Chocolate Peanut Butter French Macarons
What better match is there than chocolate and peanut butter? With delicate shells and a creamy peanut butter filling, these chocolate peanut butter macarons strike the perfect balance of indulgence and approachability. Do yourself a favor and make a batch of these today. Share them with friends, bring them to work, or keep them all to yourself-no one’s judging.
Now that we’ve established that you love peanut butter and chocolate, since you’re still reading this post, let’s talk about how you can use these delicate treats as bribes for your friends and family. Need help moving furniture? Macarons. Need someone to watch your pets? Macarons. Need help moving something ‘not that heavy’? Yup, macarons.
Beyond being delicious, these peanut butter chocolate macarons are the kind of treat that instantly makes people smile. They’re familiar, comforting, and indulgent enough to feel special, making them easy to share-or keep on hand for times when a bit of chocolate goodwill goes a long way.
Make it brunch
The only thing better than macarons is more macarons. They are a great addition to any brunch menu. You might enjoy these with my Dark Chocolate Espresso Macarons or my Hot Chocolate Macarons. Pair these sweet treats with some savory dishes such as Quinoa Lentil Salad with Feta and Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad.
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.
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 peanut butter 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
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
The filling is a simple peanut butter frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, milk, and peanut butter. Don’t use natural peanut butter with the oil that has to be mixed in. It will make the frosting too oily. I recommend using smooth peanut butter that doesn’t need to be mixed. You could use chunky peanut butter, but you will probably have issues piping the frosting.
Macarons-the answer to all of life’s questions.
FAQs
For maximum flavor and freshness, store macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one 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 types 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 macaron recipes to try
- Mint Chocolate French Macarons
- Hot Chocolate French Macarons
- White Mocha French Macarons
- Chocolate French 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 Peanut Butter French Macarons
Ingredients
- 105 grams egg whites
- 120 grams almond flour, finely ground and sifted
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- 75 grams granulated or castor sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon black cocoa powder
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons milk
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.
- Now that 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.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, whip the 1/4 cup of butter until smooth. Add in the 1/4 cup of peanut butter and whip until smooth. Slowly add in the 1 cup of powdered sugar. I like to add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk first and blend. Then add the other 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk and blend. This will result in a smooth, pipeable peanut butter frosting.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4B star tip or round tip. Pipe about a nickel-sized amount of frosting onto the turned-over shell of each pair. Once you have piped your frosting, sandwich the shells together. Rather than pressing straight down on the shells when sandwiching together, gently twist the top shell on to prevent cracking the shells.
Chocolate Drizzle
- In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk, and 2 teaspoons cocoa powder until smooth. You may see a few lumps of powdered sugar but they should smooth out easily. You can also smash them against the side of the bowl. If you want, you can sift the powdered sugar beforehand, but I never do this, and the drizzle turns out great.
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.
- Only use metal or glass mixing bowls for whipping the meringue in.
- Store macarons in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week for maximum freshness.
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