These macarons are simply delicious. However, better bakers than me will attest it really comes down to one thing—it’s all in the macronage. That’s the process by which the dry ingredients are folded into the meringue.

Under fold and you will have uneven cracked macarons or macarons that may they look good on the outside but have a noticeable pocket of air from the middle to the top. Over fold and you will have feetless macarons that resemble cookies instead.

Be patient. These cookies don’t require or warrant some of the fuss you may have read about. What they do require is some practice. If you aren’t one of the lucky few that nails it on the first run, you’ll get it—baking fails are a great way to learn, so keep going.

YIELD: Makes approximately 70 shells

Ingredients:

CHOCOLATE MACARONS
135g egg whites
45g granulated sugar
215g powdered sugar
115g almond meal
25g cocoa powder
3 Snickers bars, regular size

To make caramel creme filling:

Place butter in a bowl and beat until creamed. Add in confectioner sugar and salt and beat until light combined. Add in caramel and beat until combined.

Directions

Heat oven to 330 degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.

1. Trace out 1 inch circles on parchment and set this aside as a “master copy”. Reserve two extra sheets of parchment and set aside.

2. Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and fit mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes. Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes. Turn off mixer.

3. Place all dry ingredients in a food processor and process for two minutes and then push it through a fine mesh sieve. Return any large almond granules to food processor and process until fine. Add dry ingredients to meringue.

4. Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against the bowl for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness. Transfer batter to pastry bag and let rest for 20 minutes before piping.

5. Place master copy of drawn circles on a bake sheet and then place a second sheet of parchment on top. Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe until batter reaches edge of circle. Remove master copy from underneath piped layer and place on second bake sheet and pipe remaining batter (remove master copy and save for future use).Take hold of each pan and give it quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and prevent cracked shells.

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave shells to cool completely in pan. Shells should cleanly peel away from parchment.

ASSEMBLY
1. Slice Snickers into 1/8inch slices and then quarter each slice. Place quartered slices around perimeter onthe bottom of one shell. Pipe filling in the middle and place a second shell on top with bottom side down to create a sandwich effect.