After Dinner Mint Macarons

Almond Biscuits (Ngā Pihikete Aramona)

1. Sift the icing sugar, ground almonds, and cocoa (puehu huka, peru penupenu and kōkō) into a sifter into a medium bowl. Put aside. 
2. Add the egg whites and caster sugar (whakakahu hēki iti and huka one) into a bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl). Gently heat until the sugar is dissolved. Rub the mixture in between your fingers, it should be smooth with no sugar grains.
3. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture in to a mixing bowl. Whip it (tāwhiuwhiua) until the egg mixture is slightly frothy and then sprinkle in the cream of tartar and salt (kirīmi tāta and tote).
4. Keep whipping (tāwhiuwhiu tonu) for 6-8 minutes until you get stiff peaks. Dip your whisk attachment deep in the meringue, when you pull it out the meringue peak should stand straight up. If it bends over, beat for another 30 seconds and test it again. 
5. Sift half of the sifted mixture on to the meringue mixture. Fold a few times and sift in the second half. Now fold the mixture 60 times.
6. After 60 folds, spread the mixture up the side of the bowl around 6 times with your spatula to remove some of the air. The mixture is ready when you make a figure 8 in the mixture and it takes around 10-15 seconds to disappear. If not, fold a few more times and test it again.
7. Pipe the macaron mixture on to two trays covered in baking paper. You can or use a macaron mat as a guide, trace circles around a 3cm jar or eyeball the size. Once they are piped, bang the tray onto the bench 5 times to release the air. Pop the bubbles that rise to the top with a toothpick and now allow to set. The macarons will be shiny and stick to your finger when they are gently touched at the beginning. After 30 minutes to an hour it will be dull in appearance and no longer stick to your finger. Then, they are ready to bake.
8. Bake at 150 degrees for 18 minutes. Allow to cool on the tray as you make the buttercream.

Peppermint Buttercream (Te Pani Reka Pata Hīoi)

1. Melt the Whittaker's Dark Peppermint Chocolate (tiakarete hīoi) in the microwave in 30 second bursts.
2. Spread every second macaron with a little of the chocolate, these are the lids. The remaining chocolate is used in the buttercream.
3. Add the softened butter, icing sugar, and peppermint essence (pata kūteretere, puehu huka and waitāwhara hīoi) in to a bowl. Whip it (tāwhiuwhiua) until light and fluffy. Continue to whip you add a little of the remaining (peppermint chocolate) tiakarete hīoi at a time. Add a little extra peppermint essence if you like it punchier.
4. Pipe the buttercream on to every second macaron and then add the lid. Top with a white chocolate mint leaf. 

Chocolate Mint Leaves (Ngā Rau Tiakarete Mā Hīoi)

1. Melt the white chocolate (tiakarete mā). Take one mint leaf at a time and drag the backside (with the visible veins) of it through the white chocolate. Place it on some baking paper. Repeat this until all the leaves are used. Refrigerate until set.
2. Add a dot of remaining buttercream on to the macaron. Peel the set white chocolate off your leaf and place it on top of the macaron. To finish, I dust on a touch of edible shimmer powder.

Photography by Sarah Henderson.