Leprechaun Coins

Our Irish version of French Macaroons

Ingredients

4 large egg whites

1/3 + 1tsp sugar

1 ½ cups + 4 tsp icing sugar

1 cup + 1 tbsp finely ground almonds

Pinch of salt

Green gel food colouring

Directions

This recipe makes approximately 40 shells or 20 filled macaroons

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl and mix with electric mixer until stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out. Add gel or powdered food colouring and continue to mix until the food gel is mixed thoroughly.

Sift the almond meal and icing sugar and salt twice and get rid of any lumps that will not pass through the sieve. Fold into the egg white mixture.  The mixture should be smooth and dry in appearance; do not over mix as the macaroons will not rise. Fill a pastry bag with #12 tip and pipe even circles of mixture on a silicone baking sheet/parchment paper.  Bake for 20 minutes until shells are dry.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

Ingredients

¼ cup of heavy whipping cream

1 ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

Heat cream to boiling and pour over chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted.  Let stand at room temperature for at least two hours or until the mixture is cooled and thickened.

Once cooled fill using a palate knife or a pastry bag fitted with #12 tip and sandwich shells together.