Hello friends! Today let’s make Chocolate Macarons! In this page you will find a video with the best Chocolate Macaron recipe, plus many tips showing you how to make macarons with the Swiss method!
Also make sure to watch the Chocolate Macarons video on this page or on YouTube, showing you exactly how to make these delicious macarons!
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I’ve been dedicating the last few years to learning and teaching my readers and followers how to make macarons. I’ve gathered several posts and videos containing tips and detailed instructions that will help you to make perfect macarons.
Click here to find the collection of all of my Macaron recipes. You can also find many tips on the videos on my Youtube channel.
I really recommend you watch the videos on my Youtube channel, including the video for these Chocolate Macarons.
It is really helpful to get a visual of what each stage is supposed to look like when making macarons.
Making macarons is very particular and there are many recipes out there. I can’t say there is a foolproof macaron recipe, though. Because each recipe will work differently for each person.
Some people swear by the French method, and some successfully use the Italian. For me, the method that works the best is the Swiss method, and it’s the method I use for most of my recipes, including for these Chocolate Macarons.
I do have a couple of recipes using the French method, such as in these Coconut Macarons, and Guinness Macarons.
Online, you will find an immense amount of tips on how to make macarons, macaron recipes, different methods, foolproof instructions, etc. However, you should know that not all tips are going to work for you. Not all methods are going to work for you. Take notes of what works, discard what doesn’t work.
It’s really important to keep notes when experimenting with macarons. So you can go back to them later and check what worked and what didn’t, and compare, and get insights that will help you to troubleshoot and pin point what could have gone wrong, and what could improve.
These Chocolate Macarons are filled with chocolate buttercream, it’s a rich and decadent frosting, perfect for chocolate lovers.
And you can use the shell recipe in many other chocolate macaron recipes also. I have a list of them below for you.
This super dark and rich chocolate frosting is amazing and only takes 5 ingredients, and about 5 minutes to put it together.
I also use it on my Brownie Macarons, by the way, on this Brownie Macarons post, I also give a lot of tips on how to troubleshoot your oven when baking macarons!
After many requests for a different chocolate filling for macarons other than buttercream, I am also providing a recipe below for a ganache filling, which can be made with the chocolate of your preference, milk, dark, semi-sweet.
You can find instructions below on the recipe card! I know many people find the American buttercream to be too sweet. So I thought it was important to provide another option of chocolate macaron filling.
When making the shells, try to avoid adding too much cocoa powder. Adding too much cocoa powder to the shells might make them wrinkly.
So, I recommend sticking to 14 grams of cocoa powder for the ratios of my recipe. And if you want to enhance the color, add some brown food coloring.
Here are some suggestions on different Chocolate macaron flavors, and chocolate macaron filling recipes you can try:
- Brownie Macarons
- Peanut Butter Macarons
- Dulce de Leche Macarons
- S’mores Macarons
- Chocolate Caramel Macarons
- German Chocolate Macarons
- Nutella Macarons
- Pecan Turtle Macarons
- Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
- Samoa Cookie Macarons
- Brigadeiro Macarons
- Dulce de Leche Macarons
- Espresso Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
- Orange Chocolate Macarons
And these are only some of the chocolate ones, I also have a lot of White Chocolate ones, and even Caramelized White Chocolate. Click here to see the full list of my macaron flavors.
And before we end the post, I’d like to cover a topic that’s well debated in the macaron baking community: the difference between silicone mats and parchment paper.
Do you use silicone or parchment to bake your macarons? I’d love to know, let me know down below in the comments.
I love using silicone mat. Before, I used to bake my macarons on parchment, however, once I started baking on silicone, I never went back.
What’s better for baking macarons: parchment paper or silicon mat?
Hands down silicon mat. With the parchment paper, I would often get uneven bottoms on my macaron shells. You can even see it on some of my older macaron posts.
Ever since I started making macarons using a silicon mat instead of a parchment paper, I never looked back!
Check out below what I mean about the uneven bottoms. The first picture is my Neapolitan Macarons, and the second is my Banoffee Macarons.
As always, I really appreciate you being here and reading my posts, and recipes!! Thank you! Have a lovely day. Happy baking!!
Here are some of the materials I currently use to make my macarons. The mats aren’t the same as pictured on this post, since I am updating this with a list of what I am using at the moment.
This is the container I use to freeze my macarons, or store them in the fridge.
These are the piping bags I use, I have never had one break on me, and I’ve been using them for at least 1 year.
This is the food coloring I use. Always make sure to use gel food coloring.
These are the baking sheets I use to bake my macarons.
And for my silicone mats, I am currently using Silpat. The ones I was using on the photos when I first made these Chocolate Macarons for the blog were great also, but I can’t find them to buy anymore.
Chocolate Macarons
Ingredients
Chocolate Macaron Shells
-
100
grams
egg whites
(3.5 oz) -
100
grams
white sugar
(3.5 oz) -
96
grams
almond flour
(3.4 oz) -
75
grams
powdered sugar
(2.64 oz) -
14
grams
cocoa powder
0.8 oz -
brown food coloring
(optional to deepen the color)
Rich Chocolate Frosting
-
5
tablespoons
unsalted butter
(2.5 oz, 70 grams) -
1/3
cup
cocoa powder
(40 grams, 1.4 oz) -
2 3/4
cup
powdered sugar
(343 grams, 12 oz) -
2-4
tablespoons
milk -
1/2
teaspoon
vanilla extract
Ganache Filling option
-
200
grams
chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips)
(7 oz) -
2/3
cup
heavy cream
(156 ml)
Instructions
Chocolate Macaron Shells
-
Before you start, get all of your ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip.
