Chocolate Almond Macaroons

The 'Outrageous Chocolate Cookies' won the weekly poll. I assumed "outrageous" would refer to the insane amount of chocolate used in the recipe, but now I know better. It refers to the outrageous failing recipe that resulted in me throwing the cookie dough in the trash... I was left with two choices: 1. I could make up my own outrageous chocolate cookies recipe, or 2. I would make the runner-up. With plenty of ground almonds in excess, I chose the latter.

The almonds and egg whites made these macaroons resemble very much like French macarons. But the texture couldn't be more different; very heavy, solid and not chewy. If you don't like coconut, like I do, these are the perfect replacement for regular macaroons. Rating: 4 out of 5.




Chocolate Almond Macaroons: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 ½ cups (about 6 ¼ ounces) medium-fine ground blanched almonds
- ½ teaspoon pure vegetable shortening
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

Instructions:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place eggs in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff. Then add sugar slowly, and continue beating until egg whites are very thick, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Beat in cocoa until combined. Stir in almonds, and mix until completely blended. The batter should be quite thick and sticky.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Dampen hands, and shape about 1 heaping teaspoonful of dough into a 1-inch ball. Pinch the ball with your fingers to form a teardrop shape, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue process, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart, until all the dough is used.
- Bake until cookies are slightly cracked, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Combine shortening and melted chocolate. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of chocolate onto the flat side of a cooled cookie, and place another cookie on top. Press together gently so chocolate oozes out slightly. Return cookie to rack, and let chocolate harden. Repeat process with remaining cookies.