These Dark Chocolate French Macarons are always a hit: the combination of rich and creamy ganache combined and crunchy macarons shells is just irresistible.
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.
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