Ultimate chocolate macarons recipe with deep dive information on what cocoa powder works the best, specific tips to consider for making chocolate macarons and more!
Have you mastered basic macarons and are up for a challenge?
If you thought plain macarons are a pain, just wait to try making chocolate version. I’m not saying this to discourage you, but I also want to give you a fair warning and set you up for success.
Here’s the thing…
If you haven’t mastered the basic macaron techniques, like making a stable meringue, understanding a proper macaronage, or figured out your oven’s sweet spot, your macaron journey may turn out harder than it needs to be.
Why?
Because an addition of cocoa powder throws a curveball to the whole process. But don’t worry, I’ll share ALL THE TIPS I learned over the years right here!
My Recipe Testing History
Before we dive into the details, let me just share with you my very first chocolate macarons from years ago! After another 5 trials, I finally shared my first version of chocolate macarons recipe in November 2014.
Then some of my readers reported having issues. So in December 2016, I re-worked my recipe yet again. The recipe itself wasn’t changed much, but I added some crucial details and shared precise ingredients amount (think, grams instead of volume measurements!)
And since we always learn new things, I too learned new things about various cocoa powders. Since the last part of 2020, I’ve been experimenting with different cocoa powders. And I’m so excited to share with you what I learned!
Chocolate Macarons Recipe v3.0
These chocolate macarons are beyond indulgent. So rich, yet addicting, you won’t be able to stop at just one! Even the failed ones are supremely good!! You won’t be disappointed!!
Now, again, the base recipe hasn’t changed. I’m just adding some variables for you to consider when making chocolate macarons.
There’s literally no one perfect, foolproof macaron recipe, and you can achieve perfect (to you) macarons only through experimentation. And my goal here is to equip you with all the tips and tricks to consider when making these decadent treats.
What cocoa powder should I use for macarons?
Does type of cocoa powder matter in making chocolate macarons? Yes, no and maybe! 🙂
I’ve tested 6 different cocoa powders with the same recipe and got various results. I’ve had perfect and not-so-perfect macarons with each brand of cocoa powder! Confusing much?!!
I know, you’re here for answers, not for more confusion. But bear with me on this, I’ll explain everything in just a bit.
Cocoa Powder Types:
There’re 2 types of cocoa powders:
- Natural cocoa powder – acidic, has richer chocolate flavor, lighter shade of brown
- Dutch-processed (or Dutched) cocoa powder – neutralized, has less chocolate-y flavor, darker in color
Typically, in baking, you don’t want to use these 2 types of cocoa powders interchangeably, especially in cakes and cupcakes. Because natural and Dutched cocoa powders react differently with leavening agents, such as baking soda and baking powder, which may negatively affect the rise of your baked goods.
However, since macarons don’t rely on any leavening chemicals like baking powder or soda, you can use either Dutched or natural cocoa powders.
Experiment Results of Using Different Cocoa Powder Brands:
Cacao Barry Extra Brut cocoa powder
I loved how these macarons were dark and rich colored. They were slightly on the soft side, meaning the shells were a little fragile on the top. But baking these macarons a little longer solved the problem. After filling and maturing, they were perfect!
Valrhona cocoa powder
Valrhona cocoa powder is pretty dark in color, which produced richer colored macarons with great chocolate flavor. However, some of the macarons had slightly wavy tops (not completely wrinkly), and I suspect it’s due to higher fat amount of the cocoa powder.
Guittard Rich Dutched cocoa powder
These chocolate macs were also perfect: nice shells with crisp outer layer, full inside and great chocolate flavor. They had slightly darker shade of brown than macarons made with Hershey’s natural cocoa powder.
Ghirardelli Natural and Dutched cocoa powders
I was quite surprised how similar the macarons with Ghirardelli natural and Dutched cocoa powders were. Although cocoa powders have different shades, the macarons were practically the same color. But nonetheless, they were perfect macarons with nice smooth tops and full inside.
Hershey’s Natural cocoa powder
Macarons with Hershey’s natural cocoa powder came out perfect every time! Crisp outer skin, full meaty inside, smooth tops and chocolatey flavor! The only downside is they are light brown colors, which is no big deal in my opinion. And if you want richer brown color, add a small amount of brown gel food coloring.
