I realized this week that I have not been drinking as much coffee for some reason. This is very unlike me. It suddenly dawned on me why. The Husband is out of town and he consumes massive amounts of coffee. The coffee is always made. Rarely am I ever brew master. No need. Most mornings he is up way before me and he brings me a cup as he gives me “the look” while I laze in bed.

There I am, slunched down in bed staring mindlessly into the TV in my jammies psyching myself into getting up. He shoots me the look like, Hey, you gonna get movin soon?

I am not a morning person. He was warned by yours truly. My Mother even warned him when we were first married. Shortly after our wedding The Husband asked my Mother, “Is there anything I need to know about Susan?” Without even skipping a beat my Mother replied,

“YES, don’t EVEN try to talk to her in the morning”. That’s right. I don’t speak in full sentences until at least 8:00 Am (that’s on a work day). You are lucky if you get a few grunts out of me. I like to save all my energy for sippin’ coffee. Coffee, silence, and Al Roker. That’s all I need. Okay, maybe a slice of toast. These macs provide a good dose of java nirvana. Almost as good as sleeping in. Zzzzzz. Thank God it is the weekend.

Coffee Macarons With Chocolate Ganache

Coffee Macarons With Chocolate Ganache

200 gms almond flour, sifted

200 gms confectioners sugar, sifted

1 single serving size sleeve/packet instant Columbian Coffee (I like Via from Starbucks= about 2 tsp.)

75 gms egg whites

200 gms granulated sugar

50 gms water

75 gms egg whites (room temp)

pinch of cream of tartar

Chocolate ganache:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate;chopped fine

5 oz. heavy cream

Make the ganache: In a medium bowl place the chopped chocolate. Heat the heavy cream on high until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute before stirring to combine thoroughly. Place the ganache in the fridge while you make the cookies.

Making the Macarons:

In a large bowl combine the almond flour, confectioners sugar and ground coffee. Add the 75 gms of egg whites and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine 75 gms of egg whites and the cream of tartar and begin whipping them on medium-high speed.

At the same time combine the 200 gms of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan on high heat; bring to 240° without stirring while whipping the egg whites on your mixer simultaneously. You want the cooking sugar syrup to reach 240 degrees at the same time your whites reach stiff peaks. To time this; keep the stand mixer next to the stove so you can peek at the whites while still watching your cooking syrup. If you notice the whites starting to get too stiff before the sugar is done; slow down the mixer to low speed.

Once the syrup is at 240 degrees, stop/take off the heat and start pouring the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl slowly with the mixer running on slow-medium at the same time; careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk to prevent hard syrup forming. Once all the syrup is in, crank up the mixer and whip the whites until very glossy and stiff.

Take the whipped meringue and place on top of the almond mixture and start to fold gently until all of the meringue is incorporated; careful not to deflate the mixture. You are looking for a thick consistency like lava. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and pipe the cookies on parchment lined sheet trays; leaving at least an inch space between cookies. Take the trays and rap them hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Let the trays sit out anywhere from 30-60 minutes; as long as it takes until when you touch the top of the cookies they are dry and no longer tacky to the touch. If you like halfway through the resting phase you can sift some cocoa powder over the tops of the macs for a decorative touch.

Bake the cookies double panned (placing one empty tray underneath the piped cookies) one tray at a time in a 325° oven for about 16-18 minutes until the cookies are no longer wet on the bottom and appear dry. Sacrifice one if you have to test. Let the cookies cool. Sandwich with chocolate ganache. If you can, store the cookies in the fridge covered loosely for 8 hours or overnight; this helps the cookies become even more chewy as the moisture from the ganache helps the texture of the cookie.