Chocolate Almond Macarons to Surprise Your Valentine
The following post may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you. To learn more about this, please visit my Disclaimer page. Thank you for your continued support!
Instead of a standard box of chocolates, surprise your best friend with a plate of chocolate almond macarons! These little sweeties are filled with almond pastry filling and dark chocolate ganache. Who wouldn’t love that?
This recipe is very similar to my vanilla bean macaron recipe. Again, I started with the base recipe from Pies and Tacos and adjusted everything for my circumstances (climate, oven, equipment, etc).
I wish there was some magnificent way to come up with my own macaron recipe, but she’s covered all the bases so thoroughly it’s even difficult to come up with original flavors! Seriously, just go check this woman’s site out. She blows my mind daily. Plus, she seems like such a kind person.
Chocolate Macaron Shells
Something that I’ve never been able to get right is the chocolate macaron shell. If I thought a vanilla shell was finicky, well, hey, add cocoa powder. That’s going to throw off your whole ratio!
The good news is that I found a ratio that works for me. By reducing the almond flour and powdered sugar each by 5 grams and adding in 10 grams of baking cocoa powder, I was able to get a really nice shell.
4 Tricks for Solid Macaron Shells
I also learned a couple new tricks while testing this recipe. First off, sift before you weigh your ingredients. I’ve been telling you to measuring and sift two or three times.
You can be so much more precise by sifting everything really thoroughly first, and then weighing it out. The worst that can happen is you have to put some sifted almond flour back in the bag. Oh well!
Secondly, start the water on your double boiler simmering before you set your bowl in. I’ve been whisking for a dang age and a half waiting for the water to simmer. It goes a lot faster just to set your bowl into an already simmering pot.
Thirdly, stop whisking as soon as you can get even a little bitty stiff peak. I’m talking less than half an inch tall. In fact, check for stiffness by relying on upturning the bowl. You really want your meringue to be JUST at stiff peak stage and not any further along.
Finally, let the shells cool completely on the pan. I’m always impatient and trying to peel them off the mat after five minutes. Just wait. You’ll be less likely to break the bottom if you’ve even slightly messed up your shell. That means you can cover up mistakes a little easier.
Filling Your Chocolate Almond Macarons
Now, we’ve come to the less stressful part which is filling your shells. Yes, I know, I’m supposed to be showing you “stress-bakes” that relieve your anxiety, not induce it. But, honestly, once you get your shell game down, you can relax a little while you bake them.
So, let’s talk filling!
I’m using a simple dark chocolate ganache and a can of Solo® Almond Pastry Filling. We always have cans of this on hand to make Kolaczkis, and we have extra this year because we didn’t make any for Christmas.
It’s sweet and jelly-like in consistency. It’s perfect for cookies, cakes, and just about everything else that needs a strong almond flavor. Since macarons are meant to be extravagance in one or two bites, I feel like they should pack a wallop of flavor just like this.
Making Chocolate Ganache Easy
The chocolate ganache part is easy as can be. It just requires some patience and attention. You’ll heat your cream just until the first wisps of steam appear. So, pay attention.
Then, pour that warm cream over your chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Have patience here. Then, give it a stir until it smooths out. I like to add a little vanilla and salt to perk the flavor up a bit. You can skip that, though, if you aren’t feeling it.
You’ll want to let your ganache cool so it thickens up enough to pipe. From here, you can transfer it to a piping bag with a nice tip.
Assembling Your Chocolate Almond Macarons
Assembling macarons always involves first matching up halves. This is fun for me, but it may not be for you. If you aren’t finding any part of this recipe fun, I’d recommend against making macarons. Baking is supposed to be fun after all.
So, sort your shells into matching pairs. With your piping bag of ganache, decorate one shell per pair with a ring of chocolate around the edge. This will great a little well for your almond filling.
Then, you may either spoon almond filling into that well or use another piping bag to keep it very clean. In any case, between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of filling is just right. You don’t want it to leak past your chocolate barrier.
Now, you’ll set that second half of the macaron on top and give it a gentle tap to settle it into place. You’re done! Go enjoy your perfect little chocolate almond macarons.
Decorating Your Macarons
If you feel like you’re not done yet, maybe you want to decorate those pretty little macs. These are meant to be elegant, so I recommend a fine drizzle of chocolate to keep it simple. You might even add a sliced almond if you want.
You could also go with the Valentine’s Day theme and use some ruby chocolate or pink candy melts for your drizzle and give each mac a little sprinkle action. If you have gold leaf, try it. Seriously, go nuts and make these little lovelies as beautiful as you want.
For my family, I tried piping out some heart shapes. This would have been a heck of a lot easier with the template from Pies and Tacos, but I don’t have a printer, so I had to watch a half dozen videos and trust my piping skills.
