Chocolate macarons: recipe and tips

Ingredients

For the ganache:

• 100 ml cream
• 100 g chocolate

For the shells:

• 4 egg whites (120 g)
• 180 g icing sugar
• 150 g ground almonds
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

Materials

• 1 blender
• 1 sieve
• 1 baking tray
• 1 piping bag
• 1 plain piping tip
• 1 silicone spatula
• 1 saucepan
• 1 whisk
• 1 stand mixer
• 1 mixing bowl

Preparation

• Prepare the ganache first so that it has time to cool:
  Heat the cream in a saucepan, then add the chocolate and whisk until melted. Set aside.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff. When they begin to foam, gradually add the icing sugar. Continue whisking until the meringue forms a "bird's beak"—a firm peak that curls slightly when you lift the whisk.
  
• Finely grind the ground almonds and cocoa together, then sift them well.
• Add the meringue to the dry ingredients. Then, using a spatula, fold the mixture using the macaronage technique: mix from the middle, lifting the mixture outwards. Stop as soon as the dry ingredients are well incorporated into the meringue.
  
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe the shells onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Hold the piping tip perpendicular to the tray, with its tip almost touching the paper, to form neat shells. Try to make them as uniform in size as possible so they will be easier to pair.
• Leave the shells to dry for an hour before baking; this is called resting to form a skin. If the shells aren't smooth at this stage, they will probably turn out badly.
  Bake for 15 minutes at 150°C (between 140°C and 155°C, depending on your oven).
  
• Once the shells have cooled, use a piping bag to pipe ganache onto one shell, then sandwich it with another. This is called pairing.
• And there you are—your macarons are ready to enjoy. If the shells haven't formed properly, don't worry; even imperfect macarons are still delicious! You can find more tips in the Observations section below.
  

Observations

The ganache: Remember to prepare it first so it has time to cool and is ready to use as soon as the macarons are made.
The egg whites: Ideally, put them in a bowl the day before and leave them at room temperature. Take the time to whisk them to stiff peaks so they don't become grainy. It will take a good 15 minutes for them to whip properly, which is why a stand mixer is useful ;-)
The ground almonds: You can toast them at the start of the recipe to help ensure success (10 min at 150°C).
Macaronage: You can do this step in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment instead of the whisk, using the lowest speed. Stop as soon as the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Don't mix for too long, as this could ruin the consistency of the mixture, which is needed to form the feet properly.
Resting to form a skin: This step isn't always necessary, as it depends on your mixture and your oven, but we still recommend doing it.
Oven temperature: It's very difficult to give an exact baking temperature for macarons. It depends on the oven you're using... You'll be able to tell by the size of the feet. If they're small and thin, your oven is probably a little too hot.
The piping bag: It's essential for piping the macaron shells onto the baking tray.
Storage: Avoid storing the macarons in the fridge. They're often even better (softer and more melt-in-the-mouth) the next day or even the day after.

Cookware

Attributes

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe