Soft Amaretto Macaroons

For a dozen macaroons
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 20 mins
Refrigeration: 3 hrs

Introducing the perfect accompaniement to our Caramel Cream Coffee Cups recipe, in terms of taste and texture first and foremost, and also so as to make use of the 4 egg whites from our Coffee Cups. This is how I came to improvise those macaroons.

Yes you got it, I had to play a bit of a rescue mission to save my Caramel Cream at the time, hence the extra egg yolk I had to add to the cream (which left me with a total of 4 egg whites, used here). However if you have been good with your Caramel Creams and only needed 3 yolks, you'll still need 4 whites for the macaroons (that is if you are aiming for 12 pieces).

• 4 egg whites
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons ground almond
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Splosh of Amaretto liqueur (i.e. 1 tablespoon worth)
• Cooking oil for greasing
• Cocoa powder for dusting

Pre-heat the oven to 100°C.

Whisk the egg whites together until firm, preferably using an electric whisk. Add the sugar, ground almond and flour and whisk again with the electric whisk until you obtain a fluffed-up mix. Add the splosh of Amaretto liqueur and whisk some more before carefully spooning into a greased biscuit/ mini-muffin silicone mould, or a greased metal biscuit/ mini-muffin tin. Optionally line each hole with a paper case in order to ease the macaroons out  when cooked (more than for cosmetic reasons).

Place the mould in the higher part of the oven and leave to gently cook for 20 mins. The macaroons will remain pale throughout, but do stick a knife through the centre of one in order to check they are ready to be taken out of the oven.

Leave to cool 5 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin one at a time. Leave to cool further on a baking grid to get rid of any trapped moisture, before placing the macaroons on a plate in the fridge for as long as the Caramel Cream Coffee Cups. The refrigeration will help the macaroons harden slightly, which is the consistency we are aiming for: soft and almost chewy, but holding their shape.

Easy does it, you're all done! Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder to give the delicate macaroon pallor a hush of colour.