Life is Like a Box of Chocolates...

Sometimes I get the distinct impression that I'm just not the sharpest tack in the box. I mean, why does it take me so much time to figure out how to do things that everyone else seems to be doing with ease? Well, yes, it might have something to do with me not liking to read and follow directions. Still, I do wonder, why I have been given the nickname "Dumb Bunny Bilkins." Why does my husband tease me when I say I am going to do running at the gym: "Run Forest, ruuuuuuuuun!" ??? Well, today Dumb Bunny Bilkins made a bit of a breakthrough. You see, for a long time, I have been able to make very good looking macarons (see Lucky Number Seven post). The problem is they only looked good on the outside. On the inside they were empty (... much like a particular girl I know whom I refer to as "Skeletor"). When you bit into them, it was obvious that the texture was totally off. To put it simply, they were kinda yucky.

I decided I was going to go on to the Italian method of meringue making after attempt number 12 proved a failiure. Because of Royal Mail's complete ineptitude, however, I did not get the candy thermometer I ordered on time, so I was forced to continue with the French method. I switched my normal recipe to David Lebovitz's recipe for chocolate macarons. As for the method, I've used some techniques that I learned elsewhere on the internet. Here's how that went down:

Attempt 13: hollow macarons

Attempt 14: a little less hollow macaroons

Attempt 15: Not hollow :D

While I don't attribute the success to the new recipe, I must say that Lebovitz's recipe does produce quite a flavorful chocolate macaron , so I do recommend it. Also I love it that he doesn't make you weigh the egg whites (which is a nuisance).

I attribute my sucess to the following:

1)Finding the optimum temperature for my oven and correct placement of the macaron tray within the oven. In my case, it was the lowest shelf at 150 degrees. I have a fan assisted oven and it is quite powerful. Following Lebowitz's instructions of 180 degrees would have totally burned mine. For invaluable tips on finding the right temperature for you, read Syrup and Tang's post.

2) Once feet are achieved I cover the macarons with another sheet of greaseproof paper. This prevents macarons from becoming overly brown. It wouldn't have mattered so much here, because these were chocolate, but browning of the delicate macaron shells can totally ruin the look.

3) I have drastically improved my folding technique.

4) I now use a double boiler method to start the whisking stage. Really, I think this step is the one that makes such a huge difference.

Steps 3 and 4 came from an extremely helpful video I found on the internet. Please check it out if you are struggling with your macs too.

So for my Mac Tweets challenge for this month, I present to you the best macarons that I've made so far. I haven't reached the kind of Laduree quality I am striving for, but I am definitely moving in the right direction. Also, truth be told, these macarons had a new problem: after sitting in an airtight container, after one day they got rather hard and crunchy, much to my dismay. Any ideas as to why that might be?

The mac tweets theme for this month is Valentine's Day. Rather than trying to make heart shaped macarons, I just wanted to focus on making "good" macarons. After all, one shouldn't try to build the Sistine Chapel without knowing how to build a good foundation!

For the butter cream, I am just using the same buttercream that I used in my Lucky Number Seven post with the addition of some pink food colouring. While they are not really themed macarons, I hope they are somewhat Valentine's-ish. I mean, they are chocolate :), and I specially coloured them a custom shade of pink which I shall now trademark as "Very Valentine" (all rights reserved)--just kidding ;).

And now my darling readers, I have a question for you, as I know a lot of you are simply fabulous bakers. How do I convert Lebovitz's recipe from chocolate to plain macaroons? He uses 25g of cocoa powder. Would I replace that with 25g of almond meal, or should I just leave it out next time and not replace the weight of the cocoa with another ingredient? You guys always give me such good advice (*kisses*) :D.