-
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
-
I use a baking mat with the macaron template already in it. You can make your own or print it from the internet, and just place it under silicone mat, or parchment paper.
-
Measure out the ingredients before starting out.
-
Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
-
Place the egg whites and granulated sugar in a heat proof bowl or in a double boiler. Over a pan of simmering water, whisk the whites and sugar until frothy and sugar completely melted. It will take a couple minutes.
-
Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water.
-
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.
-
With the whisk attachment, whisk the mixture on low, and gradually increase the speed over the next 2 minutes, until you achieve high speed. Then continue to whip for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
-
Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
-
Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peaks should be shooting straight up. The peak should be stiff, forming a slightly curved shape at the top, but not bending down to the side.
-
Pour the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder into stiff whites.
-
Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
-
Add food coloring at this point, if using any. I like to add a bit of brown to enhance the color.
-
It’s time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
-
First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to form a figure 8 a few times. If you can draw a figure 8 with the batter falling off the spatula a few times, without the batter breaking up, that’s one indication that it might be ready.
-
Then, you can perform what I call the Teaspoon Test. Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat, then tap the tray gently against the counter and wait one minute.
-
If the batter stays stiff and doesn’t spread out a bit, fold the batter a bit more, then test again.
-
Once the teaspoonful of batter smooths out on top and starts to look glossy on the parchment paper/silicone, without forming a peak at the top, transfer the mixture to the piping bag.
-
You don’t want your batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to overmix. It’s always best to undermix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
-
Pipe 1 1/2" inch circles on the parchment or silicone. Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle right in the middle of a circle template. Apply gentle pressure for about 3 seconds, then pull the bag up.
-
Once you’ve piped as many 1 1/2” circles as you could, bang the trays against the counter a few times each. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
-
Use a toothpick to poke any air bubbles on the surface of the macarons.
-
Let your trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually leave about 20-40 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry and doesn't stick to your finger.
-
Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
-
Bake one tray at a time.
-
Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray.
-
Bake for 5 more minutes, check if it needs to be rotated again. You will know if it needs to be rotated again depending on how the macarons are baking. Take a look at them, if one side seems taller than the other, maybe you have to rotate the tray again.
-
Bake for around 4 more minutes or so. I would say I bake for a total of 15 to 20 minutes. Until you try to move a macaron and it doesn't feel jiggly.
-
When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. And they will peel off the tray easily.
-
Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
-
Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.
Rich Chocolate Frosting
-
Start by sifting the powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
-
Add softened butter to the mixer bowl, and cream on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
-
With the mixer off, add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk.
-
Mix on low until dry ingredients are incorporated with the butter.
-
Raise the speed to medium-high, and cream from 30 -60 seconds, until smooth.
-
Add the vanilla and mix.
-
The frosting should be smooth, thick, not too stiff. Add more milk if the frosting is too stiff, and add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too runny and you went overboard with the milk.
-
Always remember the a little bit of liquid here goes a long way, so you don’t want to be adding too much milk to the frosting.
For the Ganache filling option
-
Chop dark chocolate very finely. Place it in a bowl.
-
Heat the heavy cream in a small pan over medium heat, or in the microwave. No matter what method you choose, be very careful not to boil the heavy cream.
-
Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a minute.
-
Start stirring with a spatula until completely melted.
-
Let it come to room temperature. Refrigerate for a bit before using, until it has piping consistency.
-
To achieve the piping consistency for the ganache, you will have to rely a lot on the temperature of the ganache.
-
If it has been in the fridge for a while, and it’s too thick and hard to pipe, insert it in the microwave for a few quick seconds, and stir it again. Test for consistency and keep going until you achieve the desired consistency.
-
To be pipeable, the ganache should be thick, but easy to spread.
-
If it happens that the ganache is too thin, you might want to put it in the fridge for a few minutes so it will harden up.
To assemble
-
Place the frosting or ganache in a piping bag and pipe on top of half of the macarons. Top with another macaron.
Storage
-
Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. Make sure to package macarons really well in an air tight container to place it in the fridge.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Scale: Please use a scale when measuring the ingredients for accuracy.
Macaron amount: it will vary greatly depending on how big you pipe the shells, and on how runny or thick the batter is.
Baking time/temperature: Baking time and temperature will vary according to your own oven. I recommend experimenting with your oven to find out the best time, temperature, position of the baking tray.
Oven thermometer: Make sure to have an oven thermometer to bake macarons. It’s one of the most important things about making macarons. Home ovens aren’t accurate at all at telling the temperature, and even a slight 5 degree difference can make or break your whole batch.
Tray rotation: Lots of bakers don’t have to rotate the trays 180 degrees in the oven every 5 minutes, but I do have to with my oven, or I will get lopsided macarons. Please adjust this according to your oven.
Storage: I use these containers to store my macarons in the freezer.
Chocolate dipped macarons: melt 2 ounces of chocolate and dip half of the assembled macarons in the melted chocolate. Then place them in a baking sheet and let them dry.
Chocolate Macaron Filling: after many requests I decided to provide an option for the Chocolate Buttercream filling. So I added to the recipe a Chocolate Ganache filling for the Chocolate Macarons. Make either or, or make both and freeze whatever is leftover. Both buttercream and ganache will freeze wonderfully if well packaged, and can be thawed in the fridge before the next use.
