How To Make Chocolate Macaroons At Home

Macaroons are a unique dessert originating from France and are expensive to buy due to the intensive labour time and the primary ingredient of ground almonds. Macaroons can come in a variety of flavours including pistachio, brownie, strawberry, caramel, S’mores and orange chocolate. Making them is a real skill and it may take many attempts to master the perfect macaroon. Here is my recipe for chocolate macaroons.

Ingredients: macaroon shells (makes 20 macaroons)

• 100g egg whites
• 100g caster sugar
• 95g almond flour
• 75g icing sugar
• 15g cocoa powder

Ingredients: chocolate filling

• 2.5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 20g cocoa powder
• 150g icing sugar
• 8 tablespoons of milk
• half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Resources

• weighing scales
• electric whisk
• piping bag
• macaroon silicone tray with circles in them or draw circles on baking paper
• baking tray

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes

Recipe: macaroon shells

1. Sift the almond flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.
2. In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and caster sugar over a pan of simmering water for 5 minutes. Ensure the bowl is not touching the simmering water.
3. Take off the heat and continue to whisk on a low setting for 3 minutes, then increase the speed to medium for 3 minutes, then whisk on high for 3 minutes.
4. Whisk until the mixture looks glossy, the whites have thickened and stiff peaks have formed. A way of checking is by pulling up the whisk from the mixture, and the peaks should shoot up with a curve shape at the top.

1. Pour the almond flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder mixture into the whisked mixture.
2. Gently fold in the flour mixture into the whisked mixture, keep folding for 5 minutes.
3. Use a spatula to constantly make a J shape in the mixture for 5 minutes until the mixture is slightly runny and can form a figure of 8 with the batter, with the batter falling off the spatula a few times.
4. Put the silicone macaroon tray or baking paper onto a large baking tray.
5. Pour the mixture into a piping bag and pipe out the mixture into the circles on the silicone tray or baking paper.
6. Bang the tray onto the counter 3 times to break up air bubbles inside the piped macaroon shells and prevents them from breaking.
7. Leave the tray to rest for 30 minutes, which will allow the shells to dry out a little. It will be ready when you can touch the surface of the shells without any batter sticking to your finger.
8. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.
9. Put the baking tray into the oven for 10 minutes, you will see the shells rising in the oven.
10. Let the macaroon shells cool down before adding the filling.

Recipe: chocolate filling

1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the softened butter in another mixing bowl until creamy. Tip: leave the butter out of the fridge to soften before using.
3. Add the flour mixture to the creamy butter.
4. Add the vanilla extract and milk bit by bit whilst stirring the mixture.
5. Whisk the mixture to further soften and integrate the mixture for 1 minute.

To assemble the macaroons

1. Gently peel off the shells from the silicone tray or baking paper.
2. Pipe the chocolate filling onto the centre of a macaroon shell.
3. Place another macaroon shell on top of the filling, creating a sandwich.

Enjoy!!