Double chocolate macaroons

MAKES: 28 PREP TIME: 30 MINS, Plus cooling cooking TIME: 25 MINS

INGREDIENTS

● 375g icing sugar

● 125g ground almonds

● 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

● 3 egg whites

● 2 tbsp superfine sugar (or the same amount of granulated sugar blitzed in a food processor for 1 min)

● Red paste food colouring ● Finely chopped dark chocolate, to decorate For the filling:

● 140g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

● 113g unsalted butter

● 3 tbsp double cream

1. Start by making the filling. Melt the chocolate and butter with the cream in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl.

2. Stir well until smooth, then leave to cool until thickened and a piping consistency but not hard.

3. Meanwhile, make the macaroons. Line four baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and cocoa powder into a food processor and blitz to a fine powder. Sift the powder into a bowl.

5. In a separate clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the superfine sugar a little at a time.

6. Just before the whites are peaking, add a point of a knife of red food colouring (to enhance the natural colour of the cocoa powder).

7. Using a rubber spatula, gradually fold the almond mixture into the egg whites until smooth and glossy but not runny.

8. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain piping tip, then pipe circles about 1¼ inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheets.

9. Stand for 15 minutes at room temperature to let the tops start to dry (in France, this is called croutage).

10. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/ gas mark 2.

11. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the macaroons peel easily off the parchment paper.

12. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets, then remove them from the parchment paper.

13. When the macaroons are cold, spoon the filling into a pastry bag, then pipe some onto the bottom of a macaroon, then sandwich together with a second.

14. Repeat with the remaining macaroons.

15. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate to decorate before serving.