Covardia esses macarons, fantásticos, muito fantásticos!!!!!!!!
Can I take away some sugar? And can I swap the white sugar for golden granulated sugar?
I really don’t recommend doing that. The sugar is really important for the structure of the macarons, and I’ve made several recipes with different ratios until I came to this one. About the golden sugar I do believe it could work.
Why it can’t be dry
just reading the recipe and checking the pics just makes me salivate and drool for this….
thank you that’s really kind!
So my macarons recipe says to bake them at 300F but I’ve been trying to make these at work . Do you have a tip on how to adjust the timing ? Because at work we have a convection oven with the option of low fan or high fan that’s it ! Not sure if you know about ovens much but obviously the higher the fan the faster things will bake. When I make them at home On my regular oven no fan ! They’re typically done in 15 min. Any suggestions?
Hey there Rosa, I would just bake them for longer. After the 15 minute mark you can start checking, and just try to lift one off the tray, if it lifts up easily without having a wet batter in the center sticking to the paper/mat, you are good to go!
Best of luck!!
hi ! i want to make these macarons tomorrow and i wanted to ask if there’s a way to use actual melted chocolate for the frosting?
Yes absolutely and I have two different chocolate frosting recipes on my blog that feature melted chocolate, but you will have to make less because they are meant for frosting cakes/cupcakes, so they make a lot of frosting. You may also freeze leftover frosting, or place it in the fridge for up to 7 days if you want to.
https://www.piesandtacos.com/chocolate-strawberry-cupcakes/
https://www.piesandtacos.com/smores-cake/
Thank you so much, I hope you like the recipe!! 🙂
I’ve wanted to try macarons for ages but never had the time and always been too nervous to try as I know they can be tricky. I followed your recipe for chocolate macarons to the letter and they came out perfectly. I can’t wait to try some other flavours.
That’s so awesome!! I am so happy to hear!!!
What brand of cocoa powder can you recommend?
ghirardelli, or callebaut
So, there is no creme de tarter in this recipe? Also do you use unsweetened cocoa? Thanks!
No cream of tartar needed in the Swiss method. Yes I do use unsweetened cocoa powder
Thank you!
Great recipe! So rich and fudgy. I prefer the French Method but these proportions still worked well. Could you simply double the quantities to make a double batch?
Hey Courtney,
I believe it would be fine to double the quantities to make a double batch! It will work just fine!! Thank you so much!
Is there a reason why you start the macarons in a double boiler?
yes, because in the Swiss method you have to melt the sugar and egg whites together to form a syrup, which then will be whipped into a stiff meringue before it’s folded with the dry ingredients.
thank you! have a great day!
We tried these and they’re delicious! Thank you for your detailed instructions and tips on what to look for. Definitely will be making them again!
Thank you so much Christina! That’s awesome that you found this recipe helpful!! Have a great day!
If I wanted to make these with matcha powder instead of cocoa how much should I add? Ps I made these and they were a huge hit! I just didn’t boil the egg and sugar and they still turned out wonderful
Hi Cass! so I do have a matcha macaron recipe and I use 1/2 tablespoon of matcha powder in the batter, but I use more powdered sugar than in the chocolate macaron batter. If you wanna check out the recipe here it is https://www.piesandtacos.com/matcha-macarons/ it’s the same method and everything else stays the same, the only things I change is using 1/2 tablespoon of matcha powder instead of 2 1/2 of cocoa powder, and 90 grams of powdered sugar instead of 75 grams.
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I appreciate it so much!
Have a fabulous day!!!!
Can you explain why you choose to use more powdered sugar in the matcha recipe? I’d love to learn more!
because I use a lot of cocoa powder in this recipe and cocoa powder soaks up a lot of moisture, so you have to make it up for it by reducing the powdered sugar.
Hi I just made these macarons. They turned out pretty well. I have been learning how to make macarons for several years now and have had many failed batches. And I have been searching for a good macaron recipe. I came across yours and decided to give it a try because you do something that I have never tried before when making the macaron batter. You put the egg whites and sugar mixture over a double boiler to dissolve the sugar and froth up the mixture before whipping it in the mixer. I think I really like this method because the sugar is full dissolved. Thank you so much for this recipe! I will continue to experiment with this recipe. Hopefully I will have more success than I’ve had in the past.
I am so glad you like it!! The Swiss method where you dissolve the sugar and whites together is indeed my favorite and most reliable method to make macarons! Best of luck on your macaron journey! Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a great day!
Followed the recipe and came out with a great batch of macarons. only question, how do I avoid the pimple on the macaron shell? after piping the macarons, I slammed the tray to let the macarons settle but the pimple remained. How do I get the flat surface? did I miss a step?
That means the batter needs to be mixed a bit longer.
This is the first time I ever succeeded macarons ! I am thrilled and it came out beautifully! Thank you so much. Thousand thumbs up!
Yay!!! I am so happy! Thank you so much!!!
While making the frosting, it was just powder. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Hello Amber, please add a bit more milk, or even heavy cream to the frosting to make it come together! Thank you for your question!
Ok thanks so much… it worked!!!
yay!!
Thanks for posting this! I was worried about the same thing since it seemed that the milk was optional. I came back and read through the comments and added the heavy cream and, like magic, I had frosting! 🙂
I had this same issue. 5 Tablespoons are not enough to handle 2 3/4 cups of powdered sugar!! It’s just powdery powder. The recipe says to cream the butter, sugar & cocoa together BEFORE adding the vanilla and milk. I think that’s impossible? Anyway, I just added some milk before the recipe said to…
They were delicious but I had very chunky frosting and had to use strawberry jam instead. any tips on making sure the frosting is perfect and not lunpy?
