Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons
Light, crisp, and chewy French macarons are topped with pistachios and filled with a chocolate pistachio buttercream filling. These naturally gluten free cookies are rich and nutty, the perfect treat for any time of day! You will love these Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons!
If you love making French macarons as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Strawberry French Macarons Without Food Coloring, Chocolate French Macarons, or Green Tea French Macarons.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons
- Ready In: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Makes: 30 sandwich cookies
- Main Ingredients: egg whites, almond flour, powdered sugar, Dutch cocoa
- Flavor Profile: nutty pistachio meets rich, creamy chocolate
- Dietary Info: gluten free, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Hard
- Why You’ll Love It: silky chocolate pistachio buttercream nestled inside French macarons
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Light & Airy: These chocolate pistachio macarons are light and airy. These famous French cookies are an incredibly light dessert that doesn't make you feel like you over indulged (unless you maybe eat like a dozen!).
- Chewy & Crispy: The magic of French macarons is their texture, they are both chewy and crispy at the same time. If your macarons are one note (either all crispy or all soft), that can be because they weren't made properly or because they are not fresh!
- Naturally Gluten Free: French macarons are naturally gluten free cookies. This makes them a great option if you are serving all kinds of guests, because even if you can eat gluten, these cookies are so damn good!
- Organic Cookies: I use organic ingredients in these French macarons. With so few ingredients, they really matter! I love making organic cookies so they taste better because organic ingredients are more pure and flavorful.
What are French Macarons?
French macarons are a meringue based sandwich cookie that are filled with buttercream, ganache, or jams. These cookies are light and airy with a texture that is both crispy and chewy at the same time. The texture is what really makes these petite cookies so magical. These are also naturally gluten free cookies as they are made with almond flour.
French macarons are usually colored in pastel or bright colored hues. They are commonly served with tea and known as a fancy cookie to eat and a challenging cookie to bake!
Ingredients
- Egg Whites: I use organic large egg whites, but you should still weigh them to ensure you have the exact amount.
- Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use a high quality organic vanilla extract, don't use imitation.
- Almond Flour: I use store bought organic almond flour, but if you prefer making your own this also works. Just be sure to sift it after you food processor it as homemade almond flour can have more little chunks that store bought, and you don't want those in your French macarons.
- Butter: I use organic salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine if you prefer as we're just using this for the filling. You can add a little pinch of salt to taste.
- Pistachios: I use organic roasted and salted pistachios and chop them up. Adding them on top of these French macarons gives them a delightful texture.
- Pistachio Extract: I use organic pistachio extract for added flavor inside the chocolate pistachio filling. You can skip it if you don't have it, but the flavor won't be as pronounced as you'll just have the pistachios on top. If you have a pistachio paste, that will work too.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Use a scale for perfect macarons every time! I say this with every single recipe, but especially for French Macarons! These cookies are temperamental (to say the least) you don’t want to make a mistake measuring.
- When separating your egg whites, do not get any part of the yolk in the egg whites. If you do, set them aside and start over. Yolks are fat, and we don’t want any fat in our egg whites so it will whip up into perfect meringue.
- Make sure to whip your egg whites until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should not droop, should not fall off the whisk, or should not really even move. It will be thick, shiny, and bright white.
- Do not overstir the batter. It should be thick and barely fall off your spatula. If your batter is too runny, your macarons will spread out too much and you will probably not have the iconic feet form correctly, they will most likely be flat and on the sides of the macarons as opposed to underneath, how they should be.
- Pipe the French macarons evenly, I know this can be challenging. But, they all need to be the same size so they bake properly and you don’t have ones that are burned or not done. I like to count to 2 while piping, that’s all it should take to pipe the size of macaron you need.
- Banging the cookie sheets is super important to remove air bubbles and smooth out the tops. It also helps create the iconic feet that French macs are known for. And, I wait until after the banging to put the pistachios on top – otherwise, they will go everywhere!
- French macarons should not be kept for more than 1 day. I am serious about this, I get really heated on this topic! Eat them all the same day you bake them! Don't store in an airtight container, don't refrigerate, don't freeze, just enjoy! I have no storage tips for you as they should not be stored!
How to Make Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons
Step 1
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
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 in creasing the speed medium speed and then to high speed and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour 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.
Step 3
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.” Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top of the macs.
Step 4
Let rest for 45 minutes, or until the rounds of batter have formed shells. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 5
Bake for 10 minutes or until the macs look dry and the shells look shiny. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
Step 6
To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, Dutch cocoa powder, milk, and pistachio extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with no tip.
Step 7
Turn over every other macaron and pair them together. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each turned over macaron and sandwich together.
Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons FAQ's
Yes, they are naturally gluten free because they are made with almond flour!
French macarons are a beautiful contrasting texture of crispy and chewy at the same time. That is the magic of these petite cookies.
I have not tested this, so I would not recommend it.
I use pistachio extract in the chocolate filling and add chopped pistachios on top, which give these macarons a pistachio flavor!
This is the fancy name for folding your macaron batter just right. You want to fold it enough that it's smooth and shiny, but also still thick enough that a nice ribbon of batter will flow off the spatula when lifted out of the bowl.
When the tops look dry and the feet have formed, they are done. You may also notice they start to slightly turn a golden color in spots, remove right away.
If you don't let your macarons rest long enough, the feet will not form. And, if you over mix or under mix batter, this can also happen. And if you are in a very humid climate, this also makes it worse.
Hallow macarons can mean that you underbaked the cookies or overmixed the batter. Macarons are very temperamental and all ovens may vary slightly. So, you may need to find what works best for your oven. French macarons usually take a few tries to get right in your own environment. So, don't get discouraged and keep practicing!
If you didn't let them rest long enough for the feet to form, the macaron shells can crack. This can also happen from over mixing or under mixing batter. Macarons are very particular, so, just don't get discouraged as it's more about practicing with the same recipe over and over until you nail it in your own kitchen.
If they are under baked, they can stick a little bit to the parchment paper. That's your sign to bake another extra minute or two!
This is so untrue! I don't know why people say this, because French macarons are the absolute best as soon as they filled. They are best eaten same day and not a day later. Don't save them, eat them!
While some people say you can store them in the refrigerator or freeze, I really disagree. I baked French macarons at my bakery for over a decade and we tried everything to make their shelf life last longer because they are time consuming to make! But, every time I put them in the fridge or in the freezer, I didn't like the texture. So, I don't recommend it.
These are not cookies to keep, in my opinion. They are best eaten the same day that you make them. Just keep them out at room temperature on a plate and enjoy. When French macarons are kept for more than a day, they either get incredibly soft or very crispy. So, if you store them in an air-tight container, they will become soggy. And if you let them sit out for too long, they will become too crispy. Both of these textures are no ideal and I don't believe they even are good at this point. This is a cookie you eat the same day it's baked and you share the rest!
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Chocolate Pistachio French Macarons
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Piping Bags
- Ateco Tip #804
Ingredients
Macs
- 102 grams egg whites
- 71 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 198 grams powdered sugar
- 113 grams almond flour
- 35 grams roasted salted and shelled pistachios (finely chopped)
Filling
- 155 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 85 grams salted butter (softened)
- 15 grams Dutch cocoa powder (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons chocolate milk (or milk)
- ½ teaspoon pistachio extract
Instructions
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- 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 in creasing the speed medium speed and then to high speed and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour 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.” Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top of the macs.
- 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 the macs look dry and the shells look shiny. 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, Dutch cocoa powder, milk, and pistachio extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with no tip.
- Turn over every other macaron and pair them together. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each turned over macaron and sandwich together.
- Serve or eat immediately!
Notes
- Use a scale for perfect macarons every time! I say this with every single recipe, but especially for French Macarons! These cookies are temperamental (to say the least) you don’t want to make a mistake measuring.
- When separating your egg whites, do not get any part of the yolk in the egg whites. If you do, set them aside and start over. Yolks are fat, and we don’t want any fat in our egg whites so it will whip up into perfect meringue.
- Make sure to whip your egg whites until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should not droop, should not fall off the whisk, or should not really even move. It will be thick, shiny, and bright white.
- Do not overstir the batter. It should be thick and barely fall off your spatula. If your batter is too runny, your macarons will spread out too much and you will probably not have the iconic feet form correctly, they will most likely be flat and on the sides of the macarons as opposed to underneath, how they should be.
- Pipe the French macarons evenly, I know this can be challenging. But, they all need to be the same size so they bake properly and you don’t have ones that are burned or not done. I like to count to 2 while piping, that’s all it should take to pipe the size of macaron you need.
- Banging the cookie sheets is super important to remove air bubbles and smooth out the tops. It also helps create the iconic feet that French macs are known for. And, I wait until after the banging to put the pistachios on top – otherwise, they will go everywhere!
- French macarons should not be kept for more than 1 day. I am serious about this, I get really heated on this topic! Eat them all the same day you bake them! Don't store in an airtight container, don't refrigerate, don't freeze, just enjoy! I have no storage tips for you as they should not be stored!
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until the macs look dry and the shells look shiny.
Nutrition
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Love the pistachio and chocolate combination in these French macarons!