Chocolate Macarons from our Paris Cooking Classes

Macarons are a classic French treat that can be enjoyed as dessert, or even as a part of breakfast, easily making them the most popular sweet in all of France. And they are not as difficult as you might think! You simply have to get the hang of making a good meringue, which then gets piped, baked, and eventually filled. My kids make macarons, so trust us when we say you can do it too!

Of course, you can learn from experts during one of our Paris cooking classes or one of our culinary tours of France. But in the meantime… voilà!

Chocolate Macarons

Serves: 24
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cook method: Bake

Ingredients:

For the meringe

• 125 gr almond flour
• 125 gr confectioner’s sugar
• 125 gr caster sugar*
• 3 tsp high quality cocoa powder
• 4 egg whites, room temperature

For the Ganache filling

• 50 mL heavy whipping cream
• 75 gr high-quality dark chocolate, or milk chocolate if you prefer

*If you can’t find caster sugar, use granulated sugar that has been pulsed 8-10 times in a food processor or blender. 

Instructions:

1. Sift the almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, and cocoa together.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then gradually whisk in the caster sugar at high speed and keep whisking until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy, about 2 minutes.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture in 2 batches, being careful not to over mix.

4. Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 in nozzle and pipe the macarons onto baking pans lined with parchments. They should be about 4 cm in diameter and about 3-4 cm apart.

5. Let sit for 20 minutes until a “skin” forms on the surface of the macaron. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

6. Bake the macaron for 15-17 minutes, or until firm to the touch but not cracking. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Check out a recipe for authentic French meringues.

7. To make the ganache, chop the chocolate. Heat the cream until steaming hot, then pour over the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Leave for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.

8. Pipe the ganache into the center of each macaron and sandwich them with another macaron the same size.

You can store the macarons in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge.

Check out all of our culinary tours of France and Paris cooking classes.

By Peg Kern

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