Macarons au chocolat et cointreau

Oops, I did it again (no, I’m not Britney Spears fan…)! And this time, chocolatey, my favourites...
But lets get through the recipe, as it would be simple writing it in Italian, but in a foreign language, you know... I will take it step by step.

6 days before you intend TO EAT your macarons, take out of the fridge 2 eggs, divide white and yolk (use the latter for something else) and leave whites at room temperature, in a glass or some other kind of jar, covered with plastic film. The whites MUST weight 73 g.

2 days before you intend TO EAT your macarons, make them following this recipe (absolutely fools proof, as I did it twice and both the time they turned out perfectly!)

Ingredients for the macarons (must be precisely weight and they are the right amount for chocolate macarons, not normal macarons)
160 g of confectioner sugar
93 g of almond flour
13 g of cocoa
73 g of egg whites

Sieve together sugar, almond flour and cocoa. Whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Add all in once the sieved mixture and begin to mix everything with a spatula, from the centre of the bowl to the borders, turning the bowl at the same time (I know it sounds strange, but it works). You will end up with a gluey mixture, a bit fall down compared to the stiff whites. That's perfect, don't worry. Transfer your mixture into a pastry bag with a smooth decorating tube of 8 mm of diameter and begin to make your macarons on a baking sheets covered with greaseproof paper. You will obtain approximately 35-40 macarons. Let them rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (better 1 hour).
Pre-heat the oven at 250° C. Once is hot enough, place your baking sheet over another baking sheet, turn the temperature to 180° C and bake you macarons for 10-12 minutes, NEVER opening the oven door.

Ingredients for the filling
Honestly, I haven't weighted them, but approximately should be
30 g of butter
50 g of dark chocolate
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of Cointreau

Melt all the ingredients, except the Cointreau. add the alcohol only in the melted ingredients. let the mixture to cool before to fill the macarons.

Let the macarons rest for at least 36 hours in the fridge before to consume them.

Enjoy!!!

Dedicated to The Girl Who Ate Everything and to all macarons lovers around the world... In two day I probably publish a pic of the inside... If I can resist!

Of course this recipe is from Secret Gourmands, by Pierre Hermé.