Sweet - Macarons - Chocolate Salted Caramel

So, Chocolate Salted Caramel Macarons.

I got the idea from Byron Talbott's youtube channel (I love it!) which provides an awesome recipe for Salted Caramel (well, technically Dulce de Leche) macarons. Then I added chocolate, because that's what self-respecting chocoholics do. The result:

Yummmmmmmm.

The recipe for the macarons themselves is the same as that given in my other post on macarons in general. I'll add the ingredients below, but please refer to that for the instructions (unless you're a pro, then...well, good for you).

Ingredients:

Macaron:

120 g almond meal

200 g icing sugar

~40g (3 or so tsp, to taste) chocolate powder (preferably dark)

3 egg whites (100 g, preferably aged, room temperature)

35-40 g granulated sugar

bit of sea salt

optional: pinch of cream of tartar - it helps the meringue stick together when beating the egg whites

Dulce de Leche:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

To Make:

Dulce De Leche - 4 hrs - do ahead:

There are numerous ways to do this, but the easiest is:

-place unopened can in pot and fill with water until can is submerged

-then, place pot over low fire and boil for about 2.5 hrs, making sure to top up the water so the can is always submerged.

-when done, cool in fridge for 1.5-2 hrs, or longer

-alternatively, you can open the can and pour the contents into a glass jar, and seal it. This will allow you to see the changing color of the Dulce de Leche, and therefore better judge when it is ready.

Macarons - 30 mins mix, 30 mins rest:

-come on, you know what to do :P if not refer to the link above, just don't forget the chocolate!

To Bake:

-preheat oven to your preferred temperature; usually the range from 270-320F works best. My personal favorite is 280F , but you can experiment to see what works best in your kitchen.

-Line trays, pipe out meringue and get rid of air bubbles
    - to make them Salted, sprinkle some coarse sea salt on about half of the cookies (or all if you wish)
    - then let stand for 30 mins or until not sticky to touch

-place in oven and bake 16-20 mins, making sure to flip the tray 180 degrees around halfway through. If in doubt, bake longer.

-once done, let cool for 10-20 mins and then sandwich macarons with the Dulce de Leche! Then place fridge (especially if the sauce is a bit runny) for a few hours to firm up. When ready to eat, take out, let rest for a few minutes and then enjoy!