn golden and the tips of the coconut shreds start to brown. Remove from the oven. Don't over-bake or they will become dry.
• Let the macaroons cool directly on the baking sheet before moving them. Trying to move them too soon will cause them to crumble.
• When the macaroons have cooled completely, you can dip and decorate them. First, place them on a flat surface lined with parchment paper. Melt 9 oz dark chocolate, either in the microwave or in a double boiler. I melt mine in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue to melt in 15 second bursts at 50% power till the chocolate becomes smooth.Grasp each macaroon at the top and dip the wider base into the melted chocolate, twisting it into the chocolate and coating it about 1/4 inch up the sides.
• Pull macaroon up and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl (you may need to "help" the excess off with your finger), then place the dipped macaroon onto the flat parchment. Repeat for remaining macaroons.
• When all the macaroons have been dipped, melt the remaining 4 oz dark chocolate and scoop it into a sealing bag (reusable or disposable). Gently squeeze all of the chocolate to one lower corner of the bag, then close the top of the bag, leaving a small gap so it's not completely sealed shut and air can escape. In the corner where you've pushed the melted chocolate, use scissors to snip a very small corner off of the bag. You'll be able to squeeze a small, thin stream of chocolate through this whole. Drizzle the tops of the macaroons with the chocolate, making a zig-zag motion to decorate.
• Once the macaroons have been decorated, allow them to dry. Depending on the weather or temperature in your home, this can take several hours up to overnight. To speed the process, decorate macaroons on a parchment-lined tray and place them in the refrigerator; the chocolate will firm up faster that way.
• Once the macaroons are completely dry, store them in a sealed Tupperware container in single layers divided by parchment or wax paper. A sealed container is very important, it will keep the macaroons moist and stop them from drying out. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for 7 days or longer.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CRESCENTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in almonds and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until firm enough to shape., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape 2 teaspoons of dough into 2-in.-long logs; form each log into a crescent. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Dip cookies halfway into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. If desired, sprinkle with coconut. Let stand until set. Cover dipped ends of cookies with waxed paper; dust undipped ends with confectioners' sugar. Store between pieces of waxed paper in airtight containers.

PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Steps:

• Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pulse confectioners' sugar and pistachios in a food processor until powdery., Preheat oven to 350°. Add salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in pistachio mixture., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a star tip. Transfer pistachio mixture to bag. Pipe 1-in.-diameter cookies 1 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on pans on wire racks., Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter. Cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature or until filling reaches a spreading consistency, about 45 minutes. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Finely grind the almonds, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a food processor.
• Separate one of the eggs and add the white, the other egg, and almond extract and process until the mixture holds together. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chocolate.
• Moisten hands and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Flatten to 1/3-inch thick rounds.
• Bake until tops puff and centers are still soft, about 12 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool completely. Replace parchment paper for next round of cookies.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg whites, cherries, sugar salt and the vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl until combined; fold in the coconut.
• Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture about 1 inch apart onto the baking sheet. Use your fingers to form into pyramids. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on medium-high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Dip the macaroons in the chocolate and sprinkle with pistachios, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and let cool.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ALMOND-PISTACHIO MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400-degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Blend sugar and almonds in food processor until nuts are ground to powder, scraping down sides of bowl often, about 4 minutes.
• Add flour and blend 1 minute.
• Transfer to a large bowl and mix in pistachios.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry.
• Fold nut mixture into whites in 4 additions (batter will be thick).
• Spoon batter by generous tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 1 1/2-inches apart.
• Bake cookies 1 sheet at a a time until dry and cracked on top, about 10 minutes.
• Melt chocolate over double-boiler or in microwave, stirring until melted.
• Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate, shaking off excess.
• Place on foil-lined baking sheets, or on waxed paper- chill for 30 minutes.
• (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container and refrigerate.) Serve at room temperature.