I baked.

Again.

It's very difficult to bake for someone who doesn't enjoy sweet things. Especially when that someone shares your living space and the kitchen. Especially considering that I seem to 'stress-bake' and then expect that everyone around me gobbles the delicious treats. So. I whipped up a batch of G's favourite baked goods: banana muffins. They're healthy and yummy, and these little muffin cases mean that they're neatly bite-sized.

And then I decided to tackle the oh-so difficult macaroon recipe I've been eyeing for months. It's not quite Nigella, but it'll do.

I'll let you in on a little secret. The recipe requires finely-ground almond meal, and I didn't have any - so I ground some up myself.






















It took an awfully long time, and extra man power (G was obliged to help after the banana muffins treats!) but we got it to go (mostly) through a sieve. But then - here's the secret - disaster struck! I managed to mess it up rather badly and the batter simply flopped onto the baking tray. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say that perfectly-whipped egg whites don't stay perfectly whipped for long enough at all.

Yesterday after work I popped down to Marks & Spenser and picked up some ready-ground almond meal so I could tackle these beasts again. And guess what?






















They came out beautifully.


















Not the most flattering picture, but they're oh-so delicious! Sandwiched with decadent dark chocolate ganache, these macaroons are soft and airy on top, and stickily chewy around the fine edges. The chocolate is the perfect addition to the macaroon sandwich. After all is said and done, I'm rather pleased with myself.