This post is sponsored by LorAnn Oils, Inc. All opinions are mine alone.
Aromatic chocolate hazelnut macarons filled with thick smear of Nutella. Delightful little desserts you can easily whip up in your kitchen.
It’s been waaaay too long since I posted a new macaron recipe here. And I know you all love them, just as much as I do. How I know? Well, just take a look at these photos from YOU! Plus, I get a ton of happy comments about your macaron success and questions on troubleshooting. I absolutely love getting your feedbacks. Keep them coming!
So yeah, we love our french macarons. And today I’m sharing with you another fantastic variation: CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT Macarons!! Filled with thick smear of rich and delicious Nutella.
And let me tell you something.
Delicious chocolate hazelnut flavors don’t come just from Nutella. The macaron shells are actually infused with amazing chocolate hazelnut flavor candy oil from LorAnn Oils, Inc. The macarons smell so deliciously aromatic. I’ve been using LorAnn Oils for almost a year now. You might remember I had used their pumpkin spice emulsion for my pumpkin macarons for the first time last year. And I’ve been in love with their products ever since!
Just a few notes about these candy oils. They are also known as super strength flavors, which means a little bit goes a very long way. These candy oils are so concentrated and 3-4 times stronger than regular extract. So, we’ll only need about 1/8 of teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut flavor in our macaron batter. Be very careful when you measure it. 🙂
Ok, now let’s talk a little bit about the recipe and technique.
We are using a combination of almond flour and hazelnut flour. I always use ready-to-use almond and hazelnut flour, but if you choose to you can grind your own as well.
As far as the technique, we need to follow the same ol’ guidelines. I’ve been giving lots of tips in each of my macaron recipes, and I’m thinking to write a comprehensive French Macaron 101 post to list all the do’s and don’ts of making macarons in one place. What ya think of this idea? Let me know in the comments below, and if you have any specific questions, leave them below as well.
So back to guidelines:
- Do sift the dry ingredients at least 3 times to get rid of large lumps and big pieces of nut. This is crucial for smooth and beautiful shells.
- Make sure the mixing bowl and the whisk are absolutely free of grease and oil. And be careful when separating the egg whites from yolks and don’t include a single drop of egg yolk in whites. Any trace of oil and/or yolk will prevent the egg whites to reach hard peaks.
- Beat the egg whites on slow speed at first and gradually increase the speed as they start foaming. This creates a stable meringue, perfect base for the macaron batter.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until the batter reaches the correct consistency. It should fall into a ribbon and the edges should smooth out within 10 seconds.
- Once the macarons are piped into rounds, tap the baking sheet on the counter to release any air bubbles and let them rest for half hour or until they form a nice film. This step will prevent any cracks during baking and will create pretty ruffled feet on the bottom.
- For filling, we’ll use a jar of Nutella. Easy-peasy!
Hope you give these lovely little cookies a try. They are absolutely the best thing in the world!
Thank you all for reading!!
Chocolate Hazelnut Macarons
Ingredients
For Macarons Shells:
- 2/3 cup 80gr hazelnut flour
- 1/3 cup 40gr almond flour
- ¾ cup 100gr powdered sugar
- 2 large egg whites 70-75gr
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup 50gr sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon chocolate hazelnut candy oil
For Filling:
- ½ -1 cup Nutella
Instructions
- In medium bowl, sift together hazelnut flour, almond flour and powdered sugar twice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until hard peaks form. Add vanilla extract and candy oil. Beat on medium speed for one more minute.
- Sift the dry ingredients over the whipped egg whites. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture, running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to over mix it though. Every so often test the batter to see if it reached the right consistency. To test the batter, drop a small amount of batter and count to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within ten seconds, then the batter is ready. Do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter couple more times and test again. Keep in mind that just couple of folds changes the consistency of the batter tremendously. This step is so crucial, so please make sure to test often to ensure not to over mix the batter.
- Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. (I used Wilton A1 tip)
- Pipe out 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You should get about 46-50 rounds.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don’t release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the beautiful macarons shells. And who wants cracked macarons, right?
- Let the macarons rest and dry for 15-30 minutes. On a humid day, it might take an hour or so. To see if it’s ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn’t stick to your finger, then it’s ready.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake the macarons for 18-20 minutes. To check the doneness, remove one macaron. If the bottom does not stick, they are done.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, and then remove from the baking sheets.
- To assemble the macarons, smear a thick layer of Nutella on one side of macaron shell and top with another shell.
Tips & Notes:
Berna says
Hi! What brand of hazelnut flour did you get?
Shinee says
Hi, Berna. Hmm, it’s been a while since I made hazelnut macarons and I can’t remember what brand flour I used. Sorry.
Lisa says
Thank you for the detailed macaron instructions! Your recipe made for a successful first foray into macarons.
Can the recipes be successfully doubled?
Shinee says
Yay, congrats on your macaron success, Lisa!! Yes, I’ve doubled the recipe with a great success. Thank you for your feedback!