These Chocolate Macarons are little delightful treats with crispy exteriors and soft, chewy centers that melt in your mouth with every bite. Each bite offers a perfect blend of rich cocoa goodness and a luscious ganache filling.
My first attempt at making chocolate macarons was to my surprise a success. I’ve been reading about these little French cookies and I kept postponing the moment of making them afraid of a failure. But I was so glad I finally did, as I fell in love with making macarons, and from that moment on I was eager to try different flavors and different fillings each time.
Making French macarons is quite easy. You just need to get used to the process and follow some specific steps. If you do, for sure it will work for you too.
The ingredients used for making macarons are basic ingredients you may already have in the pantry. For this recipe, you’ll need egg whites, almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. And when it comes to fillings, the options are endless – from chocolate ganache and buttercreams to salted caramel and fruit jams.
Whether you’re having a small get-together or a big celebration, Chocolate Macarons are a delightful treat that brings joy to any occasion. They also make lovely additions to holiday tables or can be given as holiday gifts.
How to make chocolate macaron shells
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and get your pastry bag ready with a plain tip.
Grind the powdered sugar with almond powder and cocoa to make a smooth mix. Use a blender or food processor, and then sift the mixture into a big bowl, getting rid of any big lumps.
Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they’re fluffy and hold their shape. While whipping, add granulated sugar until it becomes very stiff, about 2 minutes.
Fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula until smooth and no streaks remain.
The macaronage is ready when the batter falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon and starts to settle into the rest of the batter after about 20 seconds. Be cautious not to overmix, as this can lead to flat macarons.
Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined sheets in 1-inch circles, spaced evenly. Tap the baking sheet on the counter to flatten the macarons and remove air bubbles. Let them sit for 20 to 30 minutes until a “skin” forms.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 F(180C). Bake for 10-15 minutes. The macarons are ready when they have developed feet and a smooth, shiny surface. Let them cool completely, and then remove from the baking sheet.
How to make chocolate ganache filling for macarons
For the chocolate filling, heat cream and instant coffee in a saucepan. When it starts to boil, remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate. After a minute, stir until smooth, then add butter. Let it cool completely, until thickens slightly.
Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons and sandwich them together. Allow them to stand for at least one day before serving to meld the flavors. Serve the macarons at room temperature.
Hope you will try these chocolate macarons, and if you do make sure to share the photos with me on Instagram. Would love to see how they turn out for you. Enjoy!
Other macarons you may like to try
These Coconut Macarons made with Italian meringue methos are a delicate blend of crispy coconut shells and luscious white chocolate and coconut filling.
Try this amazing Chocolate Macaron Cake with layers of decadent chocolate macarons stacked with rich filling and fresh raspberries, creating a heavenly symphony of flavors and textures.
Enjoy the sweet elegance of Raspberry Macarons with their delicate almond raspberry shells embracing a burst of vibrant raspberry white chocolate filling.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Chocolate Macarons with Salted Caramel Filling
Coconut Macarons with White Chocolate Strawberry Ganache
Poppy Seed Macarons
Cappuccino Macarons
Pistachio Strawberry Macaron Cake
Chocolate Macarons with French Meringue Method
Ingredients
Macaron Batter
- 1 cup (125g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds
- 3 tbsp (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large egg whites (66g) , at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 5 tbsp (75g) granulated sugar
Chocolate Filling
- 1/2 cup (120g) whipping cream
- 4 oz (120g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter , optional
- 1 tsp instant coffee , optional
Instructions
Prepare the chocolate macaron shells.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 1cm) ready.
- Grind together the powdered sugar with the ground almonds and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor. Then sift the mixture into a large bowl and discard the larger lumps.
- Using a mixer beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. The macaronage is ready when the batter falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon and starts to settle into the rest of the batter after about 20 seconds. Be cautious not to overmix, as this can lead to flat macarons.
- Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (2.5 cm) circles evenly spaced 1-inch (2.5cm) apart.
- Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the countertop to flatten the macarons, and remove air bubbles. Allow the macarons to sit for 20 to 30 minutes until a “skin” forms and they are no longer wet when lightly touched.
- Bake them for 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.
Prepare the chocolate ganache filling.
