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Dark Chocolate French Macarons
Dark Chocolate French Macarons
These Dark Chocolate French Macarons are always a hit: the combination of rich and creamy ganache combined and crunchy macarons shells is just irresistible. This recipe includes a variety of resources to help you successfully make macarons, including a full French Macaron video masterclass!
This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure is at the bottom of the article.
Among all the flavors you can infuse into French macarons, dark chocolate has got to be one of the most popular. I sure know my Dark Chocolate French Macarons are always a hit: the combination of rich and creamy ganache combined and crunchy macaron shells is just irresistible.
FIRST TIME MAKING FRENCH MACARONS?
If this is your first time making macarons, prep, read, and watch before you start: Macarons are finicky to make, but if you set aside enough time so that you won’t be rushed, you can do it. I have a variety of resources available for you:
- A detailed step-by-step tutorial with photos to guide you through the process;
- A thorough troubleshooting guide that’ll help you understand mishaps, should they happen;
- And a 30-minute French Macaron Video Masterclass—which I highly recommend watching before you make macarons for the first time. There’s nothing like watching someone making macarons to learn how to make them properly—that’s how I learned over 10 years ago, and that’s how thousands of my students did too!
NEW: French Macaron Video Masterclass
Learn how to make perfect French macarons at home with my detailed video masterclass, now available to everyone for FREE and unlimited watching! This masterclass was previously hosted behind a paywall on an educational site where THOUSANDS of students rated it 5 STARS! It’s now available to all macaron lovers worldwide, for absolutely free ❤️
My detailed French Macaron Video Masterclass is divided into 14 handy lessons that will make you a macaron expert in no time. I designed my masterclass both for novice bakers who want to learn new skills, and for experienced bakers who are seeking to master a new and impressive dessert. Let me guide you through the essential equipment you need, the important steps to follow, the techniques to master, and the potential pitfalls to avoid. You can watch the videos on your own time, start practicing, share with other budding macaron makers, and ask me questions if you encounter difficulties along the way.
I’m confident that this video class will enable you to create perfect French macarons. Watch the class now!
If you enjoy my French Macaron Masterclass, make sure to “like” it on YouTube to allow other macaron lovers to discover it. Thank you and happy baking!
Dark Chocolate French Macarons
Ingredients
For the dark chocolate macaron filling
- 130 g chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa content)
- 75 g salted butter
- 30 ml heavy cream (35% m.f.)
For the chocolate macaron shells
- 3 large egg whites, separated two days in advance, stored in an open container in the fridge (about 3.5 oz/100 g)
- 210 g powdered sugar
- 125 g almond flour
- 15 g dark cocoa powder (also called Dutch-processed cocoa powder)
- 30 g granulated sugar
- Brown gel food coloring
- Cocoa nibs (optional)
Instructions
- For the dark chocolate macaron filling: In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate, butter, and cream together. Mix well, take off the heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside. Refrigerate if you want the ganache to firm up faster.
- For the macaron shells: Return the egg whites to room temperature at least an hour before making the macaron shells.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour, powdered sugar, and dark cocoa powder, if using, then process until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated, 30 seconds to a minute. Sift the mixture in a fine mesh strainer to make sure no lumps or bigger bits of nuts are left. Discard the larger bits that remain in the strainer.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large stainless steel mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium/high speed until frothy. Add a tablespoon of the granulated sugar, continue whisking at medium-low speed, then add the remaining sugar slowly. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until the egg whites are bright white and create stiff peaks. At low speed, mix in a few drops of brown gel food coloring, to your liking. If you don’t have brown food coloring, you can make it with basic food coloring shades using the following recipe: 1 drop green, 3 drops red, and 3 drops yellow. Add three times these quantities to reach a nice shade of chocolate brown.
- Add the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the egg whites and, using a spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients: slide your spatula all the way to the bottom of the bowl and come back up to the top. Do this about 6 times to incorporate the dry ingredients, then keep folding for a total of about 14 strokes until no pockets of dry ingredients remain and the mixture drops from the side of the spatula in a slow, lazy ribbon. Start testing the ribbon stage early to avoid overfolding.
- Stack two baking sheets and line the top sheet with parchment paper. Cut out the parchment paper so it fits exactly over the bottom of the sheet to make sure the macarons will lay flat. Slide macaron templates under the parchment paper, if using.
- Transfer the macaron batter to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.25-cm) round tip. Pipe 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) rounds of batter, evenly spaced but still close to one another as they will not expand much. If desired, lightly sprinkle coarsely ground cocoa nibs over the shells. (Be careful not to add too much or the nibs may prevent the macaron shells from rising properly.)
- Carefully slide the macaron templates off the baking sheets, if you used them. Let the shells rest on the baking sheets for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with a rack in the middle position. Bake the macarons for 13 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes. The shells are done when they are firm on their feet when you lightly tap on them with the tip of a finger.
- Let the shells cool completely to room temperature before assembling them, about an hour.
- To assemble the macarons: Pair same-sized shells together and set side by side on a work surface. Using a small offset spatula, spread some dark chocolate ganache over half of the shells. (If you refrigerated the ganache, let it warm back up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until spreadable.) Close the macarons, gently pressing the second shells over the filling.
- STORAGE: Store the assembled dark chocolate macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate for one night before indulging. French macarons will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. You can also freeze assembled macarons in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
- SERVING: Always bring these dark chocolate macarons back to room temperature before serving.
Did you make this?
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Author: Marie Asselin
Hello, I know this is super old, but just for your information I think you are missing a step of when/how to add the almond flour/powdered sugar/cocoa mixture to the egg whites.
Thank you so much for letting me know of this oversight, Meg! I actually recently updated all my macaron recipes recently so they all used a more coherent style and I must have messed up the copy+paste process. I’ve now updated the recipe. Happy baking!