Malted Milk Macarons

Malted Milk Macaron Shells:
In a bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, Ovaltine, and ground almonds. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they appear foamy. While the mixer is running carefully pour in the granulated sugar in a slow stream. Continue beating the whites on high until they reach a consistency similar to that of shaving cream.

Be careful not to over-beat, or the meringue will be too dry.

Add the nut, powdered sugar, and Ovaltine mix to the meringue. Begin folding, continue folding until the batter resembles a thick pancake batter. The folding should not take more than 50 strokes.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

When ready, bake for approximately 18 minutes. Depending on their size they might require a longer baking time. Allow them to cool, then transfer to a wire rack.

Malted Milk Buttercream:
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil and reaches 230 degrees F. While the sugar is boiling, whip the yolks in a stand up mixer until they are thick and fluffy.

When the syrup is ready remove from heat and very slowly add it in a stream into the yolks while the mixer is running on medium-low speed.

Continue mixing until the mixture is completely cooled, then while machine is still running, add in the butter in chunks, but only add the next piece once the prior piece has been absorbed into the mixture.

Once all the butter has been added, reduce speed to low then add the Ovaltine and powdered milk.

Assembly:
Once macaron shells have cooled, pipe the buttercream onto the flat side of one shell and sandwich with another.

Enjoy!