Crunchie Macaron Recipe

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.

Ground almond base

300g of ground almonds
300g of icing sugar
110g of egg white

Italian meringue base

110g of egg white
300g of caster sugar
55g of water
1g of yellow food colouring
1g of brown food colouring

Chocolate ganache

150g of milk chocolate, 46%, preferably Valrhona Bahibe
100g of dark chocolate, 70%, preferably Valrhona Guanaja
200g of whipping cream
2g of flaky sea salt
25g of trimoline
30g of unsalted butter, softened

Honeycomb

200g of caster sugar
70g of glucose
45g of honey
25g of water
10g of bicarbonate of soda

To coat honeycomb

200g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%, chopped or in chips

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Piping bag 1-2cm nozzle
Food mixer
Sugar thermometer
Silpat mat
Paper cornet for piping

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

300g of ground almonds
300g of icing sugar
110g of egg white

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

110g of egg white
280g of caster sugar
55g of water

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

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

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

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

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

Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1

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

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

150g of milk chocolate, 46%, preferably Valrhona Bahibe
100g of dark chocolate, 70%, preferably Valrhona Guanaja
200g of whipping cream
2g of flaky sea salt
25g of trimoline

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

Mix well for at least 1 minute until smooth, then place into a piping bag and allow to set before piping

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

200g of caster sugar
70g of glucose
45g of honey
25g of water

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

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

150g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%, chopped or in chips

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

50g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%, chopped or in chips

Break the honeycomb into small pieces and dip in the tempered dark chocolate, saving a few pieces to crush into a crumb for decoration

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

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

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Graham Hornigold

Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London. Travelling the world with his pastry consultancy business Smart Patisserie (and slinging gourmet doughnuts in Wembley under the Longboys brand), he effortlessly brings a delicate, refreshing touch to restaurant dessert menus.

Crunchie macarons

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