The Tools You’ll Need
Before I send you on your way, here are the tools I use to make my macarons:
- Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
- 2 Norpro half sheet pans
- 2 macaron template silicone baking mats
- Fine Mesh sieve
- Prep bowls
- Kitchen scale
- Heat-proof bowl
- Saucepan
- Piping Bags
- Piping Tips
It seems like a lot, but you probably have most of these things already, and I find that the dishes aren’t so bad when the mac shells come off the liners clean. I just wipe those down and put them and the sheet pans away.
Where to Find Solo® Pastry Filling
If you live in the midwest (USA), you’ll likely find Solo® almond filling in the baking aisle with the pie fillings. However, in some areas of the US (like Nashville, TN), it’s pretty hard to get your hands on.
So, here’s a handy link to buy some online.
And of course, I don’t want you to stress out over it, so if you just can’t find it anywhere, there are other options. If you can find raspberry, cherry, or strawberry Solo®, that works great! Or you can simply use more chocolate ganache or even peanut butter!
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Chocolate Almond Macarons
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with whisk attachment
- 2 half sheet pans
- 2 macaron template silicone baking mats
- Prep bowls
- Heat-proof bowl
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Piping bag and tips
Ingredients
Chocolate Shells
- 100 g egg whites about 3 large, room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g almond flour
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 10 g cocoa powder
Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 6 oz dark chocolate
- 4 oz heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pink himalayan sea salt
Almond Filling
- ½ can Solo® Almond Pastry Filling (not almond paste)
Instructions
Cocoa Macaron Shells
- Set a prep bowl on your kitchen scale and sift in your almond flour. Make sure the sifted flour is 100g. Repeat this process with your powdered sugar (100g) and cocoa powder (10g). Weigh after your dry ingredients have been sifted. Whisk the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
- Start simmering 1-inch of water in a sauté pot large enough that you can set your stand mixer bowl into it without the bottom touching the bottom. Once it's come to a gentle simmer, set your bowl into the pot. Pour the egg whites and granulated sugar in, and begin whisking.
- Whisk your egg whites until they are foamy and the sugar has dissolved completely. It should feel fairly warm like a nice bath, but should never be warmer than 160ºF.
- Remove the bowl from the heat (NOTE: dry off the bottom of your bowl). Fit the bowl into your stand mixer, and turn it up to medium speed (4) until it thickens to the consistency of heavy cream).
- Turn the speed up to medium-high (6) until your meringue JUST BARELY turns to stiff peaks. It will be very glossy and solid, but it will not look fluffy at all. You may not even believe it's stiff, but the tiniest peak counts. Test it by tilting the bowl. The meringue will not move even if turned upside down.
- Fold in half of the dry ingredients until mostly incorporated. Fold in the second half of the dry ingredients. Continue folding the mixture together until it streams off your spatula like wet sand or lava. You should be able to trace a figure-8 with the batter streaming off your spatula.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Onto lined baking sheets, pipe even circles. Refer to the post for the macaron baking mats I use. The batter should level out naturally within 10 seconds of piping. You should not have peaks or lumps. If you do, scrape it up and give it a couple quick folds before trying again. Make sure your mat is clean if you start over.
- Once all the macaron batter has been piped out, heartily tap the pans against the counter 20-30 times to bring the bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop stubborn bubbles. The batter should fill back in on its own, but you can coax it along with your toothpick.
- Allow your macarons to dry for 20-40 minutes. They should be dry enough that you can lightly touch them without any batter sticking to your finger.
- While they are drying, preheat your oven to 310ºF. Your oven and climate may require you to bake your macarons as low as 295ºF or as high as 325ºF. It may take a few batches to find what works best for you.
- Bake one pan at a time for 5 minutes. Turn the pan 180º. Bake for another 5 minutes. Rotate the pan again. Bake for another 5 minutes. Rotate once more (a total of 4 rotations) and bake for a final 5 minutes (for a total of 20 minutes. Repeat with your other pan (I usually need 2 pans for this recipe).
- They should easily slide off the baking mat and not stick. Test one fresh from the oven. Sticking means they need another minute or two in the oven. Allow your macarons to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Chocolate Ganache
- If needed, chop your dark chocolate bar. If using chocolate chips, skip this step.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan until wisps of steam begin to appear. Do not boil it.
- Pour your hot milk over your chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir until there are no lumps and you have a nice smooth ganache. Stir in vanilla and salt.
- Allow to cool completely. It will thicken up considerably. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice. Save leftovers in the fridge, or sandwich between graham crackers for an extra treat.
Macaron Assembly
- Turn half your shells upside down. Pipe a ring of chocolate ganache around the outside. Fill with a small dollop of almond pastry filling. I used about ¼ tsp per shell.
- Set an unfilled shell half atop your decorated half, and very gently press to sandwich them together.
