Mocha Raspberry Macarons

So I don't know if y'all noticed but the vegan community is kinda freaking out about this new and bizarre ingredient: aquafaba. It's basically the bean juice from a can and let me tell you, it's all the rave right now. Apparently someone genius baking deity figured out that you could use this bean juice as a substitute for egg whites. What. What.. WHAT?! It's only the answers to 95% of my vegan baking prayers. Most recipes I've seen have just used the juice from a can of chickpeas but apparently you can use a variety of beans, and you can even use the juice from beans you cook yourself. You know the most amazing part about this is that the final product tastes nothing like chickpeas... I handed some of my macaroon creations out to people and they were dumbfounded when I explained the main ingredient. For my first blog post involving chickpea brine I wanted to make something classic and fabulous, so Macarons were a natural choice. I experimented with several different methods and variations, but this one from Froral Frosting yielded the best results. And don't worry, this is not the last you will see of the bean brine! I plan on doing a lot more creations with this crazy stuff.

Method and Recipe adapted from Floral Frosting  

Ingredients
macaroons
liquid from a can of chickpeas
1 1/4 cup finely ground almonds( I ground mine very finely in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
filling
1 cup of ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup of raspberry puree

Instructions
1. Bring the liquid from a can of chickpeas to a simmer over medium heat until it has reduced down to 1/3 a cup, then place it to the side (or in the fridge) and allow it to cool to room temperature
2. In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, almond meal and instant coffee then set aside
3. Once the chickpea liquid has cooled transfer it to the bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on high for 5 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and continue to whisk on high for an additional 2 minutes or until stiff peaks start to form
4. Gently stir in half of the almond meal mixture with a spatula until combined, then stir in the remaining almond meal.
5. Use the spatula to spread the batter along the sides of the bowl then use the spatula to come under the batter and turn it over. This is one turn. Do 15-20 of these. If you are confused you can find a detailed tutorial of the method by Floral Frosting here
6. Place some parchment paper over 3 baking sheets. Scoop the batter into a piping bag then pipe it into 1 inch rounds on the parchment paper. Pick up each pan to chest level then let it drop back onto the counter. Do this 3 times for each baking sheet. Allow the macaroon shells to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
7. While the macaroons are setting begin working on the filling. In a small sauce pan melt the chocolate with the coconut oil then stir in the raspberry puree. Store the filling in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill the macaroons.
8. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the macaroons for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the macaroons sit in the oven for 15 minutes. Open the oven door and let the macaroons sit in the oven for an additional 15 minutes then remove them from the oven and allow them to cool
9. Use a knife to spread the filling across the the bottom of one of the macaroons then sandwich it together with another one
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week