Ingredients:

  • 115 g finely ground Almond Flour
  • 115 g Confectioners' Sugar (Icing Sugar)
  • 110 g Egg Whites (room temperature, preferably aged)
  • 100 g Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
  • ½ tsp Ground Ginger
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1-2 drops Gel Food Colouring (Forest Green or Scarlet Red)
  • 120 g Good Quality White Chocolate (chopped or chips)
  • 80 ml Heavy Cream (35% fat minimum)
  • 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
  • 1 tsp Orange Zest
  • ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves (Optional)

Instructions:

  1. Heat the heavy cream and ground cloves in a saucepan until simmering. Remove from heat. Place chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth and emulsified. Stir in the room-temperature butter and orange zest. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, or until thick enough to pipe.
  2. Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, ground ginger, and cinnamon together into a large bowl (the Tant Pour Tant or TPT mixture). Ensure no lumps remain. Discard any large almond pieces that don’t pass through the sieve.
  3. Place the second portion of egg whites and a pinch of salt into the bowl of the stand mixer. Whisk on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, increasing the speed to medium-high. Add 1-2 drops of gel colour. Whip until very stiff, glossy peaks form (The 'bird's beak' stage).
  4. Add half of the sifted TPT mixture to the meringue. Fold gently until just combined. Add the remaining TPT mixture. Fold using a 'J' motion, scraping the sides and bringing the batter up from the bottom. Stop folding when the batter falls off the spatula in a slow, continuous ribbon (The 'ribbon stage'). Do not overmix.
  5. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with the round tip. Pipe 1.5-inch circles onto the prepared silicone mats. Immediately rap the baking sheets firmly on the counter 4-5 times to release trapped air bubbles. Allow the macarons to rest in a dry place until a ‘skin’ forms (60–120 minutes). The surface must be dry and non-sticky to the touch.
  6. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Bake one sheet at a time for 14–15 minutes. They are done when they don't wiggle when gently touched. Remove from the oven and slide the silicone mat onto a wire rack. Cool completely before attempting to peel them off the mat.
  7. Transfer the chilled ganache to a piping bag. Match the cooled shells into similarly sized pairs. Pipe a generous dollop of ganache onto one shell and sandwich gently with its partner. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours (maturation) before serving. This softens the shell and allows the flavours to meld beautifully.