Dark Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

These macarons are a great combination of dark chocolate shells, filled with bourbon buttercream and a maraschino cherry.

First, sift together all the dry ingredients. Whip the egg whites and slowly fold together. Once the macarons are baked you can assemble them by taking a slice of cherry and placing it in-between two shells both with a little bit of buttercream on them.

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Recipe

Makes: 20 macarons Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Macarons

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 3 large egg whites at room temperature (aged for at least 24 hrs)

• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Vanilla Bourbon Buttercream

• 1 vanilla bean (scraped) or 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

• Pinch of table salt

• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

• 2 tablespoons bourbon

• 8 maraschino cherries (bing cherries are best)

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

2. Sift almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside.

3. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until frothy. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the whites turn glossy and stiff peaks form.

4. Add the almond flour mixture all at once and fold to combine with a rubber spatula. Scoop batter from the bottom and fold over the top. Continue until the batter is smooth, but do not over mix. The final mixture should flow like lava.

5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium size tip with batter. Squeeze the batter onto the prepared parchment lined sheet pan forming 1” circles and spacing at least ½” apart. When the pan is full (you'll have 2 trays worth), tap gently on the countertop to release any air pockets.

6. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake macarons for 12 - 18 minutes until slightly crisp on top. The tops should not wiggle when pressed slightly. If they wiggle, it'll be hard to remove them from the pan.

8. Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and make the buttercream. In a standing mixer whip butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add powdered sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened. Add the vanilla, milk, and bourbon and beat until incorporated.

9. Chop up 4 of the maraschino cherries into small pieces and add it to the mixer. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

10. Chop up the remaining cherries by slicing each into quarters to get flat rings. These will go in the center of the macarons.

11. Assemble the sandwich by taking two macaron shells and pipe a thin layer of buttercream on each. Place one cherry slice in the middle of the buttercream, then sandwich the two halves together.

12. Continue until all shells are filled. Place in an air tight container and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to let the flavors meld. Bring to room temperature before enjoying.

Recipe adapted from Honest Cooking's Bourbon Vanilla Cocoa Nib Macarons.