In December last year, we ran a bake-off down here in the Dunedin product development office. First place went to Sam, one of our electronics engineers, for his amazing chocolate macarons. We have been meaning to share this recipe with you for some time, but with all the work that went into creating our beautiful new site, some things got left behind! Macarons are a hot topic at the moment though with the final of Masterchef New Zealand screening last weekend. The final challenge, a macaron tower, ended in tears when Jax’s creation crumbled and fell apart at the last moment. Death by macaron! You can read Emma’s thoughts on the series here, but anyway, over to Sam and his winning recipe (and strategy):
“I’m the first to admit I’m not much of a baker but when the office bake-off was announced I thought I would give it a go. I decided the key would be to bake something a little bit difficult and fancy yet just within reach of my beginner abilities. After looking through several recipe books and consulting with more experienced bakers I decided chocolate macarons struck this balance perfectly. I love macarons but before this I never thought to try making them myself. It takes a bit more effort than other baking options but I definitely recommend them if you want to impress. The following recipe is the result of a few hours of trial and error the night before the competition and earned me 1st place as well as a reputation as a bit of a “dark horse” when it comes to baking.”