- In a small saucepan heat the cream and instant coffee if used. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the butter. Let cool completely before using.
- Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together.
- Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors. Serve macarons at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @homecookingadventure on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookingadventure.
Oooh, looks wonderful. I love macarons, and chocolate chocolate macarons? Always!
I’ve never made macarons but chocolate will obviously get my attention every time. Thank you for sharing.
these look simply amazing.
‘Merci pour nourriture delicieuse’ …The only French words I know. Of course it has something to do with food, delicious food! This phrase totally describes your little French cookies! I love it! Thanks for sharing…will have to try this sometime!
My first attempt at baking macarons using this recipe was a success! Thank you so much!
These macarons are beautiful and I’m sure they taste so delicious and delicate! Thank you so much for your friend request on FoodBuzz-I ADORE your blog! It (and your photos) is gorgeous!
Thank you for your appreciation. Yes, they were divine, So far the chocolate macarons are may favorite.
I cannot believe this was your first attempt! I have failed at making macarons much more than I have succeeded so this is very impressive!
Yes, I was very surprised too, I thought it is going to be more difficult. I guess that the fact that I used David Lebovitz recipe, and followed the steps made it a success. Also I used aged egg whites kept in the fridge for 4 or 5 days. Maybe this recipe will be a success for you too. Let me know if you try how they turned for you.
LOVE this recipe! The first time I made macarons they were a disaster. Then for my second attempt I tried this recipe and they turned out pretty much p-e-r-f-e-c-t. Thank you!
I am very glad this recipe turned out for you. I love these chocolate macarons too, they are my favorite. The others I've made, with cappuccino or strawberry are very good too, maybe you will give them a try. Let me know if you do :).Thanks for your comment.
Hi, just wanted to say THANKS for the MOST amazing macaron recipe!!!!!! I just made them and they are wonderful!!!! I have tried many macaron recipes over the years and never had any success until now. Honestly!!! I have to say though that i did make a mistake. I should have followed your instructions precisely when you said to “Rap the baking sheet” but I didn’t so in my first batch the cookies came out a bit funny but then in my second I did exactly what you said and they were Perfect!!! I don’t think I can say thank you enough!!!! I have been looking for so long for a macaron recipe and this is it. Thank you! Please keep up the amazing work. This website has now become my cooking bible. 🙂 H
Ohh thank you soo much for this comment. I really appreciate this kind of feedback, really makes me keep on doing more 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions for the other recipes you will be trying and hope you will share my blog with your friends:)
Can i use three aged egg whites? (1 day old) i need to know ASAP im macarons with a friend today
Sorry for this late answer, noticed your message too late. There is no problem to use three egg whites but the quantities of powdered sugar and almond powder must change accordingly. Did it worked for you, anyway?
I can’t get the shape of the macarons right, the bottom don’t turn out fluffy :-/
Hi Wendy, sorry for the late answer. One of the reason might me the temperature in the house. You have to let the macarons rest at room temperature before baking. A skin needs to form, and it can take 30-90 minutes,depending on the weather. If you touch them lightly and the top has dried, and nothing sticks to your finger, they’re ready to bake. If you skip this step they don't make the right bottoms. The chocolate ones don't always need this step, probably because of the cocoa powder, but for any safe measure rest them too until that skin is formed. Let me know if this helped or need any other advice.
These look so pretty and your recipes looks easy to follow.wish I could just reach into the screen and take one!
Thank you for your comment. Appreciate your nice words.
I just made these! So amazing! The shell was crispy and the inside was chewy! yummmmm! Would it be possible for me to substitute the cocoa powder for vanilla extract to make vanilla macarons? If so how much would I put in?
I am so glad Tina that this recipe turned good to you too. For vanilla macarons try to add vanilla bean in the almond and sugar mixture instead of vanilla extract as it is liquid and don't want to affect the shells. One vanilla bean is enough. If you don't have vanilla bean I would recommend you to make the shells simple, and add vanilla extract .. about 1 tsp or even 2 in the chocolate ganache. I usually use white chocolate ganache for vanilla macarons, for 100 ml(1/2 cup) of heavy cream use 200 g (7 oz) white chocolate and vanilla extract (1 or even 2 tsp). Don't heat the heavy cream too much, just a little to let the white chocolate melt slowly. You can even make the white chocolate ganache with one day in advance to allow it to get to the right consistency before piping it onto macarons shell.
