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This is the best recipe you'll ever find to make the most beautiful, delicious, and perfect Chocolate French Macarons that everyone will love.
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5 from 7 votes

Chocolate French Macarons

This is the best recipe you'll ever find to make the most beautiful, delicious, and perfect Chocolate French Macarons that everyone will love.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time11 minutes
Total Time41 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 48 macarons

Ingredients

The chocolate macaron shell recipe:

  • 5 ounces egg white pasteurized is highly preferred
  • 2.1 ounces granulated sugar
  • 5 ounces almond meal blanched, no almond skins, aka almond flour (I prefer Bob's Redmill)
  • 10 ounces confectioners sugar
  • 0.3 ounces cocoa powder Dutch processed, sifted

ganache filling:

  • 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 4 ounces chocolate high quality chips or bars chopped into small pieces
  • 1 ounce of an invert sugar corn syrup, agave, pasteurized honey
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Portion the egg white & sugar into the bowl fitted for your stand mixer. Give the mixture a quick stir with the whip attachment. Whip egg white mixture at a medium speed in your stand mixer. Pasteurized eggs take longer to whip than fresh eggs, this will take 5 minutes or so.
  • While the mixer is whipping away, blend the almond meal, powdered sugar, and sifted cocoa in a clean DRY food processor until just fully combined, about 30 seconds.
  • When the egg white meringue has reached medium peaks (the elf hat stage) dump all the meringue out into a big clean mixing bowl, preferably a shallower, wider bowl. In three stages, pour one third of the dry mixture into the meringue and fold until 90% incorporated. After the last third of the dry mix is incorporated, continue to fold until the 'dark ribbon stage' appears and the looseness of the batter increases slightly.
  • Line a nice dry, flat sheet tray with your 'tracer sheet' and a fresh piece of brown parchment (the tracer sheet should be UNDER the fresh parchment). If you are using brown parchment on a roll, pre­flatten it under some books in advance. With a medium­small round piping tip (I use 805), pipe the macarons in line with the tracer sheet. Remember not to 'drown your tip' and to pull away from each macaron using the 'doggie tail wag' motion. Rest the macarons in a non­drafty place for 30 minutes.
  • This is a good time to make the ganache filling for the macarons. Scald the cream, pour over the combined chocolate, syrup, and salt. Stir until completely combined. Place the mixture over a double boiler on low heat and continue stirring if stubborn chocolate chunks remain. The mixture should be smooth and glossy, and thicken slightly. Pour the ganache on a sheet tray or casserole dish so that it's spread thinly for quick cooling.
  • Bake macarons in preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 4 minutes with the convection off. Turn the macaron pan and bake for another 7 minutes with the convection on. Wait until the macarons have cooled completely before attempting to peel them from the parchment.
  • Once the macarons are cooled, and the ganache has set to a spreadable consistency, spread or pipe about a half teaspoon of ganache onto half of the macaron shells. Use the other half of the cookies to complete the macaron­ganache sandwiches. Drizzle the macarons with extra melted chocolate if desired (drizzling with extra ganache is not recommended) or dust lightly with cocoa powder.
  • Macarons are always best the second day when 'matured' overnight in an airtight container in a refrigerator. They freeze really well in airtight containers as well. Always serve macarons at room temperature.

Notes

Makes 42-48 macarons. Nutritional info based on a single completed macaron.

Recipe tips for perfect results:

Most of my recipes can be altered or substitutions can be made. Not with this recipe. Be sure to follow the instructions exactly and they will turn out perfectly.
A lot of people like to use a macaron silicon mat under the parchment paper so that each cookie is the exact same size. This isn't necessary but is helpful.
Also, high quality ingredients will make a difference with these cookies. I highly recommend Valrhona cocoa powder.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 16mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg