Sunday, May 3, 2009

Chocolate almond macaroons

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m trying to use up a 3 pound can of sliced almonds. Even after this recipe, I’m only halfway through the can! Luckily I have a long list of almond recipes to try, it’s just a matter of finding the time to make them.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much with this one. The recipe caught my eye because it had a short ingredient list, didn’t require any grocery shopping, and made a fairly small yield (I wasn’t in the mood to bake 6 dozen cookies). It’s simply ground almonds mixed into a chocolate meringue.

The original recipe calls for making very small cookies, then sandwiching them together with chocolate. I decided to make my cookies a little bigger, using a tablespoon of dough rather than a teaspoon, and adding another few minutes to the bake time.

I was definitely surprised when I tasted these – they were really, really good. The outsides were crispy, and the insides were moist and fudgy. Even though there’s not much fat in recipe, the cookies tasted very rich and decadent from the cocoa powder. In fact, I thought making cookie sandwiches would be overkill, so instead I just drizzled some melted chocolate over the top.

I will definitely be making these again, probably sooner rather than later.

chocolate, almond, macaroons, almond macaroons, cookies

67 comments:

Unknown said...

Isn't it the best when you're pleasantly surprised by a recipe? :) Good luck getting through those almonds. It's a good problem to have!

Pearl said...

surprisingly good recipes are always a winner!

LaDue & Crew said...

These are talking to me! They look scrumptious!

Tyler said...

almonds, coconut, and chocolate are three of my favorite things! i need to make this soon :)

Kerstin said...

Oh these look yummy! Can't wait to see what you do with the rest of your sliced almonds :)

Dewi said...

I can really tell how delicious these macarons are. The recipe sounds very forgiving too.

Selba said...

Chocolate? almond? macaroons? Love them all... :D

Manggy said...

Yeah, I wish I had the problem of too many almonds... Sliced almonds here are about $3 for 100g, which means about $41 for the amount that you have! I'd totally sneak it into every cake and cookie :) These are winners, I need to have a few to munch on right now! :)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What pretty macaroons! I bet they taste as good as they look!

Cheers,

Rosa

Irene said...

These look so delicious!

Leslie M. said...

Oh Sarah.. these look fabu! I am dying for chocolate and should have gone to bed hours ago! NOTE to self.. stay out of kitchen and look a the pretty pictures on Sara's Blog instead!!!
YOU always make good "stuff!" hahha
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
http://leslielovesveggies.blogspot.com/

Donna-FFW said...

Oh Sara, they are lovely. I adore macaroons and love what you did to them:)

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

These look beautiful. A great combination. I can't wait to see how you use the rest of the alonds.

Heather S-G said...

simple perfection! They must be great...chocolate and almond...chewy and delicious :) Yummy!

Sarah said...

Macaroons are one of my all time favorite coookies, if they are made right! It looks like you were spot on!!!

Amanda @ Mrs.W's Kitchen said...

They look & sound fantastic! Another well done to you, Sara.

Robin said...

These do look so yummy! I like that extra drizzle of chocolate over them too!

Cathy said...

These look amazing...I love coconut in cookies!

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

If I had almonds in my house I would be making these today.

stephchows said...

oooooooooo I like the way you made them much better!! Totally tasty!

Soma said...

This is a winner combination. Almonds are yummy good & i wish i had as much :-D what u have done looks way better than the sandwiched ones...

Claire said...

Looks delicious!

Finla said...

They look so yumm. And i am sure they tasted delicous too.

Marta said...

Good call on making them larger and drizzling them with chocolate. I think they look fantastic! Almonds are such a great ingredient, they just add so much personality to any baked treat. This recipe sounds partilarly delicious!
I'm glad you still have lots of almonds to go through, because I look forward to more delicious treats :)

Karin W. said...

What a mouth watering photo! When you grow tired of almonds, send them to me:) Here, the price of almonds is climbing..

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

very pretty! they sound like they taste amazing!

