strawberry milk macarons with chocolate ganache

I can't remember the last time I made these babies. I think the first time I ventured on this macaron business was when we were still living in Sydney? So that would be two years ago? Yeah, probably around there or so.

The first time I ever made macarons, well, you could probably guessed, was a complete disaster. It took me around 3 tries to get it right. Those little buggers look oh so simple but oh so bloody difficult to make. But when you finally get it right, the end result is so satisfying. And they're bloody delicious and addictve too, I just can't stop at one, or two... or three................

However, today I've decided to make them. Nothing fanciful but just a simple flavour of strawberry milk macarons with chocolate ganache. Despite the fact that I still need to work on my pipping skill, they actually turned out quite alright. I've already polished off half of them. I know, terrible me.

Strawberry Milk Macarons with Chocolate Ganache(Macaron shells recipe adapted from raspberri cupcakes)

100g egg whites (room tempretaure)
110g almond meal, at room temperature and well sifted
150g icing sugar
50g Strawberry Nesquik
50g caster sugar

Chocolate Ganache:

3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Place icing sugar and strawberry nesquik in food processor and pulse to remove any lumps.
Stir in almond meal and pulse for about 30 seconds to combine. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until it reaches soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks.
Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix until the dry mixture becomes incorporated and it starts to become shiny. Becareful not to overmix.
Place in a piping bag and pipe rounds of about 3.5cm diameter on baking sheets.
Leave to dry for about half an hour to an hour, so that when you press the surface of one gently it does not break. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs.
Preheat your oven to 140-150°C (285-300°C), depending on your oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your shells. Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting one and if it's still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it needs to bake for a few minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache:

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl.
Warm the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to boil. Stir it into the chocolate without creating bubbles. Let sit for 1 minute.
Add the butter and stir until smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator for 30 mins, until thickened but still spreadable.