Chocolate macarons are amazing simply because they combine the flavors of meringue, almonds and cocoa. They remind you of brownies, chocolate silk pie and almond candy bars all at once. They are the perfect treat for chocolate lovers. We are all crazy about chocolate macarons. This recipe is probably one of the easier macaron recipes you’ll see out there. But keep in mind, they are meringues and finicky little jerks at times.
Before my back injury this summer, I was obsessed with making macarons. I went through a lot of trial and error, six weeks of almost daily baking until I finally cracked the code on making macarons. I found they were the one thing that gave my frozen shoulder any form of relief so I would sometimes spend days making them.
I’m telling you all this, because you can see here and other posts that these aren’t easy cookies to make. They are known as the worlds most difficult cookie. So if you make these the first time and fail, keep trying. You’ll get there eventually. And if you make them the first time and succeed, you are welcome for the tips I’m sharing. It’s all about the meringue. Too many recipes tell you to over-beat the meringue. You simply can’t do this for French meringue based macarons and expect good results. Now that you have learned how to make them, tell me. Are you crazy about chocolate macarons, too?
Ingredients
French Macarons
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
- 2 large (60g) egg whites
- ½ cup (50g) almond flour
- ⅛ cup (30g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbs (10g) cocoa powder
Chocolate Buttercream
- ¾ cup (100g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (56g) softened butter
- 2 tbs (10g) cocoa powder
- 1 – 2 tsp (5-10mL) milk
Instructions
- Sift powdered sugar, cocoa and almonds together. Set aside.
- In a 2 quart bowl or larger, use a hand mixer and beat eggs for 30 seconds, add sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. If desired, add food coloring at this stage. Beat until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the meringue. Using a spatula, gently fold the ingredients 35 – 50 times or until batter becomes shiny and drips smoothly off the spatula. It should ribbon off and sink back into the batter within 30 seconds. If it doesn’t do this, fold until you see the change. Do not over mix or you will have flat cookies.
- Place in a piping bag with a 1/4" (6mm) tip. Squeeze onto parchment paper or a silicone mat until 1″ (2.5cm) circles form, spacing 1″ apart.
- Let sit until a skin develops. This step will depend on the humidity in your environment. On dry days, it can take as little as 15 minutes. When it hits above 75% humidity, expect it to take 2 – 3 hours. Failure to dry the cookies will often result in cracks and cookies without feet. (Feet are the little ruffles that develop at the bottom of your cookies.)
- Once the skin forms, preheat the oven to 300F (150C.) Bake 18 – 20 minutes.
- Let rest 5 minutes and remove to a rack to cool completely before filling.
Buttercream Instructions
- Blend sugar, cocoa, and butter together. You can use a mixer or mix by hand.
- Add in milk if desired for a softer buttercream.
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