Day 99
Ninety-nine days, my faithful journal. Ninety-nine! Who’d have thought it?
I seem to remember making a promise on Day 50, and today’s the day to make good on it. This is a long one, so strap in. By the way, if any future archivist decides to whip these up and see what food was like in the year 2020, I hope they’ve invented a calorie zapper by your time. These things do not mess around.
Additional word to the wise: Given all the heating, beating, chilling, and cooling, the HM and I tend to make the macaroons a day ahead of assembling the cookies.
The Best Cookies Ever
Chocolate-Dipped Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
Almond Macaroons (see below)
Chocolate Buttercream (see below)
5 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons shortening
(could substitute coconut oil)
Directions
Make sure the macaroons have cooled thoroughly. Spread a tablespoon of buttercream over the bottom of each macaroon. Place cream-side-up in a single layer on a sheet pan. Chill until buttercream is firm, at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and shortening in the top of a barely-simmering double boiler. Transfer to a small, shallow bowl, stirring occasionally until lukewarm.
Dip the cream side of the cookies, one at a time, to coat the cream and the sides of the macaroon. Return each cookie, chocolate-side-up, onto the sheet pan, and chill again for at least 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
1 batch makes about 18 cookies. (Which is to say nine full meals.)
Almond Macaroons
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup raw or blanched almonds
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites
Directions
If using raw almonds, blanch in batches by dipping almonds in boiling water for exactly one minute. After they cool, squeeze each almond between your fingers to shoot it out of its softened skin into a bowl. Fun for the whole family! Discard skins.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whirl blanched almonds in a blender or food processor until finely ground. In a bowl, mix ground almonds with powdered sugar until all lumps disappear.
Beat egg whites just until moist stiff peaks appear. Sprinkle nut mixture over egg whites a third at a time, folding just until blended.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls 1 inch apart on sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks and allow to cool thoroughly.
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
7 tablespoons water
7 tablespoons sugar
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup butter
4 teaspoons cocoa
Directions
In a small pan, stir together sugar and water, and heat to boiling. Keep boiling until syrup spins a 2-inch thread when dropped from a spoon (about 230 degrees).
With an electric mixer, beat eggs until blended. Keep beating, adding hot syrup in a thin, steady stream. Beat until thick, lemon-colored, and cooled.
Beat in butter at room temperature, a tablespoon at a time, just until blended. Stir in cocoa. If mixture gets dark and runny from overbeating, chill, then re-beat.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week. If desired, re-whip before using, after the buttercream has come up to room temperature. Be aware that buttercream may absorb the flavors of fragrant foods like fish or meat.