Add more milk, heavy cream, or even water to the frosting. And I’m talking 1 teaspoon at a time, until achieving the perfect consistency 🙂
I made these and they were so good! I tried another recipe before this one and it was a total disaster despite being a pretty savvy baker. This time, my macarons got super puffy. They cooked through perfectly but were more similar in shape to pate choux. Did I over whip my meringue? I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Do you have a picture I can see? Did they crack? Cracks could be due to oven temperature being too high, under whipping the meringue, not resting the macarons enough, overmixing the batter. It gets easier to pin point by looking at a picture.
Do you have an oven thermometer?
Over whipping the meringue actually won’t cause cracked or puffed macarons, but can cause extremely tall and large feet, as well as hollow macarons.
Hi!
This is such a cool recipe! I’m yet to try it out, but I just wanted to ask, do you have to use super fine almond flour, or will regular almond flour work?
Thanks!
You don’t have to use super fine almond flour. Regular almond flour will work, just make sure to sift it 🙂
Thank you!
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe in such details 🙂
I tried it out, and got wrinkly tops. They had nice feet though! Any idea why?
Wrinkly tops can happen from oily almond flour. It could also be from too much cocoa powder, did you weigh the cocoa powder with a scale? Under baking could also cause wrinkly tops.
Let me know if I can help with anything else 🙂
I made these and they were going so well but while they were baking all the shells cracked at the top… I have no idea what I did wrong 🙁 please help.
Cracked shells happen because of under whipped meringue. Or too much heat in the oven. Do you have an oven thermometer?
It can also happen because of humid climate, combined with under whipping the meringue, or over mixing the batter.
Not resting the macarons enough on a humid day can also cause cracked shells.
This recipe turned out well for me. I didn’t quite read all of the steps because they were too detailed, but am now realizing it would’ve benefited to follow all the details.
Heavy cream or milk?? I’m in the process of making them now….it says milk one place and cream another place. SOS
You can use either. sorry about the confusion.
thank you! awesome recipe they look great already!
My batter started to get crumbly and dry while mixing I have no idea what happened. Help!
While mixing the almond flour and powdered sugar in with the meringue? Do you have any pictures you can dm me on instagram or email camila @ piesandtacos.com?
Yeah, when I was mixing the flour with the meringue. I redid it and it worked perfectly though.
Oh great to hear!!!!
Where did you buy your silicone macaron mat. I cant find that brand anywhere
Hey Robyn, so this is the mat https://amzn.to/36NY4Sj and I really recommend it, it’s a great mat, I’ve had it for a long time and it’s still going strong for me. However, the set comes with 2 mats, one with the template and the other one without the template, so you’d need to place a template under the mat without the circles to pipe the macarons.
I was wandering if it would taste ok if I added some raspberry jam in the middle next to the frosting? I would love for you to visit my blog at fromyourchum.blogspot.com!!! I am getting ready to do a post on all of my bakes!!!
Yes it will absolutely be ok! it will taste delicious! Thank you
Hi! How long can I let these dry before cooking them? Is 2 hours too much?
Also, if the feet are stuck to the mat did I take them out too early?
Thanks!
2 hours is too much, the batter was probably over mixed, or the meringue under whipped, which made the batter too wet. And if they stuck to the mat it could be because they were pulled out too early, or because the batter was too wet due to one of the factors I mentioned above.
How did the feet turn out after baked?
Thank you for this recipe … they are great … my first time making macarons ever… 🥰
Yay! I’m so happy thank you!
Can you make the shells ahead and freeze them. Then another day do the filling. I made theSalted caramel Macarons and they were delicious thank you
Yes, you can absolutely do that. The shells will stay frozen for a couple of months 🙂 and thank you!
my macrons did not have feet. any idea what i did wrong?
Many things can cause macarons not to develop feet. Without seeing a picture gets harder to tell, but even seeing a picture may be hard to determine what could have happened. Did they also crack? Or just didn’t develop feet but were smooth on top?
Well anyway, not developing feet can be a cause of:
-over mixed batter
-under whipping the meringue
-baking temp being too low
-not letting the macarons dry enough before putting them in the oven
some cracked and some didn’t but i tested the batter before i piped them
UM. OKAY. I’ve been watching Great British Bake Off like too much lately and this is my third recipe attempt at macarons and it slayed. My husband threatened to eat them all before I took them to the superbowl party. I will be making like all of this angel who writes “pies and tacos” ‘s macaron recipes in the next few months.
awe that’s so nice to hear!! Thank you so much Callie!!! 🙂
I love all of your macarons! Can you help me figure out why some of my shells seem to not completely make a smooth bottom? Some of them have an area that doesn’t form to the silpat, not moist and sticky, just not there. Thank you.
yes! This is a classic sign of over mixing the batter. so some shells won’t even have a chance to develop a bottom, and the macaron will end up being concave. Try mixing a bit less. When you pipe the shells, they should spread out slightly and slowly. Try to do the teaspoon test. Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the silpat, tap the tray gently a few times, and watch how the batter spreads out. It should spread out slightly, not having a point forming at the top, but without spreading out too much. Also, watch my youtube videos, I show how the batter should be flowing off the spatula before the macaronage should be done. Thank you!!
