Chocolate French Macarons
What? You love chocolate? (Who doesn’t??) Well, then do I have a recipe for you. With their crisp shells, soft centers, and a rich chocolate filling, these chocolate macarons are a dessert that feels indulgent without feeling too over the top if you eat it on a Wednesday afternoon.
Chocolate is a timeless classic for a reason- it’s comforting, indulgent, and it hits that perfect balance of sweetness and richness that works for so many occassions. Getting the perfect shell that’s delicately crisp on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside takes a bit of practice, but once you master them, you’ll feel like a macaron pro.
Chocolate macarons need a small adjustment compared to classic shells. Because cocoa powder absorbs moisture, replacing a portion of the almond flour keeps the batter from becoming too dry and dense. This simple tweak helps maintain a smooth batter, delicate shells, and the chewy texture you’re looking for.
Make it brunch
To make this a full brunch experience, pair these chocolate macarons with my Quinoa and Lentil Salad and Manchego Scones. To kick off this experience, you’ll want to fry up some delicious Tostones first. A perfect brunch any time of year!
Ready to make them? Don’t worry-these macarons are easier to make than they look. Check out my Basic French Macarons for Beginners post for all the tips and tricks for making the perfect macaron.
Ingredients
Just a few, high-quality ingredients are needed for macarons.
- Almond flour Make sure it’s finely sifted for those smooth shells.
- Powdered sugar Adds sweetness and helps create the smooth shells macarons are known for.
- Egg whites From fresh eggs, no liquid egg whites here. I like to separate my egg whites ahead of time. It makes the whole process flow smoother if you do this. Plus, it gives the egg white proteins a chance to relax, helping to form a stronger meringue. 24 hours ahead is great, but I also will do it the morning I am making the macarons.
- Granulated sugar Sugar helps the egg whites whip into a beautiful meringue.
- Cream of tartar Helps with the stability of the meringue.
- Cocoa powder Any cocoa powder will work. I used half natural cocoa powder and half black cocoa powder.
Candace’s Tip: Be sure to only use glass or metal bowls to whip egg whites in. Plastic harbors fat residue which will prevent your egg whites from whipping into stiff peaks.
Let’s make chocolate macarons
Step 1- Making the macaron shells
Macarons are intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of them, they become easier and easier to make. At the core, you’re just whipping egg whites into stiff peaks (the meringue), then mixing the meringue with sifted almond flour and powdered sugar to form the macaron batter, known as macaronage.
- The batter should be the consistency of honey
- Use the ‘figure eight’ test to check readiness before piping
Chocolate macarons can be a bit tricky to make. Too much fat can make the shells crack. This is why we replace the same amount of almond flour with cocoa powder. The macaronage will seem a bit thick even after you have completed the figure eight test. This is ok.
Pro Tip: Do not use liquid egg whites or meringue powder. Liquid egg whites are pasteurized, which is not ideal for making meringue. Meringue powder is not strong enough to form and hold stiff peaks.
Step 2- Pipe and dry the shells
Once it’s ready, pipe the batter onto two baking sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- I love silicone mats with printed circles- they’re reusable and help ensure even sizing and spacing.
- Let the macarons rest until a skin forms before baking.
Pro Tip: Macarons struggle to dry properly in humid weather. Use a fan or dehumidifier to speed up the process if needed, though you don’t want the fan blowing directly onto the shells.
Step 3- Bake the macarons
Bake at 300°F for 14 minutes (adjust as needed for your oven). The shells should feel dry to the touch and not be wiggly. Let them cool for 10 minutes at least before attempting to remove them from the pans or the tops may separate.
Step 4- Fill the macarons
Once the shells are cooled, it’s time to fill and decorate.
Filling and decorating the macarons
To fill the macarons, I made a dark chocolate ganache using a semi-sweet baking chocolate bar. A ganache is simply melted chocolate and heavy cream. The heavy cream is heated up in the microwave or on the stove, then poured over chopped chocolate. Stir the mixture until all the chocolate has come together and is smooth, and there’s your ganache. It has to sit for a bit to get thicker, but you don’t want it to solidify. You can stick it in the fridge to help it along, and if you find that it’s gotten a bit too firm for piping, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to help soften it up.
Do I want to say something here?
FAQs
For maximum flavor and freshness, store macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Layer them with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper as it will stick to the macarons. You don’t want to stack them too high as they are a delicate cookie.
To freeze the shells, first lay them in a single layer on a large baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Line the container with parchment paper, and put parchment paper on each layer of macarons. Freeze them for up to one month. Thaw the macarons in the fridge overnight and decorate as normal.
To freeze filled macarons, follow the same instructions. Not all filled macarons freeze well, due to the type of filling they have. Buttercream and ganache would freeze well. Fillings like jams or curds would not hold up well after being thawed out, so it is recommended not to freeze those types.
There are a couple reasons your macarons could be cracking. If you don’t give them a long enough resting period, they could crack. Remember, they need to be dry on top. Depending on your climate, this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour. If you don’t whip the meringue to stiff peaks, it will be weak thus making the macaron shells weak and more prone to cracking. You could also have a too high oven temperature. You may want to invest in an oven thermometer to be sure your oven is set to the right temperature.
Start with making sure the meringue has stiff peaks. This helps make a strong shell that’s less prone to cracks. Be sure not to overmix or undermix the batter. This takes practice. Remember the figure eight test, and that the batter should flow like honey off the spatula. Bang the trays of filled shells on the counter to remove air bubbles. Most importantly, practice makes perfect!
