Matcha Madness # 1 MacTweets #15 MacInspirational

After indulging in a season of high calorie desserts over the holidays, contributing to the ever increasing waistline and weighing scale, the only thing that comes to my mind is health food. So for the past week I have been trying hard to eat sensibly, with Green tea being one such favourite. Green Tea, rich in antioxidants, taken regularly boosts metabolism and reduces cholesterol levels  (Source). 

Jamie and Deeba challenged the Mactweeters to create a macaron inspired by a favourite dessert. My creation has my all time favourites, green tea and chocolate, perfect simple treats you want when you are tired of all the fancy desserts. So here I present to you the healthy & hearty Matcha Macarons.

Matcha Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

Egg Whites – 2 (aged for 5 days)

Icing Sugar – 100 gms

Ground Almonds – 60 gms

Caster Sugar – 4 gms

Matcha – 1 tbsp (You could cut this down to 1-2 tsp depending on taste)

Egg Whites Powder – ½ tsp

Cream of Tartar – ½ tsp

Green food color – few drops or a pinch if using powder

Preheat oven to 160C.

Line two baking sheets with silicone sheet.

Pulse the Icing sugar with the almond powder, food colour and Matcha in a processor.

Beat the egg whites until foamy and add the granulated sugar, whites powder, cream of tartar. Beat until very stiff and firm. Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding. The mixture should be thick and fall in ribbons when lifted. Fill a piping bag with this and pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1″ circles evenly spaced apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then rest to form a skin for about an hour. Bake them for 12-15 minutes depending on size. Once done, transfer them to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Ganache

Dark Chocolate chopped – 90 gms

Heavy Cream – ¼ cup

Butter – 1 tbsp

Heat the cream and whisk in the chocolate and butter until smooth and glossy.

Assembly

Using a piping bag, pipe a tiny amount of ganache on the flat side of the macaron, and sandwich with another of the same size. Sandwich them, squeezing gently. Leave to set in fridge for at leasts 24 hours for flavours to work together.