Masala Chai Macarons

Directions

1. Masala Chai Ganache
2. Place the double cream and spices in a saucepan and bring the cream to a boil. Take the cream off the heat and add the teabags, poke the teabags beneath the surface and leave the cream to infuse for around 10 minutes.
3. Strain the cream and pour it back into the pan, add the sugar and bring it back up to a boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted, then add the butter and continue to stir until the butter has melted and the ganache is thick and glossy. Leave to cool to room temperature.

1. Macaron Shells
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line four baking trays with baking parchment. Add the water and sugar to a pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a boil and heat until it reaches 118 degrees.
3. Put 75g of the egg whites into a stand mixer and whisk them on medium speed until frothy. Pour the syrup in a slow steady stream into the egg whites as they are being whipped on a high speed. Keep whipping until the meringue forms a stiff peak, about 5mins.
4. Grind the ground almonds and icing sugar together in a food processor and then sift them into a clean bowl. Add the remaining egg whites to this mix and beat it, until it forms a paste.
5. Add a third of the meringue to the almond paste and beat it in thoroughly. Fold through the remaining meringue, ensure the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Put the macaron mix into a piping bag and pipe out 72 macarons.
6. Tap the bottom of the tray to remove any bumps or air pockets, then put the macarons in the oven for 12mins per tray. Turn the trays halfway through cooking to ensure an even bake.
7. Let the cooked macarons cool completely before trying to remove them from the tray. Match the macarons up into similar sized pairs and gently make a small indentation with your thumb on the flat side of one of the macarons, then fill with the masala chai ganache. Gently make a small indentation with your thumb on the flat side of the macaron and then fill them with the masala chai ganache and sandwich with another macaron.
8. Keep the macarons in an airtight container for at least an hour before eating, but if you can wait, they'll be much better the next day. They should last for 2-3 days in the fridge.