The Easiest Chocolate Macaron Recipe You'll Ever Find

It was during finals week of winter quarter when my friends and I were using the rest of our extra swipes on boxes of macarons from Cafe 1919.  Ever since then, I began to think about how to make my own macarons.  Fortunately, I stumbled across this recipe by Ella from Home Cooking Adventures. 

I followed this recipe to make my own chocolate macarons!  This recipe is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.  It was my first time ever making chocolate macarons, and I think that they turned out pretty well!

Chocolate Macarons

• Prep Time:45 mins
• Cook Time:15 mins
• Total Time:1 hr
• Servings:20
• Medium

Ingredients

• Macarons:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites at room temperature
• pinch salt
• Chocolate filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter optional
• Additional:
• Sifter
• 3 bowls
• 1 piping bag
• Parchment paper
• 2 baking trays
• Handmixer
• Spatula
• Saucepan

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder into one bowl

  

• Step 2

  Use the handmixer to beat the egg whites in the second bowl until they turn white and stiff. While mixing, gradually add in the granulated sugar. If you can turn the bowl upside down without any of the egg whites spilling, they are ready!

  

• Step 3

  Fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites in three batches with the spatula. There should not be any streaks of egg whites left. If you can make a "figure 8" without the batter breaking, stop mixing!

  

• Step 4

  Transfer the batter into a piping bag (if you don't have one, feel free to use a plastic bag, just cut the corner!)

  

• Step 5

  Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles. Be sure to leave space in between each circle. Knock the baking sheet a few times against your counter to flatten the macarons and remove any air bubbles. Let the macarons sit for 30 minutes until a "skin" forms and they are not wet when lightly touched. This step is crucial because it is what makes the shell of the macaron! If it is not completely dry, then the shell will crack when it is baked.

  

• Step 6

  When the macarons are done drying, bake them for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool, and then remove from the baking sheet.

  

• Step 7

  For the filling, heat the cream in a saucepan. Once it begins to boil at the edge of the pan, remove it from the oven and pour over the chocolate in a bowl. Mix, add the butter in (optional), and let cool. Then, use a knife to spread a bit of the filling on top of one macaron cookie then sandwich it with another cookie.

  

For a first timer, I was able to follow along pretty well and made some awesome macarons!  The instructions say to wait a day to let the macarons "age" (AKA give them time to develop their flavors), but no one will notice if some of the macarons happen to disappear after assembly :).  Hopefully, this guide helps you to make your own macarons.  Happy baking!