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French Macarons are meringue-based cookies that are sandwiched together with a filling. They are crispy on the outside with a chewy texture on the inside and, while they are challenging to make, once you learn the basic technique there are endless flavor combinations. These chocolate macarons filled with an espresso ganache are one of my favorites and in this post, I share all of my tips so you can make them, too!

As I alluded to in my macaron ice cream sandwich post, after my first attempt at macarons, I was eager to try again. Of course, because the recipe requires egg whites aged for 48 hours I had to wait.

I debated whether to stick to the same recipe or check out another one. Annie had blogged about chocolate macarons as being her first successful attempt. This seemed like a sign. Of course, like Annie, I was slightly concerned. I had read an article by David Lebovitz that chocolate macarons are the hardest to master.

However, Annie’s recipe seemed simple enough and she had success with it. So, I gave it a shot. Learning from my mistakes on my first attempt, this time the process of making macarons went pretty smoothly. And rather than having some misshapen shells, almost all my macarons puffed up completely and had perfectly round circles. Hooray!

Ingredients

For the cookies you’ll need:

Blanched almond flour
Confectioner’s sugar
Dutch-process cocoa powder
Egg whites aged for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature
Granulated sugar

Recipe Steps

Combine the almond flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a bowl. In a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they are foamy.

With the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg whites and beat them until they turn into a smooth and shiny meringue that holds stiff peaks.

Fold in the almond flour mixture. Carefully fold it into the eggs whites and don’t stir. You don’t want to deflate them. When mixed, the batter will be thick and create ribbons when you lift the whisk.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 1 to 1 ½” circles onto a prepared baking sheet. Space them two inches apart and then leave them to rest at room temperature for an hour.

Bake the macarons for eight to ten minutes at 300°F. Place the hot pans on baking racks and let the cookies cool completely. Don’t move the cookies off the baking sheet while they’re hot.

Espresso Ganache Filling

Once the macaron shells are baked the hard part is over! The filling is a simple ganache flavored with espresso and is easy to make.

Warm cream, butter, and sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Once it’s hot, pour it over chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let it stand for two minutes and then gently whisk it until combined and uniform. Add some espresso powder to the ganache and stir to combine
As the ganache cools it will thicken. Transfer it to a piping bag and you are ready to fill your macaron shells.
When I’m ready to fill the shells, I like to match them up by size so the cookies are uniform. Pipe some of the espresso ganache filling on the flat side of one shell. Top the ganache with the other shell with the flat side on the ganache.
You can store the chocolate macarons in an airtight container at room temperature or you can freeze them in an airtight container for several months.

Recipe Tips

I’ve learned a lot after making two batches of chocolate macarons and while I’m no master yet at making them, I did feel like these chocolate macarons were easier to make than the matcha macarons I made earlier. Here are my tips for making them:

Macaron shells are made with confectioner’s sugar, egg whites, granulated sugar, and, for this version, cocoa powder. I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa powder for this recipe.
You will also need blanched almond flour. I like to use JK Gourmet Almond Flour*.
Macarons are all about precision so it’s very important to use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. In my research, this is one thing that was repeated over and over. Without a scale, you risk altering the ingredient amounts which will change the texture and appearance of your cookies.
Although it sounds weird, you must age your egg whites at room temperature for 48 hours. This aging process reduces the amount of moisture in the egg whites making it easier to whip them into a stiff meringue. The consistency of the meringue is important in creating a macaron shell with the right texture.
Macaron shells should be nice and firm on the outside. After piping them onto the baking sheet you should let them sit at room temperature for about an hour. This allows them to set up properly before they are baked. Recipes may vary in how long to let the shells set before baking and I found for these chocolate ones an hour was the right length of time.
Sometimes it helps to see the process so be sure to check out this great video with step by step for making macarons.

Macarons are fun to make and if they don’t turn out perfect they’re still delicious. I definitely want to make these again and give them as gifts.