Chocolate Pomegranate Macarons

If you like Macarons, Chocolate and Pomegranate, then you will love this recipe.   Bursting with flavor!  We know that some people are afraid of making macarons.  It's easier than some people let on.  If you like to bake and are comfortable making more advanced buttercreams then you will be able to make these just fine.

Ingredients:

For Chocolate Macaron:

• 2 1/4 cups (225g) confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup (120g) almond flour
• 3 tablespoons (15g) cocoa powder
• 3 large egg whites (100g)
  

For Pomegranate Butter Italian Cream:

• 1 1/4 pounds butter (5 sticks)
• 1 cup egg whites (approx. 7 eggs)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbl vanilla
  
• 1.5 to 2 cup pomegranate juice
• white chocolate melts, optional

Directions:

Pomegranate Syrup
Prepare the concentrated Pomegranate Syrup first and set it aside.  It needs to completely cool before it can be used in your buttercream.    Go with a higher amount if you like your flavors to be stronger.    Simmer the Pomegranate juice on the stove slowly reducing it down to a syrup the consistency of pancake syrup. 

The Chocolate Macarons

1. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. Prepare the dry ingredients first. Place the almond flour, confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder into a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds, then sift into a large mixing bowl; set aside.
3. Prepare the meringue. Place the egg whites and granulated sugar into a mixer bowl. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form; do not over mix. Add the meringue to the dry ingredients and fold everything together. Once the meringue and dry ingredients are combined, keep fold and 'deflating' the meringue until batter reaches 'lava' stage - the batter will ribbon off of spatula and settle back down into the bowl.
4. Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag tipped with a round tip. Pipe even-sized cookies onto prepare parchment paper. Once pan is filled, tap hard against work surface to release any trapped air bubbles; you can also use a toothpick to pop any larger, visible bubbles. Allow the cookies to stand at room temperature for about an hour, allowing a thin shell to form over the top. In more humid climates, this will take longer.
5. Preheat oven to 320F. Bake rested cookies for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on cookies size, more for larger ones. This time can vary as each oven bakes differently. Adjust timing and temperature accordingly. Allow the cookies to cool completely on parchment paper, then transfer onto a wire rack. Turn half of the cookies over.

Pomegranate Italian Buttercream
You can really use any style of stabilized buttercream.  But I like Italian Buttercream for this dish. 

1. Boil sugar and water until reaches a temp of 238 (soft ball stage)
2. When the sugar starts to boil, whisk egg whites and salt until reaches hard peak (you want this to happen before the sugar reaches temp)
3. Slowly pour sugar into eggs whites (I usually have the Kitchen-Aid on 8 while this is going on)
4. Continue to beat until room temp (this can take a while)
5.  Slowly add butter (softened but not too soft, I usually pull them out at the start of the process but not earlier)
6. Add vanilla and voila, tasty buttercream! Makes a lot. Freezes well.