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Chocolate Macaron Easter Nests

Chocolate Macaron Easter Nests

A delicious chocolate macaron shell, filled with chocolate ganache and topped with mini eggs
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 French tip piping nozzle
  • 1 piping bag
  • 3" macaron template
  • 2 Baking trays
  • Digital Thermometer

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Macaron Shells

  • 185 g Ground Almonds
  • 185 g Icing Sugar
  • 30 g Cocoa Powder
  • 50 ml Water
  • 200 g Granulated Sugar
  • 150 g Egg Whites

Chocolate Ganache

  • 200 g Double Cream
  • 250 g Amedei 70% Toscano Dark Chocolate
  • 40 g Unsalted Butter softened

To Decorate

  • 200 g Cadbury's Mini Eggs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160C Fan and line four baking trays (If you have them, or use 2 trays and cook in batches) with baking parchment, if using templates place these under the baking parchment. I used 3" macaron templates.
  • Add the water and granulated sugar to a pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
  • Put 75g of the egg whites into a stand mixer and whisk them on a medium speed until frothy.
  • Bring the syrup to a boil and heat until it reaches 118 degrees.
  • Pour the syrup in a slow steady stream into the egg whites as they are being whipped on a high speed. Keep whipping until the meringue forms a stiff peak and they are cool to the touch, about 5mins.
  • Grind the ground almonds, cocoa powder and icing sugar together in a food processor and then sift them into a clean bowl.
  • Add the remaining 75g of egg whites to this mix and beat it, until it forms a paste. It will be very stiff.
  • Add a third of the meringue to the almond paste and beat it in thoroughly.
  • Fold through the remaining meringue, ensure the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
  • Put the macaron mix into a piping bag (don't use the french tip nozzle, this is for the filling) and pipe out the macarons, for every whole shell you pipe, pipe a ring of macaron mixture on the template to get the top of your nest.
  • Tap the bottom of the tray to remove any bumps or air pockets, then put the macarons in the oven for 14-16 mins per tray.
  • Let the cooked macarons cool completely before trying to remove them from the tray.
  • Next make the ganache, warm the cream and bring it to a boil. Place the chocolate into a bowl (if it is a block of chocolate then chop it into small pieces) and pour the cream on top. Leave for a couple of minutes before stirring to combine the chocolate and cream. Once mixed add the butter and stir until the butter has dissolved and mixed in.
  • When the ganache has cooled and is a pipeable consistency, place it in a piping bag fitted with the french tip. Pipe blobs of ganache on the full macaron shell. Then top with a macaron ring, top with another blob of ganache in the hole and then place 3 mini eggs on top to make the nest.
    Keep going until you have used all of the macaron shells.
  • These will keep for 2-3 days in a cool space, or place in the fridge.