Mocha Macarons

Feb 25, 2018
4 min read

Macarons.

Mah-kah-rhons.

Sounds weird...I always called them macaroons.

Anywaaaaayyyy hello all you beautiful people, glad to have you back <333 This is probably my favorite post ever because well, it involves:

coffee.

chocolate.

& macarons.

What else do you need in life? Besides Jesus... we need Jesus :)

For the past month or so I've been trying to master my macaron techniques. I tried the French, Italian, and Swiss meringue methods. Most people are familiar with the French and Italian methods, however, I seem to have the most success with the Swiss method, which I've adapted from Broma Bakery. I will do a post on all three of these methods very soon, so stick around! As for now, I will teach you how to make the best little macarons you've ever had ! ...if you haven't been to Paris, that is. LOL.

If you can't tell, I'm really making some progress with this camera! Or at least, I think so...

MOCHA MACARONS

Yields: 26-28 cookies | Prep Time: 20 min + wait time| Bake Time: 13 min | Total Time: 33 min + wait time

INGREDIENTS:

Cookie Shell

100g (1 cup) almond flour
100g (7/8 cup) powder sugar
100g (1 cup) granulated sugar
100g (~3 large) egg whites
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder

Ganache Filling

½ cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate (white, dark, or both)*

*Use ½ cup white and ½ cup dark chocolate, each with ¼ cup heavy cream if using both.

DIRECTIONS:

Start off by measuring all of your ingredients out, preferably by grams.
Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and espresso powder.*
Heat up a small pot of water on the stove to create a double boiler for your Swiss meringue.
Mix egg whites and sugar in mixing bowl and whisk over double boiler until about 115F or until sugar is fully dissolved and egg whites are frothy.
Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
Slowly pour in dry ingredients and mix for a few seconds, until combined.
Remove and fold with spatula until your macaronage is complete.**
Using a piping bag, with a circle tip, pipe out desired size circles onto baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.***
Allow cookies to form shell for about 20 minutes while preheating oven to 300F.****
Bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven for 13 minutes, turning pan halfway through if necessary (browning on one side).*****
Remove and allow to cool completely before filling.
Heat up heavy cream over stove or in microwave and pour over chocolate.
Let sit for a minute and mix until no more chunks are visible, allow to cool for a few minutes until thick enough to pipe.
If you are using both and you want that marble/ombre effect with the white and dark chocolate, just alternate scoops into your piping bag, forming layers.
Store in airtight container. A few days on the counter, a week or so in the fridge, and up to a few months in the freezer.

LOVE NOTES

You should really try using a scale when baking macarons, it will make your life easier. I have this one.
Make sure you use espresso powder and not granules, the one I've been using is from Romania but I'm going to order this one or this one next.
*Some people sift their dry ingredients like three times, to get that shiny surface, I'm not about that life. I sifted half of my almond flour and got annoyed so just dumped the rest in and they turned out fine. I used Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour.
Some people also blend the dry ingredients together in a processor instead or before sifting.
**Your batter should be able to ribbon off without breaking and blend back in within a few seconds or you can do the '8' test, where it should be able to form an eight without it breaking.
***I used a cookie pan with parchment paper.
****With the French and Italian methods, drying is necessary; some people are able to skip this step with the Swiss method but I could not. I baked the first pan immediately and this whole pan of cookies cracked, however the second pan that sat out while the first was baking, turned out perfectly. The time it takes for the shell to form generally depends on your humidity but you will be able to see the matte shell, and it won't be sticky when you touch it lightly.
*****I bake one pan at a time because I tried doing two and one whole pan cracked. I also don't find the need to turn my pan half-way through, they normally look fine.
I used a circle tip when piping the ganache. Make sure not to overfill your piping bag, you don't want it overspilling out the other end, so aim for half-way full at a time.
To speed up cooling of ganache, refrigerate but keep a close eye so it doesn't turn to hard to pipe.

I've been soooo nervous to start making macarons but I finally did it and they turned out great. I think I tried four-five different recipes/methods before getting them just right but even if they're hideous you can always eat them, they usually still taste great, lol. I'm soooo excited to experiment with new flavors so if you have any questions or suggestions about these or other flavors, comment down below! As always, I'm glad you stopped by and I hope this inspired you to make these beauties for yourself. Have a blessed day and bon appetite darlings!