Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate macarons with chocolate buttercream are light and delicate, rich and sweet, and crispy and chewy. With a creamy and smooth chocolate buttercream center sandwiched in between slightly crunchy chocolate macaron shells - these are the perfect treat.

If you are a fan of macarons and chocolate, then you will love these sweet cookies. Plus, homemade macarons are a lot easier to make than you think, and they are ready in under an hour! Follow all my tips, tricks, and troubleshooting advice for the best results.

Why You'll Love Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream

• They're easier to make than you think. Macarons are a delicate sandwich cookie which might look impossible to make, and they can be difficult to get just right. But if you measure out your ingredients accurately, and follow the simple steps in this recipe, they are actually quite easy to master again and again.
• They're ready in under an hour. Making chocolate macarons with chocolate buttercream takes just less than an hour to make, and half of that time is spent waiting for the macaron shells to set and be ready to bake.
• It's a chocolate macaron! Who doesn't love the light and fluffy, slightly crunchy, airy texture of a macaron cookie? Now, add a hint of chocolate to the mix and fill it with homemade chocolate buttercream. To put it simply, you'll love this recipe because you will end up with a batch of chocolate macarons with chocolate buttercream.

Ingredient Notes

To make Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):

• almond flour - you will need almond flour (not almond meal) and you cannot substitute with regular all-purpose flour. You can also make your own by grinding skinless, unsalted, raw almonds to a super fine powder using a heavy duty blender.
• confectioners' sugar
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• egg whites - the egg whites need to be at room temperature, so make sure to set them out on the kitchen counter for a while.
• granulated sugar
• chocolate buttercream - make it in minutes using melted dark chocolate (can use semi-sweet chocolate if you want), butter, confectioners' sugar, heavy whipping cream (or whole milk), and a pinch of salt.

Equipment

To make french macarons, you will need:

• measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
• mixing bowl
• piping bag and large ½ inch round tip
• silicone baking mat, macaron baking mat, or parchment paper
• large half sheet baking pan
• wire cooling rack

How to Make the Best Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream

1. Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, use a fine-mesh sieve to sift the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder together. Pressing down on any clumps, and set aside.
2. Beat the egg whites. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed to beat the egg whites until they become foamy and soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer up to high speed and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 more minutes.
3. Fold in dry ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold half of the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture. Fold in the remaining half of the dry ingredients. Keep folding gently until it reaches a flowing lava-like consistency. Do not overmix.

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4. Pipe the macaron shells. Line a large half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (a macaron baking mat will make it really easy to measure out the macaron shells). Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds on the lined baking sheet, spacing them about an inch apart.
5. Form a skin. Tap the baking sheet firmly against the counter 3-4 times to release any air bubbles from the macarons. Any remaining bubbles can be popped with a toothpick. Allow the macarons to sit at room temperature for 25-30 minutes to rest and form a skin.
6. Bake. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Place the baking tray in the center rack of the oven and bake for 14-15 minutes. Let the macarons cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cooled macaron shells should be easy to peel off the parchment paper. 

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Filling for Macarons

First, melt the chocolate (2 ways!)

Melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave:

• On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and place a large heatproof bowl of chocolate chips with vegetable oil on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes. 
• In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the chocolate and vegetable oil into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.

Once melted, allow the chocolate to cool down to room temperature, about 5 minutes.

Then, combine all the ingredients.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the cooled dark chocolate and beat together until combined. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until fully combined. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and add a pinch of salt. Continue to beat for an additional 10-15 seconds.

You can fill the chocolate macaron shells with other fillings such as Salted Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Ganache, Nutella, Vanilla Buttercream, or Strawberry Jam.

How to Assemble Chocolate Macarons

Transfer the chocolate buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or any other tip you may have). Pipe the butter cream into the flat side of half of the macaron shells. Start from the center and move to the edges, leaving a little space on the edges. Top each piped macaron with on of the remaining macaron shells. 

Place macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight to mature (which allows the filling to soften the shells and flavor them). Bring them back to room temperature when ready to serve.

Troubleshooting

• Why didn't my macarons have feet? This normally happens if you don't let the macarons develop a skin for a full 30 minutes at room temperature before being placed into the oven. This can also be caused by overfolding the batter, resulting in the macarons not having "feet" or raw edges.
• Why do my macarons have a pointy top? This happens if the batter is underfolded. It can also happen if you do not tap the tray with the piped macarons on the counter to release the air bubbles, which will help smooth out the macarons.
• Why are my macarons lumpy and bumpy? This can happen if you do not sift the almond flour through a fine mesh sieve to remove any clumps. It can also happen if the batter is not mixed properly.
• Why did my macarons crack? This can happen if there is too many air bubbles in the batter. To keep them from cracking, you need to tap the tray with the piped macarons on the counter to release the air bubbles, to help smooth out the macarons.
• Why are my macaron shells flat or hollow? This can happen if the egg whites are not whipped to stiff peaks. Overmixing can also cause hollow shells because it causes the air bubbles to deflate during the baking process. Hollow macarons can also result if you take them out of the oven too early.

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