Swedish Almond Chocolate Macaroons
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 1 hr + 1-2 hours chilling |
| Cook time | ~18-20 min @ 350 |
| Source | The Great Minnesota Cookie Book by Lee Svitak Dean and Rick Nelson (pg 43) |
| Yield / serves | 2-3 dozen |
| Rating | (unrated) |
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 2 tubes almond paste, cut into small pieces
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 c sugar
Filling:
- 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 2 t vanilla
- 2 pasteurized egg yolks
- 4 t unsweetened cocoa powder
Chocolate Coating:
- 10-12 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate
- 2-5 T vegetable oil or unsalted butter, melted
Preparation
To prepare cookies: In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the almond paste and egg whites until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Moisten the flat bottom of a glass with water, dip into the sugar, and carefully press the prepared glass bottom into a dough ball, flattening the dough; repeat with the remaining dough. Bake until lightly brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To prepare filling: Line the baking sheets with wax paper. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, egg yolks, and cocoa powder, and mix until smooth (scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary), about 2 minutes. Using a small knife, spread about 1 tablespoon of the filling on top of each cookie, making a rounded top. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To prepare chocolate coating: Break the chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler over gently simmering water (or in a bowl in a microwave oven), melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of oil/butter, adding more to reach the desired consistency. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes; then dip the tops of the cookies into the chocolate mixture, holding onto the almond base. Return the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, at least 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
