Adorable delicate, sugary cookies with a decadent chocolate ganache.
Where’s the coconut? There’s commonly confusion between macarons and macaroons. Macaroons are a coconut cookie that are soft and are sometimes (for mine… always) covered in chocolate. Macarons are the light and airy sandwich cookies that you see in fancy bakeries a lot and are dyed a million different pastel colors.
Macarons are great for spring! They are so colorful that they just scream spring, Easter, and happiness to me! So you want to make them for Easter now, right?
Unfortunately, I am going to beg you to not try this recipe for the first time five hours before you have friends and family wanting to eat them! I don’t want this recipe to become that sad story you tell at family reunions because they didn’t turn out, and you hurriedly whipped out the cake mix, so you had something to serve. This recipe is difficult to get 100% correct on the first try…. that being said, don’t be afraid of them either.
Since macarons are a challenge to get right, I wrote up this really detailed Macaron Tutorial that I hope helps you get them right! I would suggest reading through the entire post and not just skipping to the recipe. It explains some techniques that are important to getting results!
The ganache. The cookie really doesn’t have a whole lot of flavor (except for sugar) but it provides some awesome texture and the aesthetic appeal of the cookies. The ganache filling is where you get some really rich and decadent flavor. Therefore, the quality of chocolate you use will be more noticeable. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate for my ganache and it is absolutely heavenly!
Chop your chocolate up into pretty fine chunks. Now heat the cream on medium-low heat until it just starts to boil. Add the cream to the chocolate and stir until it is completely consistent and smooth. Now add the butter and stir until it’s completely melted and incorporated. Refrigerate the ganache for at least 30 minutes to help it thicken up.
Assembly. Even when using a pattern, not all of the cookies will come out the exact same shape so pair similarly sized cookies together… the cookies in picture 1 probably shouldn’t go together because they will make an awkward shaped cookie! Take a knife and smear on some of the ganache and then top it with another cookie! If you’re really enthusiastic and really want the perfect cookie, you can pipe the ganache on … I don’t know about you, but I’m usually exhausted once I get to the assembly or decoration of cookies and cakes… so the last thing I want to do is pull out pastry bags and create more dishes! 
Storing cookies. Refrigerate these cookies. They actually soften up in the fridge after about 12 hours, and the cookies start to meld together. I personally like it when the cookie part is less crispy and more chewy so I would serve them cold too!
Please don’t hesitate to ask questions about a recipe or share your experiences in the comment section below… I would love to answer any questions and get feedback. I don’t bite…unless you’re holding the last cookie!
…and voilà!
- 200 g (a skimpy 2 cups) powdered sugar
- 100 g (1 cup) almond flour/meal
- 100 g (3 large eggs) egg whites, room temperature*
- pinch of salt
- 50 g (about ¼ cup) granulated sugar
- food coloring (optional)
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into cubes
- Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together twice, throwing the leftover almond pebbles out.
- In a separate bowl and with a mixer, beat the room temperature egg whites and salt on medium speed until they are white and frothy.
- Add granulated sugar and beat until you have soft peaks.
- Beat in food coloring and then continue mixing until you have stiff peaks. Do not over beat.
- Fold all of the powdered sugar and almond mixture into the meringue. Fold until the batter is no longer gritty and runs off the spatula like lava would, about 30-50 turns.
- Let the batter sit for 10-25 minutes.
- Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you want to use a pattern to help you pipe uniform circles, slip that under the parchment paper that you are piping on.
- Using a pastry bag (or a ziplock) and a ½ inch tip, pipe out the batter into uniform 1.5 inch diameter circles.
- Tap the pan on the counter to get rid of air bubbles and any peaks from piping.
- Let the cookies rest for about 30 - 60 minutes on the counter so that the cookies are tacky to the touch. Larger cookies will need more towards 45 - 60 minutes while 1 inch cookies will need less time. If the cookies have not sat out long enough, they will crack on the top and will not form feet.
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Bake one sheet at a time for about 15-20 minutes, until they are lightly golden brown. They should easily peel off the parchment paper. It is better for the cookies to be slightly overdone rather than underdone. Overdone cookies will soften up over time in the refrigerator whereas underdone cookies end up hollow.
- Let cool on the pan on a wire rack.
- Finely chop the bittersweet chocolate.
- Heat the cream on medium-low heat until it just starts to boil.
- Add the cream to the chocolate and stir until it is completely consistent and smooth.
- Add the butter and stir until it’s completely melted and incorporated.
- Refrigerate the ganache for at least 30 minutes to help it thicken up.
- Pair similar sized cookies together
- Smear or pipe one cookie with ganache and sandwich it with the other.
Sources: Chow.com and Entertaining with Beth YouTube channel
These were so delicious I continue to get compliments from coworkers who thought they were heavenly!
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed them!