Chocolate Dipped French Macarons Recipe
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French Macarons Recipe
Macarons are the one French cookie that terrifies people, and for good reason. Macarons have a mind of their own. This French Macarons Recipe was the first I ever made in my life, and they turned out wonderfully. I gave a few to a friend who had them in Paris and she gave me a huge compliment. But that doesn’t always happen. My second batch a few weeks later with a different flavor didn’t turn out as well. That’s how it goes, but don’t despair. No matter what happens, you will learn something along the way and eventually have consistent success.
French Macarons Recipe, Chocolate Dipped
A few tips to help you make successful macarons:
- Weigh your ingredients. I needed six egg whites instead of 4 because they were small.
- Use white parchment paper. Never use aluminum foil. (Okay, sometimes I used brown, but white is better).
- Make your own almond flour and blanch almonds first. It’s cheaper than purchasing almond flour. It’s tricky at first, but not difficult. It eliminates any skins. Do not use almond meal. Use almond flour, sifted.
- Sift everything three times. Once you incorporate the confectioner’s sugar with the almond flour, sift again. You might even consider running the confectioner’s sugar with the almond flour once through the food processor to get a good incorporation and silky texture.
- Make a template for the macarons. One template for all batches. Just put another piece of parchment over the template. Southern Fatty has a printable template you can download here. I didn’t always use one, but you may find it helpful.
- Don’t get discouraged. Remember that even the failures taste good.
Please let me know in the comments below if you have made French macarons and have any good tips to add here. I’d love to know if you have a good French macarons recipe.
Chocolate Dipped French Macarons Recipe
A vanilla French Macaron dramatically dipped in chocolate with all my tips for macaron making success.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
French Macaron Shell s:
- 115 grams blanched almond flour
- 230 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 144 grams egg whites room temperature important to weigh the egg whites; I used 6 small eggs
- 72 grams granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste can use scrapings of one vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Ganache Filling
- 6 ounces chopped dark chocolate The darker the better; do not go under 60% cacao - I used Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet, which melt well. See notes
- 1/2 cup scalded milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
Dipping Chocolate
- 6 ounces chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
Macaron Shell Instructons
- Mix together almond flour, confectioner's sugar and salt. Whisk until well incorporated. Sift. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites for a total of 10 minutes, gradually adding sugar as instructed below. This is best done with a Kitchen Aid type mixer, but you can use an electric hand held mixer.
- Add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to the egg whites and beat for 4 minutes on number 4 or medium-low speed.
- Begin to add more sugar gradually and beat for 3 more minutes on number 7 or medium-high speed.
- Continue to add in the sugar to completion and beat on number 8 for 3 more minutes. Beat for 1 more minute on highest speed, adding in the vanilla.
- Add the egg white mixture to the dry ingredients using your largest spatula, folding the mixture together. Fold no more than 40 times. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that's fine. The texture should be like a running lava, not a pancake batter. Do NOT stir. Fold.
- Put into a piping bag with a plain 1/2 inch tip and pipe onto your circles, piping from the side. On my second batch I used a tip made for cake batter and that worked super well.
- Give each baking tray a good bang on the table three times to get the air out. Rest for 60 minutes. By this time, the macaron is flattened, which is a good thing, as this will help to prevent a hollow macaron.
- Bake at 300°F for 16 to 18 minutes. Spin the pan around in the oven at 8 minutes. Check to see if they are done by lifting a macaron up with parchment and trying to pull away. The macaron should pull completely away when done. Remove from parchment paper and cool on baking tray.
Make Ganache
- Put chocolate in small bowl. Pour scalded milk over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir from center in small circle until all the chocolate is melted. Add in butter, continue to stir until melted. Allow to cool before filling. If you have left over ganache, you can freeze it or refrigerate for another use.
Make Dipping Chocolate
- Chop and melt chocolate in saucepan double boiler over simmering water. The best way to dip the macaron is to put the chocolate into a very small container.
Assemble
- Once macarons are completely cool, fill each with ganache.
- Dip halfway into melted chocolate. Place on parchment paper. Once chocolate hardens, refrigerate for a few hours to overnight before serving. Take out one hour before serving. Macarons can also be frozen and thawed in three hours.
- Yield: 40 shells to make 20 macarons
Notes
Use the best chocolate you can find no less that 60% cacao. 70% is preferred; however, Ghiradelli makes a 60% chocolate chip that melts well and tastes good. Other grocery store chocolate chips will not perform well.
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More French Desserts You May Love
I’ve always loved black and white cookies, and love this macaron version so much! They’re beautiful.
This might sound crazy, but I have never had a macaron….. Maybe its time to try.
Angela,
These macaroons would be great for a Easter Treat. I have never seen them with chocolate on them. YUM!
I also love your Raspberry tart.
Thanks for sharing!
Diane
As beautiful as Ladurée – if not more so! Pinned to my “have to Make” board. Happy Easter.
Those look awesome with the black and white. I love French macarons and am happy they are gluten free and would cheat on the sugar any day. 😉
I have never made macarons but they’re on my bucket list. I love challenges and learning different dishes and techniques. Your macarons are gorgeous. Now, who gets the privilege of the quality control 🙂 I wish I could volunteer. Great recipe!!
Marisa
You would probably figure it out in no time!
Ohh, this is so promising! I have a lot to make macaroons, but yes they have me all tied in knots when I think about trying to master them. I will step out soon and hopefully figure them out. Thanks for sharing!
thank you Kiki. If anyone can do it, you can.