Hazelnut Chocolate Macarons

I have so many things to tell you tonight.

Like about how sometimes I overthink things.  Like when it's time to start something new or really take action I freeze up, like how I'd like to sell my cupcakes, but

I know that if I put up an ad on Craigslist I'm going to get overwhelmed with orders and not be able to keep up, or I won't get any at all and some rude teenager will see my flier (that I haven't made, but I'm considering a flier) and

laugh in my face because I'll happen to be standing on the sidewalk when he sees it and laughs, and then I will make my cupcakes and one of them will have a hair or an eggshell and I will get badmouthed and no on will eat Icy Violet's Cupcakes again, and maybe

sued or fined because I don't have my foodhandler's permit (yet!  yet!), and I'll have to start selling them in the parking lot of the grocery store from the trunk of my car like

the tamale lady at the Smith's shouting 'lady want cupcake!?' and then ducking in case you're a cop (this woman is onto something*).

Bam.  Welcome to my brain on the cusp of a new endeavor.

I was also going to tell you how I am finally jumping back on the macaron bandwagon after two years of failed batches, which in turn followed two or three marvelous successes with them when I first started out. 

Beginners luck, I guess.

But chuh choo!  I am back on the macaron train!

What?  No one's eating macarons anymore?

It's all about the whoopie pie now?

Wait, the whoopie pie was so 2010?

Nuts to you, food trends!  I'm 'onna stick with cupcakes.  Let me know if you live in the Eugene area of Oregon and want some.  There will be neato flavors, promise.  It will all be on the flier.

Oh but don't tell the feds, kay?  I'm in trouble enough as it is.

*and if anyone ever yells at you to buy the tamales out of the trunk of their car, DO IT.  DO IT DO IT DON'T THINK JUST DO IT.

Hazelnut Chocolate Macarons

So macarons are famously testy.  The ingredients are incredibly simple, but there are a lot of factors you need to look out for.  The one that has been tripping me up lately is the humidity.  Here in Oregon it's a little bit like living underwater.  Wait for a day when the tide goes out, is what I'm saying.  Don't make them on a rainy day if you live in a humid place.

I get my basic recipe from the brilliant Aran at Canelle et Vanille.  I find this recipe is endlessly adaptable.  Just add 2 - 3 teaspoons of the powdered dry flavoring of your choice to the sugar/almond mixture, or if you're using a liquid flavoring add 1 tablespoon or so to the egg whites when they are nearly whipped up.  For hazelnut or other nut flavors, switch out the almond flour for the nut flour of your choice.  It's brilliant.  That's what I did here for a lovely hazelnut flavor, with a chocolate ganache for a filling (okay I used Nutella...but the fancy pantses out there would enjoy a rich ganache).

Other advice...adhere strictly to the drying schedule.  It is really important that the tops of your unbaked cookies be dry enough to not stick to your fingers when lightly touched.  Mine actually have little tips here rather than smooth domes because I overdried them.  But I'd rather overdry than underdry, since underdrying can lead to all sorts of problems.

Are you wigging out over this recipe yet?

Bam.  You overthought it.  Just make them, you can do it.