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Graham Hornigold's fabulous Crunchie macaron recipe is a nod to the classic chocolate bar, with golden, sweet honeycomb encased within a rich chocolate ganache and crisp macaron shells. It's not the first time the chef has paid homage to classic sweet treats through macaron recipes - check out his Jaffa Cake macarons and Mars macarons for more playful creations.
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To make the ground almond base for the macarons, add the ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites to the bowl of a food mixer and whisk to combine. Set aside until required
For the Italian meringue base, add the egg whites to a bowl and start whisking on a low speed. Add the water and 280g of the the caster sugar to a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come up to 118°C, or ‘soft ball’ stage
When the sugar mixture reaches 105°C, add the remaining 20g of caster sugar to the egg whites to stabilise the meringue. Increase the speed of the mixer
20g of caster sugar
4
When the sugar has reached 118°C, remove the pan from the heat, reduce the speed of the food mixer, and drizzle the sugar down the side of the bowl into the egg whites
5
Increase the speed, whisk for 1 more minute, then stop the machine. Add the food colourings and whisk on a medium speed until the meringue has cooled to body temperature and is glossy and smooth in consistency
1g of yellow food colouring
1g of brown food colouring
6
Mix 1/3 of the Italian meringue base into the ground almond base until smooth and incorporated. Repeat this twice more until the two bases are combined and you have a smooth, shiny meringue
7
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle, then pipe 4.5cm bulbs onto a baking tray lined with silicone paper, or directly onto a silicone baking mat. Set aside to allow a skin to form over the macarons for 30 minutes
8
Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1
9
Cook the macarons for 17-18 minutes, until just peeling away from the baking mat. Set aside to cool before pairing the halves according to size
10
To make the chocolate ganache, place the cream and sea salt in a pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, place the chocolate and trimoline in a blender
Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and leave for 30 seconds to start melting the chocolate. Blitz on a moderate speed until smooth, then gradually add in the softened butter
30g of unsalted butter, softened
12
Mix well for at least 1 minute until smooth, then place into a piping bag and allow to set before piping
13
For the honeycomb, place the caster sugar, glucose, honey and water together in a pan, place over a high heat and cook until it reaches 150°C
Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the bicarbonate of soda. Allow the mixture to cook and rise for 1 minute, then pour out onto a tray lined with baking paper. Set aside and allow to cool completely
10g of bicarbonate of soda
15
To temper the chocolate for coating the honeycomb, place 150g of the chocolate chips in a microwave-proof bowl. Place in the microwave on a low wattage (300-400W) and melt, stirring every 45 seconds until the chocolate has melted completely. Continue to heat in the microwave until the chocolate reaches 45˚C
Remove from the microwave, add the remaining 50g of chocolate chips and stir to melt. Once the temperature of the chocolate reaches 32˚C, it is ready to use
Break the honeycomb into small pieces and dip in the tempered dark chocolate, saving a few pieces to crush into a crumb for decoration
18
To fill and decorate the macarons, pipe a bulb of the ganache into the centre of the bottom macaron shells, press a piece of the chocolate-covered honeycomb into the centre and then press the lid onto the top of the macaron
19
Place some of the tempered dark chocolate into a paper cornet and pipe lines onto the tops of the macarons. Sprinkle with some of the reserved crushed honeycomb and serve
Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London. Currently working as a pastry consultant, he effortlessly brings a delicate, refreshing touch to restaurant dessert menus.
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Crunchie macarons
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