Chokladbiskvier - Swedish Chocolate Macarons

This the rich Swedish version of the french Macaron. It goes very well with a cup of coffee after dinner, or as a treat on its own. This has been one of my favourite biscuits since the first time I sank my teeth into one! You can use almonds or nuts in the base. The important thing is that it turns  into a slightly soft, chewy base which is then topped with a soft buttercream - perhaps flavored with a liqueur such as Punsch or Arrak, or lemon, orange... (use your imagination, the sky is the limit). Here I have flavored the buttercream with cocoa, which the traditional way and how I prefer it personally. Finally you dip the top in molten chocolate, dark, milk, white, which ever you prefer. I say you can't go wrong with double chocolate!

My family was the first in our community to get a TV. This was in the early 50's and there was no Swedish TV channel. But if you lived in the southern part of the country, you could pick up the Danish TV broadcasts! It was black and white, and everyone spoke danish... but that didn't matter! The first children's show I remember was called Andy- Pandy.

In the beginning, when we turned on the TV, people flocked and gathered on the road outside our house. Some even stepped onto our lawn to be able to watch our TV through the window. Lucky for them, we had large windows! It seems crazy but that is how it was back then. Let's just say that we often had company in the evenings back then. Those were the days... My mother had something of an unofficial café going in the living room!

On the weekend my dad would surprise us with my favourite treats from the patisserie. I think you can guess what they were!

This recipe makes approx. 20

Ingredients:

For the macarons: 
100 g almonds
1.5 dl sugar
1-2 egg whites (depending on egg size)

Buttercream filling:
100 g butter, softened
1.5 dl icing sugar
1 egg yolk (in Sweden raw eggs are safe to eat - if salmonella is a concern where you live exclude the yolk)
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Garnish:
200 g dark chocolate
1 tbsp oil (neutral flavor - not olive)

Method:

Set the oven to 175 C (350 F). Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Blanch, peel and grind the almonds. Mix in the sugar. Whisk the egg whites lightly. Fold them into the almond mixture.

Using a spoon, portion out the mixture onto the baking sheet, making 30 rounds. (You can make mini ones or bigger ones as well, but I made mine 3 cm across, which gives you about 30).

Bake the macarons in the oven, middle rack, about 8 minutes.

Take them out and detach the macarons from the paper while they are warm. Let them cool completely.

Make the buttercream: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and fluffy.

Turn the cool cakes so that the flat side faces up. Spread the butter cream on each cake, and make a peaked or domed shape. Put in the fridge to set.

Melt the chocolate and stir in the oil. Take the cakes out of the fridge and dip them, buttercream peaks down, into the chocolate. Hold the cake upside down a moment so that the excess chocolate drips off. Set them on a tray or baking sheet to cool. Store in a cool place.