3 pounds of almonds?! awesome! :-)

Laurie said...

I'll take a dozen.. or two.. of those!

noble pig said...

I love the chocolate decorative markings on the top. Very classy looking.

teresa said...

How lovely, the almonds probably add such a good flavor.

Krista Dearden said...

thanks for the recipe! I am always on the lookout for something easy, lowfat, and yummy! Wow...triple threat!!! Good luck with your other almond recipes.

Unknown said...

Wow! The looks scrumptious!

The Food Hunter said...

They look delicious. I've got to give them a try.

Lyndas recipe box said...

These look amazing, Sara! Wish I could reach through the screen!

lisaiscooking said...

Those look like fantastic macaroons. Great use of your almonds.

Diana said...

Oh my gosh -- those sound amazing! And so easy! I think I know what I'm going to make my mom for mother's day...

Debbie said...

Oh do those look good. You certainly have a lot of almonds to use up? Have you thought of Almond Joys? I have a recipe for them if you would like it just email me....

Sean said...

3lbs of almonds? Holy smokes! Can't wait to see what you use them to make next!

Candy said...

These look awesome! I love chocolate and almonds together.

Reeni said...

They look so delicious with the drizzle of chocolate on top. I like the changes you made. Chocolate and almond is so yummy together!

Heather said...

mmmmm. love macaroons. especially with chocolate!!

NKP said...

Nice and light and crunchy - they sound great!

Maris said...

Yum! My brother used to love macaroons around passover but I haven't had any in years. Almonds are a good staple. I've had some in my pantry for a few weeks that I just used and I was surprised how many recipes it was easy to pop them into!

Thistlemoon said...

I have always loved macaroons, and these look so good!

Monica H said...

They're very pretty. Pretty enough to eat!

Charlotte said...

I better not even look at that recipe. I would probably end up eating too much.

Kana said...

These macaroons and a bowl of ice cream would be heaven!

Anonymous said...

These macaroons look scrumptious! Chocolate and almonds are so delicious together!

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Delicious. I used to make coconut-choclate meringue cookies like that and it's true that they do taste surprisingly moist and fudgy and rich. Keep giving us those almond recipes!

Jamie said...

These are really just the perfect cookie! They look fabulous! I love this kind fo recipe, and chocolate and almonds together is delish!

Sara said...

great looking cookies!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Now I bet you wish you had 6 dozen! :)

Creative Classroom Core said...

Gotta love a surprise that turns out great! These look incredible! I love the chocolate drizzle :)

La Bella Cooks said...

Macaroons are just heavenly to begin with, in my opinion, but these look even better.

Anonymous said...

the 5 indredients is what I'm lovin'! YES!!! I think I can...I think I can...

Netts Nook said...

Chocolate and coconut together wow what a winner.

Sweet Treats by Dani said...

these look and sound great!!!

Marta said...

I just wanted to let you know I've added you to my bloglist :)

Juliana said...

How can you go wrong with chocolate, almond and coconut? Very tempting...great picture.

Sylvia said...

These are taking to me. I love almonds and chocolate

Annie said...

I love almonds. I love chocolate. I Love these cookies. Beautiful and Delicious!

Claudia said...

The photo sang to me. Really. Even the cat woke up. Delicious. When I have extra almosnds - my husband finds them and eats them. Not roasted. Plain. He just eats them. It means never having extra almonds. Or hiding them.

Chef E said...

My father could not get enough of these coolies, although I would have fought him over chocolate ones!

I once bought a truck load full of them, and I think I still have a baggie in the freezer...*note* use almonds...

Anonymous said...

these are so pretty! i love almond macaroons!

ARUNA said...

awesomeeeeeeee.......!

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Ohh those look so yummy! :D

LK- Healthy Delicious said...

I've made something very similar to this before- i love how the texxture is smooth, crispy, and creamy all in one!

Megan said...

This is a recipe you can be sure I'll try! It even deserves a Stumble!