Do the eggs need to be aged? and what does that do. So excited to try this recipe out!
I don’t age my eggs! Some people do, but I don’t unless I’ve used yolks the day before and had the whites separated already. I don’t notice any difference between the batches made with aged egg whites and new ones. Thank you!
I made these and used a dab of lemon curd in the middle to give it a nice tart filling and they came out perfectly. Well almost perfectly, everyone that tried them loved them but I think I may have over baked them a bit, it was hard for me to tell when they were finished. I ended up baking them for about 12-14 minutes per pan. I thought they were a little too crisp with not enough of the soft chew that I remember. The only thing I can say is that letting them sit for a day(in a container) definitely helped them out! I would post a photo if I could.
Omg! That sounds fantastic with the lemon curd!!! And yes letting the macarons sit for a day or two will definitely help! Thank you so much for reporting back!!! Wish I could see them you can email them to me camila @ piesandtacos. com or send them to me on instagram if you have an account there 🙂
Hi. Do you cool your macarons on the tray? Looking forward to trying some of your delicious looking recipes!
Yes! Cool them on the tray and don’t remove them until they have cooled down all the way, or the bottoms may stick to the mat 🙂
I think it was bad because my stuff was all very runny and nothing worked how it should have.
If it was runny it means you either over mixed the batter, or under whipped the meringue.
Hey where you have said white sugar should I use castor or granulated
I use granulated usually but have used caster sugar before and works fine as well.
My macaron batter is always very thick and no matter how much I work it, it does not thin out. Any suggestions? We are at about 7k feet. TY!
Hello, I’ve never baked macarons at high altitude, but this recipe here indicated a much much lower amount of granulated sugar than what I use on my recipe, maybe you could give this one a go, since she is at high altitude. Best of luck!
Hey there! I went to culinary school 6 years ago and worked in a few restaurant kitchens (on line and doing pastry) but I’ve been a stay at home mom recently so have had more time to bake at home. This was my first time making macarons; I didn’t watch your videos until afterwards and saw that I could have mixed the batter more right before piping. I was definitely baby-ing the meringue haha. So between my batches I got some good ones but they were a tad stiff- now I know how to make them better! They were very delicious and the Swiss method was straightforward! thank you for this recipe and all of your helpful tidbits!
I am so happy!! Thank you for this wonderful feedback, specially from an experienced chef! 🙂
All I’m going to say is I’ve tried about 10 different recipes with ALL of the tips for the past 6 months. I finally came across this recipe and it is the most successful recipe I’ve tried. Absolutely amazing! I will not look anywhere else for any other recipes.
Aweee that’s awesome!!! Thank you so much!!!! I’m so so happy!
What kind of cocoa powder is best for this recipe?
I tried it with some but I just don’t know.
unsweetened and non dutch processed
Hi. I am reading through the comments to try and figure out where I went wrong with the chocolate macs. I have tried twice today and both times no feet and rounded cracked tops. I see that you specified non dutch process cocoa powder in the above response. I used Saco natural and dutched blend. Could that have an effect on my outcome as well?
You can use dutch cocoa, I personally don’t, but I highly doubt that that’s the reason why your macarons have no feet and cracked tops.
No feet and cracked tops can be due to several things.
First and foremost, make sure to have an oven thermometer, because one of the biggest reasons for cracked macarons is a heat issue. Home ovens arent accurate and the temperature you set the oven to won’t be the temperature that the oven is on the inside in the majority of the time.
Second, it could be due to under whipping the meringue. Under whipped meringue will cause cracked macarons with no feet.
Also, over mixing the batter will cause the same.
Not letting the macarons rest until they feel dry to the touch and baking them will also cause cracked macarons.
Thank you for your reply. I read this in the earlier comments and I will try again. I really thought I was being so careful with both the meringue and the macronage. They are not pretty but they are delicious! We will eat them !
Do the egg whites need to be room temperature or will they work ok with cold eggs?
I make the Swiss method with whatever temperature egg whites, since the whites will be melted with the sugar over a double boiler, so it doesn’t really matter.
I keep my almond flour in the freezer, should I make it room temperature before using? And other than the butter do any other ingredients have a preferred temp?
Some people say that keeping the almond flour in the fridge makes their almond flour humid, so they dry them in the oven for a few minutes at 200F, and then let it cool down before using in the recipe. But I’ve never had to do that, since I keep mine in my cupboard. But if you feel like the almond flour feels humid or wet, I would do that.
And the other ingredients such as egg whites don’t necessarily have to be at room temperature for the Swiss method, since you will have to whisk it with the sugar and melt it over the double boiler.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thank you 🙂
This icing y’all. It’s a situation. Honestly I don’t know if I already left a review because this is not my first time using the macaron recipes from this website but like FABULOUS.
Awe thank you SO much!!!!
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making macarons for awhile now. I found your recipe and decided to give it a try. Thanks to your clear instructions I was able to do it right the first time! Thanks so much ❤️
That’s so sweet! I am so happy to hear! Thank you Jessica!!! 🙂
I just tried this and it turned out so great! This is my second time at making macarons the first one i used a different recipe and it didn’t turn out so well, but this recipe I am keeping 😊. Thank you for sharing💕
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much!
Lovely recipe! Where did you get the silpat? I’ve searched online for the “For Bake” brand but can’t find it. Thanks!
I don’t think it’s available anymore. Which is a shame cause these mats are really good! They got a bit stained over the years, but they are seriously great!
