This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe reminded me so much of some of my earlier attempts at making macarons (oh my gosh I have come so far!!) that from now on, in my classes, I’ll be telling people that if their macarons don’t turn out, they can just sandwich them together with ganache and call them “meringue cookies” 😉 Because as you know if you have ever attempted macarons before, even if they don’t look great, they do taste wonderful!
These cookies are basically the same ingredients as macarons, except Dorie uses finely chopped (as opposed to ground) walnuts (macarons traditionally use almonds) which are folded into the batter. There’s no special technique to whipping the egg whites making these an easy treat as opposed to a finicky, temperamental treat. I’ve always been a fan of rustic macarons (the original macaron) and these are just a little bit fancier, with the addition of cocoa powder and the ganache filling.
Dorie’s recipe says it makes 5 large macarons (so, 10 shells) but I piped these much smaller and got 24 small shells, so 12 filled. Next time I make these (there will be a next time), I’ll chop the walnuts even smaller than I did since I found pieces of nut getting caught in the piping tip which made them hard to pipe in an even fashion. In the end I just decided to run with “rustic” and no-one said a word about how they looked, just about how great they tasted. Sometimes it’s ok when things don’t look perfect (like, all the time!).
Get the recipe for Cocoa Crunch Meringue Cookies on p 293 of Baking Chez Moi.
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That is the great thing about French cooking and baking… if things don’the quite turn out, you can just call it rustic! Lol… Yours did turn out lovely. We really enjoyed thesevery and will make them again.
I think they look fantastic! I think I subconsciously avoided these as I didn’t want to deal with the nut element with all the allergies in the house but I’m glad walnuts can be used, I think walnuts and hazelnuts are ok for us. They really do look fantastic, the small size is a good idea, I love bite sized portions.
They look great just like in the book. Next time I will make them smaller. I can see that your are an experienced macaron baker by the way they turned out. I took a macaron baking class but have not yet been able to bake them at home, or maybe I just have to call them rustic!
These little rustic macarons look so playful, rolling around on the lovely plate. Did not read the recipe on this. Now I know what we’re dealing with.
These are most definitely not macarons. They are meringue cookies. Big difference in the technique involved.
I have never made macarons so you give me confidence to plunge in. Look forward to making these.
Well these are not macarons, same ingredients but nothing like making macarons!
Yours look just like the book! They look rich and delicious…I will be baking these next go around. 🙂
Your cookies look great – you did well to get 24. I adored these.
I like the idea of an easy treat as opposed to a finicky, temperamental one, especially when cookies are involved. They look very chocolate-y and delicious.
They look delicious! I think I’ll try making them smaller, too, as I really like just having a taste of something wonderful.
Your cookies look delicious and very much like the ones in the book. I’m hoping mine turn out half (or third!) as good. Piping stuff out still is very challenging for me.
I plan on making these today, so I will take your advice and make sure the nuts are chopped finely.
I think they look beautiful, suggesting crunchiness and caramelization.
Interesting. No caramelization at all…