Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
Rich chocolate macarons that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside are sandwiched with fluffy and fruity strawberry buttercream. These chocolate strawberry macarons are perfect for Valentine's Day, an elegant dessert, or a weekend baking project!
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)
- 1 splash vinegar (to wipe out a metal bowl, stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment to remove any traces of grease)
- 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 tablespoon milk
- 5 tablespoon 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
- 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.
- Use a fine mesh seive to sift your almond flour and powdered sugar. Otherwise your macarons might end up lumpy and bumpy.
- Don't bake your macarons until they're dry on top. Otherwise they'll crack in the oven.
- Store macarons in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1macaronCalories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 17mgPotassium: 56mgFiber: 2gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 286IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
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