Hi! I’m a teen baker and i’m planning on making macarons for the first time after seeing them in Shari Franke’s Youtube Video. I was just wondering since my oven has conventional and convection bake, which one would have a better outcome? Super excited to make these!
Lots of people use convection bake. They recommend lowering the temperature by 20-30 degrees. I have never baked with convection but I know of a lot of bakers who do, and this is what they recommend. 🙂 best of luck!!!
My macarons took forever to dry and when I baked them, they had no feet. Is it because my egg white was not stiff enough? I used egg white from pasture raised egg. I also used Hershey’s cacao powder, do you think this caused my batter to become too wet? Thank you!!!
Yes, the meringue was probably not whipped enough. Or the batter was over mixed. But most likely the meringue was under whipped.
Best macaron recipe ever!! I’ve made Macarons several times before and they’ve never turned out as good as these turned out! I was nervous making them, because I have had trouble with making them before, but the end result was fantastic! Thank you for such detailed instructions! Love, love love, this recipe! Will definitely make again!
Yay!!! I am so happy! Thanks Laura!!!
Hi there, if I want to make the frosting less sweet, do I just cut out some of powder sugar? Thank you, can’t wait to try it!
It really won’t make it less sweet, as the added powdered sugar is just for consistency. What you can do is make a dark chocolate ganache instead. And you can even add some melted (and cooled) dark chocolate to this frosting recipe in place of some of the milk, that will tone down the sweetness a lot.
This is the first time I’ve used one of your macaron recipes and in turned out terrible, I really have no idea what happened. I followed every instruction then I stopped when I mixed the egg white a sugar mixture with the dry ingredients. It made a grainy and really hard texture so I just decided to make them into cookies last minute. I do feel like it was the cocoa powder that did it because I mixed the cocoa powder in with the dry ingredients. I would love to know what I did wrong and try again. I hope to hear back from you soon!
It’s hard to tell without seeing pictures, maybe you over whipped the meringue too much? if you have any pictures feel free to email them to me.
Hi! I left a comment a few weeks ago and absolutely loved this recipe! When I made them again today, they still turned out, just the Macarons were a little lopsided and the feet at the bottom were off to one side and the top of the macaron was on another. The feet also weren’t as big and tall as when I last made them. Do you have any idea why this may have happened? The recipe also says that it makes 20, but it only made 12 for me. I will still for sure use this recipe, I’m just not sure what went wrong. Thank you!
lopsided can be from over resting, or maybe from uneven oven temperature. And the quantity will vary depending on how “liquid” the batter is, how stiff you whipped the meringue, how big you pipe the macarons, etc. 🙂
Hi, when you say almond flour, is that the same as ground almonds? Thanks
Yes that’s the same. They need to be finely ground, and not be ground so much that they will release fat, and become moist and start to clump up.
the macarons turned out having a bread like texture. May I ask for some tips on how to make it actually turn out like a macaron?
what do you mean bread texture? do you have any pictures to send me so I can help you troubleshoot it?
This is the 3rd Macaron recipe I’ve made in quarantine and this is the first one I’ve had turn out with feet and flat and no hollows!! They also taste fantastic. Thanks for the Recipe.
Awe thank you Ashley! I am so happy to hear that!!!
I’ve made macarons a couple of times and every time I’ve had the issue with them being hollow, but they always had feet. This was my first time trying this recipe and the first time using a silicon mat. The texture turned out perfect and 75% weren’t hollow, but none of them had feet and some were cracked. I don’t know if it was something I did wrong or if it was the silicon mat.
it could be the silicon mat. I had a gray one who would cause my macarons to crack and not have feet because it was dark, so it would retain more heat, and I would have to balance out by turning the temperature of the oven down.
cracked macarons with no feet can be due to not resting enough, or under whipping the meringue, which sometimes slips to the best of us.
Where did you purchase your mat from?
can you replace the almond flour with almond meal?
almond flour and almond meal arent too different. Almond meal I believe it’s supposed to be from almonds with skin, and almond flour from blanched almonds. You can use flour from whole almonds, you just have to make sure the flour is finely ground and dry. it can’t be moist, and it can’t be thick or coarse.
Hey! I was thinking about making these and I had a few questions. I love macaroons but they are always do expense I assumed it was because they were difficult to make, I also love baking but I am not amazing at it. Is this something that anybody with the write materials and ingredients could make?
Making macarons is all about practicing. For some people it can take months or even years to get them right and master them. Even after years baking them I would still make mistakes and find out things I should change. So yes it is something anybody can make, but often times, and I would say most times, it takes people a LOT of practice to get them right.
Is the cocoa powder unsweetened?
yes
So I’ve made twice now, this and another one of your recipes…. both DELICIOUS.
But, both times the shells have been a little gritty.
Tried another brand of almond flour and extra sifting.
When I did the egg whites, it felt smooth to the touch- but is it the granulated sugar that’s making them this way?
I don’t believe that is the granulated sugar. were both brands that you tried finely ground? Sometimes you have to keep trying until you find the best brand. And have you been disposing of the big pieces of almond flour on the sifter, or just pushing them through?
Anyway, I am very glad they turned out delicious 🙂 thanks for writing!
I made these a few weeks ago and they were a hit! My brother told me he’d be glad to take macarons off my hands. The instructions were easy to follow and very helpful. I’ve tried macarons in the past and they haven’t turned out, so I was grateful for your tips along the way! I had a lot of leftover filling, so I froze it for another time. Can’t wait to make these again and try other flavors.
