Chocolate macarons filled with a rich dark chocolate ganache.
It’s no secret that I have a mild obsession with these delicate confections. The first time I made these was in Paris when I registered for a one-day class on making macarons. One and a half years later, I finally made them for the second time during my first week of pastry school. These days, it’s a regular occurrence. This is the first recipe I’m posting, and it’s based off the one we made in school: Chocolate Macarons with a Dark Chocolate Ganache. Ok, the ganache at school was actually hazelnut, but I didn’t have the ingredients for that at home.
Macarons are actually not the easiest things to make. The ingredients are so simple! But it’s the technique that can make or break them. Undermix the batter and you’ll get lumpy, feet-less, cracked cookies. Overmix it and they’ll be flat as pancakes and likely uneven. I still have a hard time getting the batter just right, and more often than not I have to dump it out of my piping bag back into the bowl because I haven’t mixed it enough. It can be very frustrating.
When they turn out though… it could be the best feeling ever.
Heavenly.
Notes & tips for these Chocolate Macarons:
- The measurements listed are by weight and I strongly recommend using a scale for macarons. They are incredibly finicky and temperamental, so the ingredients have to be precise.
- You will need to do a LOT of folds to get them to the proper consistency. This might take some trial and error.
- Do not skip on the drying time. This is a MUST DO. They must be completely dry to the touch before you bake them or they will crack.
- If they don’t come out perfect the first time (they rarely do), know that they will still taste delicious! Looks aren’t everything! 🙂
Chocolate Macarons
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 60 g egg whites room temperature
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 70 g almond flour
- 55 g powdered sugar
- 8 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
GANACHE
- 100 g dark chocolate chopped
- 67 g heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Line baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment.*
- Place the almond powder, icing sugar, and cocoa powder in a food processor. Process until just beginning to clump.
- Sift and discard any bits that won't pass through the sifter. Set aside.
- Whip the egg whites until they're the consistency of a loose foam. Continue whipping while slowly adding sugar. Whip to a stiff meringue.
- Fold the dry mixture into the meringue.**
- Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with the 1A tip.
- Pipe the macarons onto your baking sheet.
- When all your macarons are piped, whack the baking sheet on the counter at least 3 times to get rid of any air bubbles.***
- Let the macarons dry at room temperature until dry to the touch. Approx 1 hour. DO NOT skip this step.
- While macarons are drying, make the ganache.
- Chop the chocolate finely and place in a bowl. Heat the cream until boiling and pour over chopped chocolate. Do not stir! Cover bowl with plastic wrap for 2 mins. Stir to emulsify ganache. Place in fridge to set.****
- Once dry, bake macarons in a 300°F oven until they stick a little bit to the pans. This can be anywhere from 10-20mins depending on your oven and how crowded the macarons are on the pan.
- Let cookies cool completely before removing from pans.
- Pipe ganache into the center, sandwich the cookies and twist together.
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Notes
** You will need to do a LOT of folds to get the batter to the proper consistency. You're looking for it to be smooth and shiny and have some movement. If you lift some up with a spatula, it should pour in a steady stream and settle into the remaining batter. DO NOT overmix.
*** Do not be shy with the whacking!
**** If the ganache has some unmelted bits after stirring, heat over a simmering bain marie.
Betsy says
April 6, 2019 at 11:13 AMI made these twice, the first time I over cooked them but the second time I baked them for 14 minutes and OMG…. Amazing! They taste better after 24 hours. Light crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and not too sweet. Aside from the recipe, I highly recommend watching videos on how macaroons are made.
Olivia says
April 8, 2019 at 10:08 AMHi Betsy! I love macarons 24 hours later too! So glad you liked this recipe 🙂
Sarah says
March 26, 2019 at 8:44 PMI’ve been obsessed with macarons, and I’m trying to perfect them this week for a tea party this weekend. Your recipe will be my 6th attempt for perfect macarons. Anyway, I followed the directions perfectly, and they have been sitting on my counter for the past 40 minutes and are still very wet! Is this just an overl wet batter, or do you think I did something wrong?
Olivia says
March 27, 2019 at 2:03 PMHi Sarah! Is it super humid where you are? Hot humid or rainy humid? It takes a lot longer for macarons to dry in humid temps and sometimes they don’t at all! Did you follow the directions and measurements exactly as written?
Kat says
February 7, 2019 at 7:57 PMHello olivia,
I love your recipe! My only question is, will this recipe be ok if I double it or would you recommend making 2 separate batches?
Olivia says
February 10, 2019 at 3:50 PMHi Kat! Yes, doubling should work just fine!
Kate says
December 16, 2018 at 9:49 AMThis recipe is amazing. Thank you for sharing! I was using a different recipe that tastes great, but the measurements were slightly off. I have made four batches using this recipe. They came out perfect every time. They are beautiful and delicious. I started adding a bit of salt and vanilla to the mix. YUM!
Olivia says
December 17, 2018 at 1:44 PMHi Kate! So happy to hear that, glad you like them!
Madhu says
September 30, 2018 at 5:42 AMHi Olivia,
For the egg whites can we use egg whites from the carton? If not do you have a recipe for all the egg yellows:)
Olivia says
October 1, 2018 at 12:04 PMHi Madhu! I have not had success with carton whites — they never whip up for me! For the yolks, you can use those to make a lemon curd or pudding or something similar 🙂
Julia says
August 6, 2018 at 8:07 PMI decided this looked like a good first macaron recipe to try. I’m super excited to say they turned out really well!! I was worried I didn’t fold it well enough because the batter was a bit thick but they didn’t crack and they tasted amazing!!! I feel like this is a great recipe for first timers because it makes a small batch and only has a few ingredients. I’m so excited to make them again. 💕
Olivia says
August 7, 2018 at 8:56 AMHi Julia! So happy to hear that these worked for you on your first attempt! Glad you liked them 🙂
Stephanie Liptak says
April 26, 2018 at 7:32 AMI am very interested in making these but what temperature would the oven need to be set to?
Olivia says
April 26, 2018 at 2:43 PMHi Stephanie! The temperature is further down in the instructions as the macarons need to sit out for a bit. It’s 300F 🙂
Dimple says
April 26, 2017 at 1:23 PMHi Liv, i am going to try making macarons for the first time this weekend and i’m a little nervous. So i have a question do i have to use Dutch-processed Cocoa powder? I only have the regular cocoa powder. In addition what is the difference between the 2 types of cocoa powder?
Olivia says
April 26, 2017 at 5:57 PMHi Dimple! You can use regular cocoa powder and it shouldn’t be an issue. Dutch-processed cocoa has had the acid stripped out of it so it has a richer flavour and color. Regular cocoa powder should be just fine though! And good luck! Remember, even if they don’t turn out perfect, they will still taste delicious 🙂
Janhvi says
June 12, 2016 at 4:07 AMHey Olivia could you suggest the vegan way for the same recipe as I do not prefer eggs! please!
Olivia says
June 12, 2016 at 9:31 AMHi Janhvi, egg whites are the base of all macarons so it won’t be a true macaron if you try to make them without eggs. You can try to google for vegan macaron recipes?