Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons

    I can remember the first time that I tasted this delicious treat back when I was younger with my mom. I have always been thankful for great taste in food because it has led me to some of the very best things. They have a surprising chewy center that just melts in your mouth. I have always been scared to try these because of its exactness, but today felt like the perfect day to get after it. And let me tell you they were amazing!

    I am certainly guilty when it comes to just taking a glimpse at the directions, but I promise this is something you will want to be sure to do.

    There are some important tips for making the perfect macarons, so make sure to read them over.

    Weigh Ingredients – This is one of the most important rules when making macarons. I use a small food scale to weigh all the ingredients in grams to be sure they are precise. Mine is a Ozeri Food Scale that you can get from Amazon.

    Age your egg whites – This is the reason behind the texture of true macaron. You can do this the night before by putting the egg whites in the fridge, and then taking them out in the morning to reach room temperature. If you didn’t have time to age your egg whites a little hack is to place the eggs in a bowl of warm water to bring to room temperature before using.

    Almond Flour – It provides the structure to the macaron. My go to almond flour is Bob’s Red Mill which can be purchased on Amazon.

    Food Processor/Sift Flour – It helps get a finer texture, and you can use it to mix the powdered sugar in as well.

    Release Air – When mixing you flour and egg mixtures, you will want to place your spatula flat on the batter and turn the bowl. Once you can drizzle a figure 8 in the batter it is good to go.

    Another place you will release air is after you have piped them onto the pan. Smack the pan about 5 times on the counter to cause any air bubbles to pop. Any additional bubbles can be poked with a toothpick to smooth them out.

    Piping – This has never been my specialty, but if you place your bag into a cup and fold over the edges before filling, it makes it a lot simpler. While piping the batter onto the pan, be sure to stay vertical with the pan at all times.

    Crust – After piping, allow the batter to rest at room temperature until a crust forms. About 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on humidity. The crust has formed once you are able to lightly press your finger on the top and it doesn’t stick.

     

    These take time so don’t be discouraged if they don’t work out perfect the first time! Be careful not to over mix the batter or egg whites because you will get hollow centers and flat cookies (no feet). Above is a picture of how the feet will form on the bottom of the macarons. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

     

     

     

     

    Ingredients

    Macarons

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

    • For: 18 Macarons
    • Preparation: 25 min
    • Cooking: 15 min
    • Ready in: 1 h 10 min

    Instructions

    Chocolate Macarons

    1. Preheat oven to 320F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Then pulse in the food processor about 10 times to make the mixture even finer.
    3. Whip the egg whites on low. Once frothy, slowly add in the sugar in thirds. Once the egg whites turn white, you will see lines forming on the surface, add the cream of tartar. Continue mixing until glossy peaks form. Add the vanilla and mix on high until the peaks become stiff and bunch inside the whisk.
    4. Add in about 1/3 of the almond mixture to the meringue. Fold the batter with a spatula and wipe the edges until all of the almond mixture is in the meringue.
    5. Gently press the spatula on top of the batter while turning the bowl to get any air out of the meringue. Continue to do so until the meringue falls from the spatula like a ribbon and can form a figure 8.
    6. Pipe small rounds about 1" in diameter on parchment paper.
    7. Bake at 320F for about 14-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool completely and then they should be able to be removed form the parchment paper without sticking. If they stick, they were not baked enough.
    8. After cooled, fill one cookie with ganache and add another cookie on top. Store in the refrigerator.

    Ganache

    1. Place the chocolate, cream, vanilla, peanut butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl for one minute. Whisk until smooth (heat additional 15 seconds if not melted).
    2. Place in fridge for 15-20 minutes then whisk until smooth again. Fill the cookies.