More chocolate macaron recipes to try
- Dark Chocolate Espresso Macarons
- Hot Chocolate Macarons
- Smores Macarons
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
If you made these, I’d love to know how they turned out. I’d also love it if you left me a star rating and a review.
Chocolate French Macarons
Ingredients
- 105 grams egg whites
- 120 grams almond flour, finely ground and sifted
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon black cocoa powder
Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate bar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk or cream
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside. Set up the piping bag to pipe the shells. Add a Wilton 12 tip to a piping bag, add this to a large cup, folding the tip up before adding it in, fold the top down around the cup.
- Weigh out the almond flour (120 grams), the powdered sugar (130 grams), and the granulated sugar (75 grams).
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift almond flour and powdered sugar together in a large glass or metal bowl along with the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
- Add the egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer, but it can be tough on your hands and arms. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are foamy and no longer liquid. The whisk should leave track marks in the foam. Turn the speed down and add the granulated sugar in three batches, waiting a few seconds in between each addition.
- Once you've added in all of the sugar, turn the speed up to medium-high, which is between 4 and 5 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. You'll see the egg whites begin to build in volume and turn a glossy white color. The whisk will also start to leave track marks in the whites and will look thick. After a few minutes, you can stop the mixer and check for stiff peaks. If the meringue runs off the whisk, it's not ready. Keep going for another few minutes and then check for stiff peaks. If it's almost ready at this point, I'll turn the mixer up a little bit higher and let it run for 30 seconds before checking again. When the meringue is done, it will form a stiff peak when you pull the whisk out. It may have a slight curve to it, but it should not flop over. If it does, continue mixing the meringue in 30-second bursts at the higher speed and checking for stiff peaks.
- Using a rubber spatula, add the meringue to the flour/sugar mixture in three batches. It won't mix together completely until you have added all of the meringue. Continue mixing until there are no dry ingredients. We are essentially deflating the meringue and making a cohesive batter. Once the dry ingredients are completely mixed in, use a circular motion with the spatula against the side of the bowl to continue mixing the batter. Do a few circles around the bowl, then bring the spatula through the batter. Do this process a few times, then check for the 'honey-like' stage. The batter should flow off the spatula like honey without breaking. You should be able to draw a figure eight with the batter that will sink into itself in 10 seconds when done. You don't want to overmix the batter, so check for doneness after every few passes.
- Once the batter is done, add it to the piping bag. Take the cup over to the lined baking sheets. Take the bag out and, holding the top closed just above the batter, squeeze the batter down gently so it just starts coming out. Hold it a bit sideways until you get over the baking sheets. Holding the bag upright, pipe the shells onto the baking sheets. If you are using the silicone mats with the stencils, you can aim for the dot in the middle of the circle. Count to 4 while piping, then move on to the next circle. Continue this process until you have filled the sheet pans or run out of batter. If you don't have the preprinted circles, just start from the top, going across before moving down. Leave about 3 inches in between each piped circle to leave room for it to spread out.
- Now that all the shells are piped, it's on to removing the air bubbles. Bang the trays firmly on your countertop a few times. This helps to dislodge the air bubbles in the shells. I also like to go through with a toothpick and pop any remaining air bubbles I find.
- Let the shells rest so they form their skin. This should take from 30-40 minutes. In humid weather, this can take longer. If the weather is really dry, it could take less time. When the skin is formed, you'll be able to touch the tops of the macarons without getting any batter on your finger. Preheat the oven to 300 F about halfway into the shells resting.
- Once the shells have formed their skin, it's time to bake them. Bake the sheets individually in the oven on the middle rack at 300 F for 14 minutes. The tops will be matte and they will not jiggle on their feet when they are done. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to continue cooling down. The shells must be completely cooled down before adding the filling.
- When the shells are cooled, it's time to fill them. Match the shells by size. Flip one over of each pair.
Chocolate Ganache Filling
- Chop the chocolate bar into small, uniform pieces. This helps the chocolate melt evenly. Put the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to a microwave safe container. Microwave for 90 seconds. You don't want to go too long or you risk making the cream too hot. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes. After a few minutes, stir everything into a smooth ganache. It may seem a bit runny at first. It will get firmer as it cools. You don't want it to be too runny as you won't be able to pipe it out. If it's too firm this can also make piping it onto the macarons difficult. Luckily, if it does get too firm, you can microwave it a few seconds at a time to help soften it up.
- Once the ganache is the right consistency, neither runny nor too firm, you can add it to a piping bag and add about a nickel-sized amount to each of the turned-over macarons from the paired-up macarons.
- After you are done piping the ganache, gently sandwich the macarons together. I don't like to press down firmly as this could crack the shells. I like to gently twist while I'm sandwiching the shells. I find this helps to prevent cracks.
Chocolate Drizzle
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon black cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Mix together until smooth, smashing any lumps of sugar against the side of the bowl as you go. It will seem tough at first, but it will smooth out quickly.
- Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the macarons. I like just using a spoon and creating a freeform look. If you want, you can use a small piping bottle to achieve a more uniform look.
- Once they are done, pop them in the fridge for at least an hour to let the macarons mature and the shells soften. This also allows for the flavors to come together.
Notes
- Beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form, then stop.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. Once it flows like honey and passes the figure eight test, stop mixing.
- Be sure to use either a glass or metal mixing bowl to make the macaronage. Plastic bowls harbor fat residue, which can ruin your meringue.
- Store macarons in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week for maximum freshness.
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