These chocolate strawberry macarons are perfect for Valentine's Day or an elegant dessert, reminiscent of chocolate-covered strawberries. Rich chocolate macarons that are crispy on the outside & chewy on the inside are sandwiched with fruity strawberry buttercream.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, in French Macaron Form
These illustrious French pastries have captured my heart and my stomach for ages. As you bite down, the outside is crispy, then your teeth sink into the chewy center of the cookie, and end in the creamy and luxurious filling. And if you're in the mood for more flavor, mix ground freeze dried strawberries into buttercream or drizzle melted chocolate on top!
I made these chocolate strawberry macarons because they remind me of chocolate covered strawberries, which are so romantic. And chocolate + strawberries = heaven, amiright? For more tasty macaron recipes, try strawberry pop tart macarons. Or if you're looking for eggless macarons, I made vegan cookie dough macarons!
While making macarons from scratch may seem really difficult, I believe that with a little practice, anyone can bake delicious macarons! And I've been improving my technique for a few years since I made my very first batch, so I've included all the helpful tips in the recipe card I've learned along the way.
Ingredients and Notes
Chocolate Macarons
- Powdered sugar - sweetens the macarons and makes them really light
- Almond flour - I usually use superfine almond flour, since it has a really light texture to prevent bumps forming in the macarons
- Cocoa powder - adds a rich chocolate flavor and turns the macarons a dark brown color
- Egg whites - leave your eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature
- Water - helps loosen the macaron batter
- Granulated sugar - mixed with the whipped egg whites to form meringue
Strawberry Buttercream Filling
- Unsalted butter - allow your butter to sit on the counter to soften to room temperature
- Powdered sugar - sweetens the buttercream and makes it fluffy
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavors of the other ingredients
- Milk - helps loosen the buttercream a little so it's easier to pipe
- Strawberry jam - adds a fruity flavor and turns the buttercream a light pink color
My Macaron Tips
- If you're new to making macarons or using a piping bag, use a template to make them all the same size. A template is a piece of paper or a silicone baking sheet with equal circles already drawn/printed on it. If the macarons are all different sizes, it makes it much harder to pair them up to become perfect little sandwiches.
- I get better results when I weigh my ingredients on a kitchen scale, rather than measure them with measuring cups. Macarons can be finnicky so even a slight variation in the quantity of ingredients can produce different results
Macaron Troubleshooting
What happens if there are some egg yolks in my egg whites?
The fat in egg yolks can prevent egg whites from whipping up properly. This is because fat in egg yolks acts as an emulsifier, and interferes with the ability of proteins in the egg whites to bond together and form a stable foam.
Why are my macarons hollow?
Overmixed meringue can cause the macaron shells to be hollow on the inside because too much air gets whipped into the egg whites.
Why did my macaron shells crack?
If you don't let your macarons dry fully before baking them, they'll likely crack. They should be dry enough that you can lightly rub your finger across the top and not feel any wet or tacky batter.
Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
Ingredients
Chocolate Macarons
- 160 grams powdered sugar (about 1 ⅓ cups)
- 170 grams super fine almond flour (about 1¾ cups)
- 45 grams cocoa powder (about ⅓ cup)
- 144 grams egg whites, at room temperature (from about 5 large eggs)
- ⅓ cup water
- 210 grams granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
Strawberry Buttercream Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (2 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 5 Tablespoons strawberry jam
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Macarons
- Sift the powder sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add 72 grams whites (from about 2½ eggs) to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the water and granulated sugar. Heat on medium heat, until the syrup reaches 245°F (118°C).
- While the syrup is boiling, wipe out the metal bowl and whisk of a stand mixer with a paper towel and a tiny bit of vinegar. This will help the egg whites whip up. Add the remaining 72 grams of egg whites (from about 2½ eggs) to the wiped-out bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until it forms soft peaks (can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes).
- While whisking on a low speed, slowly and carefully add the syrup to the whipped egg whites by dripping it from the sauce pan down the inside of the bowl. Once all the syrup is poured in, turn the mixer up to high and whisk until it is glossy and shiny and it reaches stiff peaks (usually takes about 2 to 4 minutes). Now you have meringue!
- Add a large dollop of the meringue to the almond flour mixture and stir it in with a spatula to loosen the mixture. Gently fold the rest of the meringue into the cocoa mixture with a spatula, being careful not to stir it too vigorously. Overmixing risks losing all the air whipped into the meringue. To test if the batter is mixed enough, scoop your spatula into the batter, then with the spatula elevated a few inches above the mixture, try to draw a figure-8. When the batter is able to slowly drip off the spatula and form an unbroken figure-8, it's ready to be piped onto the baking sheet.
- Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter. Pipe it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Space each macaron at least 1 inch apart, because they will spread. Drop the tray from about one foot off the counter 4 to 5 times to release any air bubbles. You can use a toothpick to pop any lingering air bubbles on the surface.
- Set the macaron-filled tray on the counter for 20 minutes or longer, until they feel dry and not wet or tacky on the top. (Sometimes macarons can take an hour or longer to dry, depending on the temperature and humidity level in your kitchen).
- Preheat the oven to 330°F (165°C). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges don't squish in when you nudge it with a spatula. Let the macarons cool completely, then gently lift them off the baking sheet.
Make the Strawberry Buttercream Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter on medium speed, until it is creamy and fluffy, after 3 to 5 minutes.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add 3 cups of powder sugar. Turn the speed up to medium and keep mixing until all the sugar is combined into the butter and it looks pale and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract and milk. Keep mixing until those are incorporated into the frosting, after about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low again, mix in another ½ cup of the powder sugar.Depending on how stiff you want the buttercream and how it's currently looking, either leave it as is, or mix in the remaining ½ cup powder sugar.
- Finally, mix in the strawberry jam until it's well incorporated, after about 1 minute.
Assemble the Macarons
- Match the macarons into pairs of equal sizes. Add the strawberry buttercream to a piping bag. Pipe swirls of the filling onto one half of each macaron cookie sandwich. Gently press the other cookie on top. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Prep: Clean your mixing bowl and wipe it out with a paper towel with a little splash of white vinegar on it, to ensure there's no residual fat in the bowl that would inhibit the egg whites from whipping up.
- Sift: Use a fine mesh sieve to sift your almond flour and powdered sugar. Otherwise your macarons might end up lumpy and bumpy.
- Smooth Cookies: You can use a toothpick to pop any lingering air bubbles on the surface of your macarons before they start drying. This will help the surface be super smooth.
- Baking: Don't bake your macarons until they're dry on top. Otherwise they'll crack in the oven.
- Storing: Store macarons in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
Yum-number1 says
You inspire me to cook and bake all sorts of recipes, always persevering through the cooking errors 😅 great post!!!
strawberryandcream says
Haha!! Thank you!! Do you have any funny kitchen fail stories? ðŸ˜
Yum-number1 says
Too many. I'm notorious for over cooking and/or burning the food 😅
strawberryandcream says
Haha! That's ok, practice makes perfect, right! 😅