Makroner
These are Danish Makroner cookies and I use the word cookie here very loosely. They are not really the kind of cookies that you snack on, well I guess you could, but they are very sweet. These cookies are crispy and airy and they are meant to be crumbled up and used in the making of other desserts such as Danish Æblekage (apple cake), Lagkage (layered cake) or Chocolate Amaretto Pudding.
This recipe calls for Hjortetaksalt which is a common leavening agent used in Denmark. Hjortetaksalt is Ammonium Bicarbonate also called Baker’s Ammonia or Hartshorn. The Ammonia gives a lighter and crispier result but can be substituted with baking powder or baking soda. A word of advise about baking with Hjortetaksalt. Do not keep your head directly over the door when opening the oven because the fumes will be very strong initially when the door is first opened, however there will be no after-taste at all from the Hjortetaksalt in your cookies. I did not have any Hjortetaksalt on hand and so I tried it with baking soda and the result was very good. The cookies were crisp and tasted exactly right. They did not rise much and I am wondering if they would have risen more with the Hjortetaksalt?
Makroner
Ingredients:
100 gram blanched almonds (3.5 oz)
100 g confectioners sugar (3.5 oz)
just a pinch of Ammonium Bicarbonate (called Hjortetaksalt in Danish) or baking powder or baking soda
2 egg whites
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C).
Place blanched almonds in food processor and blend until a fine powder. Combine ground almonds, confectioners sugar and Hjortetaksalt in a bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the almond mixture in increments, this may require a bit of patience.
Place teaspoon size dollops of dough onto baking sheet and bake in the middle of oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before storing in baking tin with a tight fitting lid. Enjoy!
Source: Bente Kilian – Maduniverset
My Danish Kitchen 
Ooh, I love recipes that use funny raising ingredients (I know this stuff from Sweden, where it is called hjorthornssalt). I’ve got some of this in the cupboard, and I know what you mean about the smell…it needs to be stored in a screw-top jar or it tends to pong a little bit! 🙂
Will give these a whirl soon.
Yes the smell is real pungent but no aftertaste in the cookies. Hope you like them 🙂
I love Makroner, it’s been a long time since I’ve had some. Thanks for the recipe.
Sid, my pleasure.
I remember these!! My grandmother used to use them in her baking. 🙂 Lovely. 🙂
Thank you Krista 🙂 They make for a nice sweet crunch in you dessert.