Maison Emil Paris: Nutty macaroons a la Maison Emil

Was chatting with my friend Laurence, who mentioned about how much she loved the Italian amoretti morbidi (soft and chewy almond biscuits). I love them too, but I prefer them a bit coarse. And since I also like hazelnut, I add both hazelnut and almond powder in my mixture. I cannot call these Amoretti morbidi as I did not add any Amoretto liquor :)

Nutty macaroons a la Maison Emil

Never understood the buzz around the French macarons (which is different from these macaroons). Sure the French macarons are pretty, colourful, and tasty with various types of filling, but they are way too sweet. These nutty macaroons a la Maison are crispy outside and soft inside, and gluten free too. Perfect for my high tea guests :)

Crispy outside and soft inside and gluten free

Ingredients (15 big macaroons)

- 3 egg whites -> slightly whisked until foamy

- 100 g ground hazelnut (with skin)

- 100 g ground almond (no skin)

- 100 g icing sugar - sifted (150-175g if you prefer sweeter macaroons)

- Additional icing sugar (25g) for rolling

- 1/2 teaspoon chocolate powder - gives a nice smell, but does not take away the nutty flavour. Alternatively, you can add 1 tablespoon of Amoretto liquor

- A pinch of salt

- A pinch if dry vanilla seed in powder (optional)

Tools:

Baking tray, parchment paper, whisk, tea spoons, plastic film

Method

1. Add all dry ingredients to the egg white mixture. Combine quickly. Do not overmix.

For chewy macaroons, cover with a plastic film and let rest in the fridge overnight.

For quick version, let the mixture (covered with film) rest 15-20 minutes in the fridge.

Natural and quick version to form macaroon balls (sticky mixture, so work fast)

2. Take one full teaspoon of mixture and drop it on a plate of icing sugar with the other teaspoon, roll quickly to cover it with icing sugar and transfer it on a baking tray.

Of course you can make pretty and snobbish macaroons with a piping bag, but the mixture is sticky, so I recommend using two teaspoons :) This method gives a more organic and artisanal look - haha :)

3. Let the mixture sit and dry in room temperature for 30 min.

4. Turn on the oven, 200 degrees Celcius.

5. Bake the macaroons for 7 mins. (I use fan in my oven, but oven performance varies, so pay attention).

Don't overbake else the inside will dry. These are not the crispy and dry Amoretti biscuits, but a soft version :)

6. Let these cool on a grill.

Happy baking,

Maison Emil Paris :)