These double-chocolate macarons, with crisp and slightly chewy cookies and the velvety chocolate ganache filling, are definitely a crowd favorite and make amazing Christmas/ birthday gifts. You can impress your friends, and then invite them over to prove anyone can make this recipe themselves also! :)
After struggling with other recipes, my sister and I have pretty much decided to only use this one for now on because of how reliable it’s been. See the NOTES section at the bottom for more tips!
Ingredients:
(Cookies)
3 oz. (about 1/3 cup) egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar
6 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
3 oz. (about 1 cup) almond flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
(Chocolate Ganache filling)
4 oz. Semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
Directions:
(Prep) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and print out a macaron template to help keep the macarons a similar size.
Prepare the piping bags by putting a small round piping tip into each.
(Cookies) Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa together into a bowl.
Use a stand mixer to beat egg whites until fluffy. While beating, gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the whites form stiff peaks.
Sift the dry ingredients again on top of the egg whites. Fold the almond flour mixture into the whites, and continue until the batter is smooth. Keep folding until it just reaches the “ribbon stage” (if you hold up the spatula, the batter should flow off in an unbroken ribbon)
Pour the batter into the two prepared piping bags. Start piping the batter onto the circles in the template. (I like to hold the piping tip really close to the baking sheet and keep it in one place, so the batter spreads out into an even circle. Also, the batter tends to spread out a bit, so stop as soon as the outside of the circle touches the outline of the template.)
Tap the baking sheets on the counter to release the air bubbles. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. (this lets the batter form a skin, which helps make the “feet” around the cookie in the oven)
(Filling) Add the heavy cream to a small pot, and heat until the cream just starts to boil around the edges.
Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 1 minute. Add the salt and butter and stir until everything comes together. Let the ganache cool.
Prepare two more piping bags by adding a small star tip. Add the chilled chocolate ganache to both bags. (I usually put it in the refrigerator to cool before adding it to piping bags, but make sure to put the ganache into the piping bags before it becomes too thick.
(Bake) Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Bake the cookies in batches on the oven’s lowest rack until the bottoms come loose from the parchment when you try lifting them, about 20-25 minutes. (The bottoms should be cooked and be smooth, instead of completely stuck to the parchment paper)
Let the cookies cool completely on the pan.
(Assembly) Lift cookies from the tray and match similar sized pairs. Squeeze the chocolate ganache onto the middle of one cookie, and use the other cookie to squish the ganache to the edges. And then you’re done!
NOTES:
Macarons can seem intimidating, but they’re really fun to make!
Origami boxes or stacking them in clear cups are great ways to give them to friends.
I think the step to be most careful of is the folding stage. Make sure that the batter doesn’t become too runny (stop right when it is smooth enough to run off the spatula in a consistent ribbon) because you can’t add the air back in!
The original macaron recipe pairs these chocolate macarons with salted caramel, but I’ve found that chocolate ganache is much easier and just as delicious!
Sometimes I add a touch of red gel food coloring to make the cookies a kind of maroon color to help the cookies color contrast from the filling.
Source Recipe: Macarons, Cupcakes & Cake Pops by Mia Ohrn (Macarons) & Laura in the Kitchen (Ganache)
Comments