Chocolate Hazelnut Macarons Recipes

Steps:

• Grind the nuts: Pulse the blanched hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. (Don't walk away; if you overprocess, you'll have hazelnut butter.) Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the almonds.
• Mix the dry ingredients: Combine 3/4 cup of the ground hazelnuts and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of the ground almonds in a large bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar.
• Make the meringue: Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Don't let the bowl touch the water.)
• Continue whisking until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (If you can still feel the sugar, keep whisking.) Turn off the heat but leave the water in the saucepan.
• Using a rubber spatula, transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. (If you turn the bowl over, the whites shouldn't move.)
• Finish the batter: Fold a few dollops of the meringue into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Gently fold in the rest until smooth and fluffy, scooping from the bottom of the bowl to the top.
• Pipe into rounds: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip and fill with the batter; press out the air. Pipe the batter into 1-inch rounds on the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
• Rest and bake: Tap the baking sheets on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
• Let sit at room temperature until slightly dry, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until you can slide a spatula underneath the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through. Pull the parchment and cookies off the pans; cool.
• Make the filling: Meanwhile, bring the water in the saucepan back to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it over the water.
• Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pan.
• Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until simmering. Stir the warm cream and praline paste into the chocolate.
• Fold in the butter, salt and chopped hazelnuts. Let the filling cool until spreadable, about 15 minutes.
• Sandwich the cookies: Spread the filling on half of the cookies with the back of a spoon and sandwich with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate the macarons, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Place hazelnuts and confectioners' sugar in a food processor; pulse until nuts are finely ground., Add salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in hazelnut mixture., With a pastry bag, pipe 1-in.-diameter cookies 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, 9-12 minutes. Transfer cookies on the parchment to wire racks; cool completely., For the buttercream, in a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil; cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot syrup into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in espresso powder and vanilla; cool completely., In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in cooled syrup. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Refrigerate until mixture firms to a spreading consistency, about 10 minutes., Spread about 1-1/2 tsp buttercream onto the bottom of each of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lower third. Place hazelnuts in a food processor; process until as fine as possible, about 1 minute. Add confectioners' sugar; process until combined, about 1 minute.
• Pass hazelnut mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer solids in sieve to food processor; grind and sift again, pressing down on clumps. Repeat until less than 2 tablespoons of solids remains in sieve.
• Whisk egg whites and granulated sugar by hand to combine. Beat on medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid) 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high (6) and beat 2 minutes. Then beat on high (8) 2 minutes more.
• The beaten egg whites will hold stiff, glossy peaks when you lift the whisk out of the bowl. Beat on highest speed 30 seconds.
• Add dry ingredients all at once. Fold with a spatula from bottom of bowl upward, then press flat side of spatula firmly through middle of mixture. Repeat just until batter flows like lava, 35 to 40 complete strokes.
• Rest a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round tip (Ateco #804) inside a glass. Transfer batter to bag; secure top. Dab some batter remaining in bowl onto corners of 2 heavy baking sheets; line with parchment.
• With piping tip 1/2 inch above sheet, pipe batter into a 3/4-inch round, then swirl tip off to one side. Repeat, spacing rounds 1 inch apart. Tap sheets firmly against counter 2 or 3 times to release air bubbles.
• Filling: Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until bubbles begin to form. Add chocolate and butter; stir to combine. Stir in chocolate-hazelnut spread. Let cool until thick and spreadable.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until risen and just set, 13 minutes. Let cool. Pipe or spread filling on flat sides of half of cookies; top with remaining half. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place hazelnuts and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; process until nuts are finely ground. Add almond paste, egg whites and remaining sugar; process until blended, about 3 minutes., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert a large star pastry tip. Fill bag with hazelnut mixture. Pipe 1-1/4-in. rosettes 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets., Bake until light brown, 12-14 minutes. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Dip bottom of each cookie in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.