Chocolate French Macarons
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Dainty, light and perfectly rich — my Chocolate French Macarons are made up of a chocolate cookie and a chocolate filling for the lightest but most delicious chocolate cookie you'll ever have! Learn how to make Chocolate French Macarons with this easy recipe.
If you love French macarons, try my Strawberry French Macarons, Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons, or my Chocolate Malt French Macarons.
Table of Contents
Cookie season is here! And if you have extra time on your hands this holiday season, then French macarons are an amazing cookie to bake. These adorable little cookies are magical texture of both crispy and chewy all at the same time. You really don’t know until you know!
So, if you have had French macarons in the past and haven’t liked them, then I beg you to try again. When I owned my bake shop, I would have customers say they didn’t like French macarons and each time I would give them one on the house to try, and I always changed their minds!
Most places sell French macarons that are not fresh. And when you eat a French macaron that isn’t fresh, it’s really the worst cookie in the world. So, I get where people are coming from. But, when you eat a fresh made French macaron, then it all changes! So, I have the best Chocolate French Macaron recipe for you today.
Learn how to make Chocolate French Macarons and impress all your friends and family this holiday season. This is the best Chocolate French Macaron recipe and this simple chocolate cookie goes well with my Easy Peppermint Hot Chocolate or Sparkling Apple Cider Bourbon.
So, let’s dive into how to make Chocolate French Macarons! My recipe is simple and if you want even more details and explanation, my book Cookies for Everyone has an entire chapter on French macarons along with photos of each step of the process. It’s a great resource for learning more about French macarons, plus it makes the best Christmas gift!
What are French Macarons?
French macarons are a meringue based cookie that originated in France. These light and airy meringues are sandwiched together with either buttercream, ganache, jams, or caramel for a light and sweet cookie. French macarons are naturally gluten free because they are made with almond flour. French macarons are a more advanced cookie, so if you are looking for a challenge then this recipe is a fun one!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Chocolate: I love this recipe for simple Chocolate French Macarons because they are really for the chocolate lover. If you are a purist and love chocolate, then you'll love this recipe!
Light & Airy: French macarons have a light and airy texture to them. It's part of what makes them so magical. This recipe is incredibly light, so even though you're enjoying rich chocolate, it's very light and delicious!
Crispy & Chewy: Part of the allure of French macarons (at least for me) is their texture. And they have a combination of crispy and chewy that nothing else can even rival. If you don't have this contrasting texture, then something probably went wrong because this is where the magic is!
Ingredients
Organic Large Egg Whites
Costco Organic Kirkland Cane Sugar
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
Food to Live Organic Almond Flour
Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar
NuNaturals Organic Dutch Cocoa Powder
Tools Needed
Baking Sheet Half Sheet Pan (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off my favorite stainless steel sustainable bakeware!)
Parchment Paper (get my favorite nontoxic parchment paper and get 10% off with MIMIBAKES)
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk, starting on low to avoid splattering, and slowly increasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form.
Step 3
Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa together into the bowl of meringue. Turn the mixer on low for 10 to 15 rotations until the dry ingredients start to blend into the meringue. Pulse the mixer on medium-high 4 to 5 times to incorporate the batter.
Step 4
Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer, and gently stir the batter with a spatula just until there are no pockets of egg whites or dry bits of almond flour. Don’t overstir. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with Ateco tip #804.
Step 5
Pipe the macaron batter onto the prepared cookie sheets (30 should fit on each cookie sheet). Holding a cookie sheet firmly in both hands, and making sure the parchment paper doesn’t slide around, bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times. Rotate the cookie sheet and bang it a few more times. Repeat with the other cookie sheet. This will smooth out the batter and will help form the macarons’ famous “feet.”
Step 6
Let rest for 45 minutes, or until the rounds of batter have formed shells. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 7
Bake for 10 minutes or until set and dry. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
Step 8
To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk. Mix on low until combined, increase the speed to high, and mix for 1 minute more, or until light and fluffy. Transfer the filling to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.
Step 9
Pair the macarons together by size, and turn over every other one. Pipe a swirl of filling into the center of each turned over macaron. Sandwich the pairs together.
Trouble Shooting
What is a French macaron shell?
After you pipe the batter, the macarons have to rest until a shell forms. All recipes will say this, but what is a shell? When you pipe the batter it is sticky, and after you bang the macarons and let them rest, a shell will form. This means that the batter is no longer sticky to the touch, but dry and smooth feeling. So, that's what you are looking for when it says to let them rest until a shell forms.
