coffee and baileys macarons

I have never made macaroons in my life, and before making these had never even tried them. I went into this recipe with a lot of confidence especially since I wasn't sure what the texture was supposed to be like. Luckily I had little trouble and they came out perfect! Even my cousin said they tasted better than ones she bought in a bakery before. Beginners luck! When making these FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS carefully and make sure the measurements are exact. I would invest in a scale because they are a life saver. I would also watch some youtube videos on how to make macaroons just to get an idea. It can be helpful to see the process. I chose this recipe because I had some baileys in my fridge from a cake I made. A little side note, these do have to sit on the trays for about an hour before baking to dry out, so don't freak out when you see that in the directions. Do not skip this part or they will not come out right. I hope you have as much luck as I did if this is your first time making macarons. The final product is worth the time put in.

What you need:

COOKIES

• 120g egg whites (room temperature)

• 130g sugar

• 140g almond powder

• 110g icing sugar

• 2 tsp espresso powder

GANACHE

• 200g milk chocolate

• 100g cream

• 20g Baileys

1. Line baking sheets with a silpat mat or parchment.*

2. Place the almond powder, icing sugar, and espresso powder in a food processor. Process until just beginning to clump.

3. Sift and discard any bits that won't pass through the sifter. Set aside.

4. Whip the egg whites until they're the consistency of a loose foam. Continue whipping while slowly adding sugar. Whip to a stiff meringue.

5. Fold the dry mixture into the meringue.**

6. Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with the 1A tip.

7. Pipe the macarons onto your baking sheet.

8. When all your macarons are piped, whack the baking sheet on the counter at least 3 times to get rid of any air bubbles.***

9. Let the macarons dry at room temperature until dry to the touch. Approx 1 hour. DO NOT skip this step.

10. While macarons are drying, make the ganache.

11. Chop the chocolate finely and place in a bowl. Heat the cream until boiling and pour over chopped chocolate. Do not stir! Cover bowl with plastic wrap for 2 mins. Stir to combine and add Baileys. Place in fridge to set.****

12. Once dry, bake macarons in a 300°F oven until they stick a little bit to the pans. This can be anywhere from 10-20mins depending on your oven and how crowded the macarons are on the pan.

13. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pans.

1. Pipe ganache into the center, sandwich the cookies and twist together.

These are tips from the actual site. I found these helpful.

• I create a parchment template using a 1 1/2" cookie cutter to create circles and place it under my silpat mat.

• * You will need to do a LOT of folds to get the batter to the proper consistency. You're looking for it to be smooth and shiny and have some movement. If you lift some up with a spatula, it should pour in a steady stream and settle into the remaining batter. DO NOT overmix.

• *** Do not be shy with the whacking!

• ****If the ganache has some unmelted bits after stirring, heat over a simmering bain marie.

recipe from: LivForCake

http://livforcake.com/2015/01/coffee-baileys-macarons.html