Thank you so much Sara!!! That’s great to hear!!!
I have made this recipe a few times and it is always a crowd favorite! The texture of the macarons turns out every time, and the chocolate filling is so rich and delicious.
Awesome! Thank you so much Courtney!
hey there, was wondering if i could make this recipe with the French method? hope you can answer soon! thanks xx
some people say they have made it with the french method and it has worked. I have never tried it with the french method and these measurements, butit’s worth a try!
thankyou! however when i make the filling, it tastes like plain sugar. what could i be possibly doing wrong?
American buttercream tends to be very sweet, options here are to add a bit of melted and cooled down chocolate (I’d say about 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips, and it’s very important that it’s cooled down. Another option is to make a chocolate ganache instead. Here is a recipe that has a chocolate ganache https://www.piesandtacos.com/orange-macarons/ you can make just the ganache for that recipe (possibly having to double it) ganache is less sweet too 🙂 hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
Omg. These are the most foolproof Chocolate Macarons recipe I have come across the internet. I have tried to make so many batches of it using different techniques and recipes but it was a disaster every single time. This time when I tried to bake using this recipe, it came out to be perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your tried and tested methods with all of us Camila. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes soon. Much love.
That’s awesome to hear!! Thank you so much!!!☺️
The best method for macaron making!! I’ve tried French and Italian and this Swiss recipe gave the best full shells and were not that difficult to make 🙂 thank you so much
Thank you so much Leann!! I love the Swiss method as well!!
I followed the receipe and got great and delicious results. The decoration was the detail that took my simple macarons to a whole new level. Thanks Camila 😊
Awe thank you so much Naomi!!! 😃
I used this recipe to make just the chocolate macaron cookies, and then did a maple bacon filling (so good, btw!) Your recipe for the cookies was so easy, they came out PERFECT and on my first try! I think I’ve spent hours pinning your recipes to my Pinterest boards and can’t wait to try more!
That’s awesome! Thank you so much Tamara!! 🙂 sounds like an amazing filling you made for the macarons with maple bacon!
These came out so beautifully it’s only right that I leave a review!
Before I start, if you’re like me, and looking for the perfect started macaron recipe. THIS IS THE ONE.
I am an avid baker but have always been intimidated by macarons. It wasn’t until I was doing some research and came across your blog (which I am obsessed
with btw) that I felt truly inspired to take my chances! Per your advice, I spent days researching as much as I possibly can. But I knew all along I would ultimately use your recipe. I went with an easier one this time just to see if I could do it, and now I can’t wait to try other flavors. Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed in your instructions, it truly made a world of difference!
Thank you so much Laura!!! I am so happy to hear this!!! That’s incredible! I feel truly honored! 🙂
The best chocolate macarons I’ve made!Every other recipe I’ve tried has come out cracked or hollowed shells but these are seriously the best macarons EVER!!Thank you so much Camila!
Thank you Sara!!😍
Not successful the first time I tried but the second time was great! Love this flavor – so simple but soooo good!
that’s how it usually goes with macarons lol takes a couple of tries!! thank you so much Zala!
These chocolate macarons are perfect for all the chocolate lovers out there !! I added a raspberry filling to these which is one of my faveeee flavor combos !!!
Thank you for all of your recipes and tips you post on this site! I’ve been making macarons for a while but your advice has made the process less painful haha… Is there a reason why cocoa shells crack in the oven more easily than other flavors of shells? I have an electric oven and usually bake at 285 for 15-18 minutes but I have yet to get chocolate shells that don’t crack. (my oven thermometer is broken, another is on it’s way… maybe the oven temp isn’t right??) Chocolate seems to be the only shell I can’t nail down. Any advice you have I would appreciate. Thank you again for all of your work!
what’s the brand of cocoa powder you are using? because cocoa powder has a high fat content, and depending on the brand you are using, it can be too high and make the macs crack. but I would wait and experiment with the new oven thermometer and check your oven temp.
I’ve been using Hershey’s 100% cocoa. Is there a specific brand you recommend?
Thank you for your reply!
These are so good. I have tried making macaroons at least 10 times and they finally came out correct. Thank you so much. Finally, a macaroon recipe that works for me.
This website is so underrated. I tried the pistachio macaroons and omg they are DIVINE! Now I’m in the process of making these but I forgot to pulse my almonds so it’s super lumpy *whoops*!
Thanks so much for sharing all these amazing recipes, and your photography skills are also 👌🏻👌🏻
P.s For those attempting these.. my oven makes the macaroons within 8 minutes, so the point about figuring a time for your own oven is really important. The first batch I made I cooked for 15 mins and they were totally burnt.
Thank you so much!! And very true about figuring out your own oven!! thank you 🙂
I have been wanting to make macarons for years, and this is the first recipe I tried that turned out! They were absolutely perfect and delicious! I am so excited! Thank you!!!!
That’s awesome to hear!! Thank you so much!
Hello Camilla,
I will try to make macarons for the first time and I have been looking for a nice macarons recipe. Yours seem to be pretty good looking. 😉
The only thing is that i have been trying to find the proper baking trays around the internet and at my local stores but it has been quite difficult. I have been also looking at good brands as well, trust me i’ve spend days trying to find one and reading hundreds of reviews but all of them seem to bend in the oven which causes the baked products to not be even or even fall out. Also because my oven fits only 15″ x 15″ so i have even less options.
Anyways on this post you showed some trays, could it be possible to know the brand and or some more specifications because i am still at a loss here :(.