What if my shell isn’t forming?
If you are having a difficult time with the shell, it could be your climate or weather – and nothing that you did! French macarons are very temperamental, and when it is humid out they are the worst cookie to bake. So, if it is snowing or raining then do not make French macarons as they will have a very difficult time with the shell forming because of this very reason! French macarons are best in dry climates, so weather with moisture can just make them worse. So, keep that in mind when deciding what day you are going to bake French macarons!
If it is not raining or snowing and your shell isn’t forming after an hour, just be patient. It can take a little bit longer for the shell to form. If it’s been almost 2 hours and your shell hasn’t formed, then bake your French macarons anyways as it shouldn’t take that long. It could be your mixing, stirring, or banging that prevented the shell from forming. And take it as a learning experience for the next time that you make these cookies. French macarons take time to learn from your mistakes and get the feel of making them. No one gets it first try, and even seasoned macaron bakers (such as myself) even have days where we just don’t know what happened! That’s part of what make these cookies so fun to make because it’s a challenge every time and when you get them right, there is nothing better!
What happened if my feet are flat and not under the cookie?
If your feet splooge out (for lack of a better word) and they are very flat and don't sit under the cookie then a couple things could have happened. You could have baked them too soon. If you don't allow them to rest properly, this can hinder the feet from forming correctly. So be sure they have rested until a shell has formed. Or you could have stirred the batter too much. And in this case, even if you did let them rest properly, the batter would have been too runny to form the feet.
Baker's Tips
- Use a scale! I say this for every recipe, but especially when making French macarons, it's so important!
- Make sure your meringue is whipped until stiff peaks form. It should be stiff, glossy, and white.
- Allow the macs to rest and properly form the shell. This step is super important for pretty French macarons.
- If you don't want to use Ateco tip #864 for the filling, that's totally optional!
- Be very gentle when sandwiching them together as they can break easily.
- Eat or enjoy your French macarons the day they are baked! They are not good beyond the first day.
FAQ's
If you don’t have almond flour, you can use a food processor and grind blanched slivered almonds to make almond flour. It’s very important to grind until finely ground (but not too much as you’ll get almond butter!). Also, be sure to weigh and measure out the almond flour after you have ground it and sifted it to remove the bits that are too large so that you have the right amount of almond flour.
Yes, if you only have natural cocoa powder you can use that in place of Dutch cocoa. Natural cocoa powder is less sweet than Dutch cocoa powder, which is why I prefer Dutch cocoa for baking. But, if you prefer natural, then you can use that instead.
This is simple – you don’t! I get very heated on this subject because I believe French macarons are something that should be baked and enjoyed right away. The longer the meringue sites out, the staler the cookies become. I believe that French macarons are good for 6 to 8 hours at the most. Beyond that, they either start to do one of two things – they will either get crispy or soggy. And neither of those textures are good in this cookie! So, I like to bake French macarons and eat what I want, and then give them to friends or neighbors. They are great to bake for a party as you know they’ll all be gobbled up by your guests. So, plan to make these Chocolate French Macarons on a day when you have friends or family around.
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Chocolate French Macarons
Equipment
Ingredients
Macs
- 102 grams egg whites
- 71 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 185 grams powdered sugar
- 113 grams almond flour
- 15 grams Dutch cocoa powder
Filling
- 155 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 85 grams salted butter (softened)
- 15 grams Dutch cocoa powder (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk, starting on low to avoid splattering, and slowly increasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form.
- Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa together into the bowl of meringue. Turn the mixer on low for 10 to 15 rotations until the dry ingredients start to blend into the meringue. Pulse the mixer on medium-high 4 to 5 times to incorporate the batter.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer, and gently stir the batter with a spatula just until there are no pockets of egg whites or dry bits of almond flour. Don’t overstir. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with Ateco tip #804.
- Pipe the macaron batter onto the prepared cookie sheets (30 should fit on each cookie sheet). Holding a cookie sheet firmly in both hands, and making sure the parchment paper doesn’t slide around, bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times. Rotate the cookie sheet and bang it a few more times. Repeat with the other cookie sheet. This will smooth out the batter and will help form the macarons’ famous “feet.”
- Let rest for 45 minutes, or until the rounds of batter have formed shells.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until set and dry. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk. Mix on low until combined, increase the speed to high, and mix for 1 minute more, or until light and fluffy. Transfer the filling to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.
- Pair the macarons together by size, and turn over every other one. Pipe a swirl of filling into the center of each turned over macaron. Sandwich the pairs together.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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