When it comes to December, the festive excitement is most definitely real and so Christmas finds its way into all of my baking!
With not a dried fruit in sight, these delightful macarons are sure to be a crowd-pleaser this Christmastime for any chocolate lover.
If you’re like me and only even consider having a slice of Christmas pudding for the booze then I’ve got you covered. I chose to sandwich these chocolate shells with a gorgeous Amaretto chocolate ganache! Of course, you can pick whatever Christmas tipple takes your fancy – perhaps a good glug of rum or brandy, or even a cheeky bit of Baileys?
Macarons can be a bit finicky to make but once you get the hang of them, you’ll be making them all the time! Check out my previous macaron post for all my best tips and tricks!
This recipe makes 28 macarons. It will take about 20 mins to prepare the macaron mixture. The macarons need drying time before they are baked. This can take 30 mins – 2 hrs. Once dry, they are baked for approx. 15 mins.
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Shells:
- 53 g almond flour
- 115 g icing sugar
- 7 g cocoa powder
- 60 g egg whites (for best results, age the whites overnight by separating the eggs the day before and leaving them uncovered in a bowl in the fridge)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 ml double cream
- 1-2 tbsp of your favourite Christmas tipple (optional)
To decorate I melted some ‘Bright White’ DecoMelts for 30 seconds in the microwave and topped with holly berry sprinkles. You can use melted white chocolate instead as this is easier to get hold of. Get creative in your decorating!
Useful Equipment: 2 baking trays with a macaron mat placed on top of each one (if you don’t have a macaron mat, place a sheet of baking paper on each tray and draw out circle templates with a diameter of 3 cm – you can use a cookie cutter to do this), hand/stand mixer with whisk attachments, stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, piping bag with a round nozzle, food processor (optional), sieve, spatula, cocktail sticks
Method:
Making the Macaron Shells:
- Sift together the almond flour, cocoa powder and icing sugar. If you have one, I recommend blending them together in a food processor to get the mixture as fine as possible.
- In a clean stainless steel or glass bowl, whisk the egg whites on low until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and keep whisking until the egg whites are voluminous and thick.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar (one third at a time) and increase the speed of whisking to high.
- Whisk until stiff peaks form. It should be thick and glossy. At this point, add your vanilla extract and give it a quick whisk to combine.
- Add in a third of your dry ingredients and fold until combined. Add the rest and continue to fold. As you do so, push your spatula down as you turn the bowl – the aim is to remove some of the air trapped in the mixture.
- Repeat this movement until the batter starts to fall like ribbons. This is a key step to get right as under-mixing can upset the texture of the shells. Pick up some batter with your spatula and let it fall off the end. If it is falling like a ribbon, try drawing a figure of 8. If the batter doesn’t break whilst doing this then it is ready. If it does, keeping folding until the ribbon stage is reached. It should fall quite slowly.
- Place the mixture into a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe onto your macaron mat/template. Try piping straight down into the centre of the circle to achieve a circular shaped macaron.
- Lift the tray about 10 cm off the surface and drop it down onto the table. Do this a couple of times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. You can then smoothen the top with a cocktail stick.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature until dry on top. This can take from 30 mins to 2 hrs depending on the room. You will know they are ready when you can touch the top and it isn’t sticky.
- Whilst the macarons are drying, preheat the oven to 150 °C fan/320 °F.
- Bake for 14-15 mins or until lightly browned on top. Cool completely on the tray.
Assembling the Macarons:
- In order to get neat looking macarons, try and pair similar shaped shells together.
- For the ganache, break up the dark chocolate and place in a glass bowl with the cream over a simmering saucepan of water on a low heat (bain marie). Stir until fully melted.
- (Optional) Add your chosen alcohol and stir to combine. Let the ganache cool to a thick consistency (quicker if refrigerated). Place into a piping bag and pipe a blob the size of a heaped teaspoon into the middle of the bottom shell. Sandwich together with the top shell.
- Decorate however you choose! See my tip above if you want to make mini Christmas Puds too. Enjoy!
Macarons will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also keep the shells for up to 6 months in the freezer.
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