I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance
Best wishes and also congratulations on your blog, all your recipes look fantastic and the explanations are so precise and easy to follow. 🙂
Hello, I use nordic ware,
I use the half sheet size but you can get the quarter sheet size 🙂
Thank you
Hi, these macaroons are amazing! I have made macaroons three times before and this is the first recipe that worked for me. We’re did you get those chocolate flacks that you used to decorate from?
I got those on amazon they are chocolate flakes from Cacao Barry.
And so happy to hear you like the recipe 🙂
I cooked my Macarons for 12 minutes and tapped them and they were hard, I saw the feet. I didn’t remember that I had to left them off to check, so I took them out. Well, they are not coming off in one piece, so the bottoms are gooey. It’s been an hour, I didn’t take them off the silpat mat. Can I put them back in now?
sorry I missed this comment. So, yes they were under baked, and I have never put them back in the oven after a whole hour of removing them from the oven, so I don’t know if that would have worked.
Everything seemed to go well. The tops were smooth. But there’s a large hollow space between the top of the shell and the chewy part. If you don’t put the entire macaron in your mouth there will be shards flying. We’re at a loss as to where we went wrong.
As for taste…perfect!
So many reasons why they could be hollow. I have a comprehensive article here https://www.piesandtacos.com/hollow-macarons/ maybe reading the article you can try to pin point what you could do to improve, based on your experience. It can be tricky to identify the cause for hollow shells, because it can be so many different reasons. Let me know if you have any further questions after reading the article 🙂
Always a hit when I make them. Unfortunately, I don’t have a scale and don’t remember the old measurements before it was switched to weight. Could you please send me the old measurements? Thanks! I love this recipe so much!
3 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
these are approximations
thank you 🙂
Thanks, Camila! I appreciate it!
We made the chocolate macarons with the ganache in football shapes and piped white chocolate to finish them off for our Superbowl Festivities. They look great and even taste better. The ganache is incredible. Thanks for such great recipes and guidance in making this work for everyone
That sounds awesome!!! it will be great for Superbowl!!!! 🏈
Hi Camila…. This is my second batch of making chocolate macarons. The first batch I believe I mixed too much as they came out flat and cracky. In the second batch, I mixed less and some came out smooth and beautiful and some came out cracky but they all rose this time. Do you have any help you can give me. Thank you….
If some cracked and others didn’t it could be your oven having hot spots. Do you have oven thermometer?
Hey! I have tried this recipe nine times now and still am not successful. Is there something in particular I am doing wrong? I can send you my recipe records via email! Thanks so much 🙂
yes for sure send it to my email [email protected]
Hello, I noticed that the powdered sugar amount in your chocolate macarons are significantly less by about 30 grams than your other not-chocolate macaron recipes, may I ask why? Is it because of the cocoa powder? If I were to make macarons using this chocolate recipe but omitting the cocoa powder for a basic macaron, would it work? Thank you!
They probably won’t develop feet, and you may run into several other issues.
The cocoa powder absorbs liquid from the meringue, which is essential to form feet.
The regular swiss recipe I make (100 g whites/100 g sugar/105 g powdered sugar/105 g almond flour) already has one of the lowest sugar ratios compared to other recipes out there.
You can go ahead and experiment but you’ll probably be wasting the ingredients because it probably won’t work out.
I understand now, thank you!
Greetings…am a very experienced macaron maker – have successfully made thousands – some of them variations on your themes…..my biggest failure & challenge is chocolate…i’m bi-coastal so I struggle in that regard..with that said.. Making mac’s and getting them to dry in summer in New England is almost a fool’s errand…..
do you recommend a particular cocoa powder?
WHAT IS YOUR go-to ratio for PS, EW, AF, CS (caster sugar), & Cocoa? I typically make 60 (4 trays of 30 shells)…..I really need help knowing your ratio – I typically scale my desired quantity based on a standard or given ratio of ingredients.
Why do my chocolate shells typically either explode or look dry and mottled like bad brownies on the top w/0 any feet whatsoever????
Ok…while the above is major important let me ask you this….do you ever weigh out your PS, AF (and cocoa powder if doing chocolate) the night before in a single container??? I find great success in mixing the PS and AF together, running it thru the cuisinart then sifting it, and storing in a single container….i do this the night before….have you tried this? it helps the next day with time mgmt…..having pre-mixed and pre-sifted dry ingredients really saves baking day times…..I’ve been concerned that any moisture (there shudn’t be ANY) in the PS and AF adversely affects the ingredients when stored overnight.
Pls respond.
maybe youre using a brand of cocoa powder that has too much fat in it. I prefer hersheys because it has a low fat content compared to other brands. You can also decrease the amount of cocoa powder if it’s causing you issues, play around with the amount of cocoa powder.
I dont weigh them the day before. I always just do it on the day I am going to bake.
I’ve followed and learned sooo much from you here as well as on IG. I made these tonight and they are wonderful. Thank you so much for all of the knowledge and information you so willingly share! I’m really looking forward to your book. Peace and blessings!
That’s so wonderful to hear thank you so much!!!
I made the chocolate macarons…
And froze them for later…
Now when i take it, it forms a sticky sugary coating on the outside. How can i avoid this or is there anything i can do to make this better.
Can I make half of the batter ?
I’m doing a letter cake and I only wanted like 2-3 macarons.
you could halve the batter but be careful to make sure that the whip is going to touch the bottom of the bowl or it won’t whip the meringue properly.