Another important thing I noticed when using French method of making macarons is that the simple macarons shells need to rest before putting them in the oven for about 30 -60 minutes until they are dry and don't stick to the finger.
Use these steps: https://www.homecookingadventure.com/coconut-macarons-with-white-chocolate-strawberry-ganache
Hope this helps, if any other questions don't hesitate to ask me 🙂
Dear Ella, I want to give you a big hug and say thank you! I followed your recipe word by word, and I successfully made the most beautiful macarons possible! They had beautiful feet on the bottom, and they tasted wonderful too. I live in a very humid country (Taiwan), so I let the shells sit in an air conditioned room for around 10 mins, then put them in the oven. It really worked for me!
You can't believe how glad I am to hear that Connie. I love making macarons and I think they are one of the most difficult desserts ever for many people. There is so much talk around these little treats. You did a really great job.
Dear Ella, hello! I’ve had a great success with this chocolate macaron recipe, but i wanted to ask your advice on how I can substitute the cocoa powder for green tea powder, since I want to make green tea flavored shells. Do you think it would be a good idea to use 3 tbsp of green tea powder? Thanks so much!
You can ue about 1 or 2 tbps of tea powder in the shell, but I would rather suggest to use more tea powder into the chocolate filling. The macarons batter can be very tricky sometimes there fore more flavor should be added in the filling rather than into the shell so it won't affect it's shape.
Just curious if you need to do anything different if you’re baking at a high altitude? I am at about 6500ft.
wow.. not sure ..it might turn ok.. usually macarons are sensitive to humidity and warmth… let them sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before baking..
Hi, thanks for sharing the recipe!! Can i ask, will reducing amount of sugar affect the macaron cookie?
Never tried reducing the sugar.. with macarons even a slightly change can get to a failure.. when doing macarons I always use a scale to make sure I get the exact amounts
hi! i wanna ask about the ganache.. will it stand at room temperature? when stored in fridge, does it become hard? thanks!
hi, first of all really thanks for these recepi!!! Can i ask u something, when i bake it, it flat out and too many bubble pop out ???
Thank u for this recipe.l have a small ptoblem wheni baked the macaron after 12′
In the oven at 180* a remove them frtom the oven they deflated and crackled
It didn’t turned out very smooth as the video or picture.how can I fix this issues.
Hi..i really love your recipes!! Thanks for sharing with us..i couldnt find almonds..so how can i make these yummilicious macorroms without ground almonds? Thanks
Hi, I was wondering if I do not have any food processor or blender, is it okay for me to skip the process of grinding them together? Can I just mix the sugar and almond together and sift it? I wanted to try this recipe tomorrow! Can’t wait!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve never tried making macarons before and I couldn’t believe that my macarons turned out looking so well thanks to your instructions and video. I made them for a party, but my family loved them they were gone before the party even started. I had to make more. I had so many people asking me for your recipe at the party.
I am so glad the macarons turned great for you.. they can be quite tricky sometimes… you are a great baker
Thanks for the great recipe, you’re only fault is saying 2.5cm circles
They should actually be 3.5cm… you should see my stupid 2.5cm ones 🙁
All I am going to say is thank you so much for providing the world with this recipe because after so many failed attempts at making macarons I finally succeeded with this recipe. It tasted amazing and everyone loved it. I just wish I could sit on a chair and eat these macarons all day long. I love your website, your youtube channel and ALL your recipes.
Hello Helena, i really appreciate your words and i'm more than happy to hear that my recipes works for my fans. I'm completely in love with macaroons and i adore to make it. Please send me more messages if you try my goodies:)) Thank you
Hi ,
can I know if I do not want chocolate flavor
I jz wan plain macaron shell izit jz take it out coco powder ?
Can these be frozen after I make them with the ganache and everything? I like to keep the house stocked with sweets in case guests come last minute. How long can I keep them in the freezer?
For the measurements, you wrote down 1/2 cup of powdered almonds is 50 grams, but one cup of powdered sugar is equal to 125 grams, so shouldn’t the half cup be equal to around 62 grams, or is it different for almond powder weight compared to powdered sugar weight? Sorry for the confusing question, I’m kind of new at this. I love all your recipes! 🙂
Hi! This is my first time making macaroons, and I am so happy! They are in the oven right now at about 9:00 minutes, and so far no cracks, and they are forming nice feet! Thank you so much for making an easy recipe, and I will be sure to try more of your recipes. Thanks again!
Thanks, these look amazing!!!!
Used this recipe as a second attempt at Macaroons and it was a success! Much easier process and everything turned out great! I don’t think I mixed the batter enough because they came out looking like poop emojis but they were delicious and just the right texture. Ill definitely be giving it another shot. Thank you for sharing.
I made these Macarons 2 days ago. Let them sit overnight and the taste is absolutely delicious. This was my first time ever to make Macarons. Was so proud they worked and it was not hard at all. I used eggs from the freezer. I make ice cream so always have egg whites in freezer. Defrosted overnight in fridge. Thank you so much for the recipe. Love it
I made this for the first time, using your recipe and they came out perfect! No cracked tops, delicious melt-in-your-mouth little morsels of goodness! Great recipe and tips!
These look great but when I tried to make them they sort of exploded in the oven, as in they just got so big. Any advice?
I made these today and they were FABULOUS! I’m going to make the raspberry ones later this week.
Hi dear, there is no way to reduce some of the sweetness ? I tried this out, but it is too sweet for me 🙁
Hello Sy.
Not really. That's the recipe.
The first time I made this using your recipe, the shells came out perfect. My subsequent attempts had the shells coming out crinkled and/or cracked – I used the exact same measurements for the ingredients and the exact same oven temperature. All my other non-chocolate macarons come out with perfect shells consistently – I just seem to have a problem with chocolate (and red velvet) macarons. Even the macronage is the same with the other successful ones.
Amazing! First time making French Macarons and this recipe came out perfectly. Thank you for taking the time to post this recipe and for the youtube video. I plan to try the other macaron cookie recipes you have posted here later this week – I am so excited to share these creations with my family and friends around the holidays.
So I JUST made these for the first time. They spread a little and didn’t rise like I wanted, but these turned out better than I expected. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Thank you it was my first attempt too and it turned out perfect! I love your blog. Ive made many recipes from here and it always works. <3
i made these.. my 2nd attempt at macarons.. and they came out perfect! thank you for the recipe! 🙂
I am a complete novice with macarons and this batter recipe was outstanding. They came out perfectly. Thank you! The filling was just ok for me. I guess I’m not a fan of bittersweet. I am planning to try the shells again with a different filling. Again, the cookie portion of this looked and tasted wonderful. I think part of the success is reading the recipe and then watching the video. It was excellent.
I posted the above comment about the filling without waiting the 24 hrs to meld flavors. That made all the difference. This is literally the perfect chocolate macaron. PERFECT. Thank you so much. You are amazing!!!!
These are AMAZING! The first macaron recipe that continues to work for me every time. Not to mention they are delicious! 5 stars.
Devine! Super Rich and Lucious Filling. Also, the cookie itself was very delicate. All together a must try!!
Everything goes great until I get to piping them and for some reason my batter seems too thick they don’t flatten out and spread. I’ve followed your recipe to the tee and folded until no streaks and smooth but batter still seems too think? What do you think I’m doing wrong? I so want this to work. Please help!
Dear Ella.
I want to exclude the cocoa portion. Should i replace it with almond flour? Or i leave it out completely?
FINALLY! I made these after many other attempts and I finally got some macarons! Taste great, only problem was I made them too big but this can easily be adjusted next time!
Hi. I have a question. How do you make your ganache thick? Do you put it in the fridge?
this is an awesome recipe I’ve made many times.
But, the filling and the shell together are a bit too chocolaty, so I wanna experiment with different fillings.
Will it work with a tart Rasberry filling?
sure.. you can make any filing you like.. I love them with salted caramel.. raspberry.. strawberry.. vanilla.. lavender.. 🙂
Hi! How can I make coffee shells with this recipe?