Mocha Macarons

I know these little cookies can be intimidating! I’ve definitely been there as well. After much many fails, I think I have finally perfected these cookies. Just follow my fool-proof recipe to make these delicious mocha macarons! Follow the mocha swiss meringue buttercream recipe to fill up these macarons. 

Ingredients you’ll need to make these macarons!

• superfine almond flour
• powdered sugar
• egg whites
• granulated sugar
• brown gel food colouring

Some equipment that may be useful to perfect these cookies!

• 2 medium bowls
• whisk
• sieve
• stand mixer with the whisk attachment
• kitchen scale
• spatula
• piping bag with a large round tip
• baking tray
• silpat (or parchment paper) 

Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. 

Sifting the ingredients ensures any large lumps are removed. There may be about a teaspoon of almond flour left, which can be discarded so don’t try to push it through the sieve!

Whip together egg whites and sugar to make the meringue.

Ensure there are no traces of fat or egg yolk in the bowl or whisk. I like to give my equipment a thorough wash before making these cookies and make sure to wipe it dry with a paper towel. I like to begin at a low speed and then slowly increase it so that it makes a strong and stable meringue. Slowly adding in the sugar ensures it doesn’t deflate the egg whites and overwhelm them. Once it has reached stiff peaks, you can add gel food colouring. You can tell it has reached stiff peaks once you can flip the bowl upside down on your head, or it will look like it’s clumping up on the whisk, but it still looks smooth and shiny. 

Combine dry ingredients with meringue.

I find that adding the dry ingredients all at once is simpler and works just as well as adding it in batches. This step is called macaronage and the goal is the deflate the egg whites just enough to create a lava-like consistency. Once you are able to draw a figure 8 with your spatula without the batter breaking, it is perfect. Try not to overmix as you can’t go back! I slow down once I get it close to the consistency I like and keep testing using the figure 8 method.

Pipe out macarons and wait until a skin forms

To make the perfect macron shape, I hold my piping bag at a 90-degree angle from the baking sheet and then squeeze the bag until it is the right size, let go and then do a little swirl. This ensures that there are no “tips” or macaron nipples. You can always fix this with a toothpick as well. If you have trouble piping out consistent rounds, print off a template and place it underneath your silpat! You’ll notice that when you first pipe out your batter, it will look shiny. As a skin forms, it will look more matte. To test if a skin has formed, gently touch the macarons. If it doesn’t stick to your finger and feels dry, it is ready to bake. I find that having a warmer room with lower humidity speeds up this process, however, I live in a wet and cold Raincouver so It can take up to 2 hours! Just keep testing every 30 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes.

If macarons start to brown before finishing, lower your temperature to 290 F. Macarons are finished baking when it pulls off the baking sheet cleanly without sticking. You can test one when you take it out of the oven! Let the rest of the shells cool completely before removing them from the silpat.

Fill macarons with your choice of filling and sandwich them together

Pair up macarons before filling them to ensure the same sized shells go together. They are eaten best after they have maturated in the fridge for a few hours as the flavours from the filling are able to meld with the shells. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Eat the macarons at room temperature, so take them out of the fridge for 20 minutes before enjoying them! Follow my Mocha Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe for the perfect filling for these macarons.

FAQ

Why do my mocha macarons have no feet? 

One reason could be your oven isn’t hot enough, so there is not enough heat to cause the macarons to rise. If your macarons have no feet and are also cracked, you might have overmixed the batter. Next time, remember to slow down when doing the macaronage process and test using the figure 8 method after each fold. Another reason could be you didn’t whip the egg whites enough. Make sure they are at a stiff peak before you move on to the next step 🙂 

Why did my mocha macarons crack?

Similar to the previous question, the most common culprit is an overmixed batter. I know these little cookies can be difficult to make, but just remember to take your time and not rush!

Why are my mocha macarons not evenly shaped? 

The most common reason is overmixing the batter. This makes the batter thinner and it will spread out weirdly on the silpat and not have a uniform circle shape, even if you piped it out perfectly. I recommend using a template and sliding it underneath your silpat or parchment paper to create perfect little circles! 

Do I need a kitchen scale to make mocha macarons? 

My personal answer is yes! I recommend getting a kitchen scale and weighing out all your ingredients as it is way more accurate than using measuring spoons. Since these cookies are super finicky and I want you to succeed in making these, getting a kitchen scale and measuring each ingredient to the gram will increase your chances greatly! 

Feel free to comment down below if you have anymore questions!