Mocha Macaroons

Pictured with Pistachio Cupcakes (recipe below)

This recipe was taken from the winter edition of Donna Hay Magazine. Donna Hay is an Australian equivalent of our Martha Stewart. Maybe not as bling or as bitchy, but creates a similar magazine and makes similar T.V. appearances. I purchased this magazine at the Melbourne Food Show back in June after seeing Donna Hay demonstrate some of the recipes live.

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

1 cup almond meal

3 egg whites

2 tbsps caster sugar (super fine sugar)

cocoa powder for dusting the final product

Mocha Filling:

200g white chocolate

1 tbsp instant coffee

1/4 cup pouring cream

For the cream, heat the chocolate, coffee, and cream over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Place the icing sugar and almond meal in a bowl to mix thoroughly.

Whisk egg whites with a hand mixer, and gradually add the caster sugar until soft peaks form. Gently stir in the icing sugar mixture until smooth. Best done with a medal spoon they say. Drop mixture onto tray with baking paper, and stand for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp on the outside and moist in the centre.

To assemble, spread the base of a macaroon with the mocha filling and sandwich together with another macaroon.

The lowdown:

1. The recipe says 10 to 12 minutes of baking time, but they needed at least 20 minutes and still didn't seem to be done. They may have lost a lot of height when I folded the mixture into the egg whites. Maybe too much folding? Not really good at this yet.

2. The middle stuck to the baking paper on the pan. I was still able to salvage them by just shoving the mocha cream into the crater created by the sticking macaroon. Not pretty but really did not affect the taste.

3. I have confirmed what I always knew......I do not like mocha-flavored anything. Not a mocha frapuccino and not a mocha cookie.