How to make chocolate macarons:
Now that we sorted everything with cocoa powders, let’s make these beautiful macarons.
- As usual, we’ll start with sifting dry ingredients 3 times!
- Make the meringue. Watch my Meringue 101 video for more tips to get the most stable French meringue.
- Now, add dry ingredients into the meringue and mix until the batter falls slowly off the spatula into a ribbon. The edges of the fallen batter should dissolve back into the batter in about 15 seconds. (Read my tip on batter consistency below.)
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe the shells on 2 baking sheets, lined with parchment paper, or silicone mat. Rest the shells until nice skin forms on top. It shouldn’t stick to your finger when lightly touched.
- Bake for 18-20 at 300°F oven. Cool macaron shells completely on the baking sheets and then carefully peel them off.
- Pair the shells by size and fill them with a filling of choice. (See my suggested filling ideas below.)
Tip
I learned from Phay Shing that chocolate macaron batter tends to be thicker, thus it doesn’t melt back into the batter the same as plain macaron batter.
Chocolate Macarons Filling Ideas:
Chocolate macarons are so versatile and pair perfectly with pretty much any kind of filling. Here’re my favorite ways to fill chocolate macs:
- Simple chocolate ganache
- Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream
- Easy peanut butter buttercream
- Combination of chocolate Swiss buttercream with salted caramel inside
- Straight up Nutella – the easiest solution!
Chocolate Macarons
Ingredients
For macarons shells:
- 100 g finely ground almond flour Note 1
- 75 g powdered sugar Note 2
- 10 g cocoa powder Note 3
- 75 g egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 5
For filling of your choice:
- Chocolate ganache 1/3 of the linked recipe
- Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream 1/2 of the linked recipe
- Salted caramel for the center
Instructions
- To make chocolate macaron shells, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat. (TIP 1: For even air circulation, flip the baking sheets upside down.)
- To prepare dry ingredients, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder twice. Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
- To make meringue, in a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy. (I set it to speed 2 or 4 on my KitchenAid Artisan 5qt stand mixer.)
- When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to whisk.
- Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
- Continue beating the egg whites on the same medium low speed until hard peaks form. Visual cues: Meringue should ball up inside the whisk, and when you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs. (See pictures above or watch this meringue video for more information.)
- To make batter, sift almond flour mixture into the meringue. Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until fully incorporated. Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough to draw a figure eight. To test, take a small amount of batter and drop it into the bowl. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter. (TIP: Making french macarons is all about the technique. This is one of the most crucial step. Let me try to describe the folding motion as best as I can: run the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. If you’re beginner macaron-baker, I suggest to count every fold. It takes roughly about 50 folds to reach the proper consistency. After 50 folds, start testing the batter, and continue testing after every couple folds.)
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip. (I used this Wilton 2A tip.)Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. (TIP 2: I made a perfect macaron template for you. Simply pipe the batter to fill inner circle.)
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or using your hand) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
- Let the macarons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macarons and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Note: I don't use convection settings. I set my oven to heat from top and bottom.
- To bake, working one baking sheet at a time, place one tray with macarons on the middle rack. (TIP: To prevent browning, place an empty baking sheet on top rack to shield the heat.) Bake for about 15-18 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macarons. To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move. (TIP: It’s always better to slightly over-bake macarons than under-bake them!)
- Cool the macarons completely on the baking sheets. Then gently peel them off the parchment paper, or baking mats.
- To assemble macarons, pair the colled macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack. Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
- Pipe a dollop of desired filling on bottom shells. Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads till the edges.
- Store the filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours to mature, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
- To serve, bring the macarons out about 30 minutes prior to serving.
Tips & Notes:
This recipe was originally published on November 21st, 2014.
Wendy says
How do you get the pretty chocolate filling to look like that in your photo? What Piping Tip are you using?
Shinee says
Hi, Wendy. I used this Sultan tip.
Joanna says
I’ve searched for a great recipe and I have found it ! I’ve made them several times and they came out perfect every time. Thank you for sharing!!
Shinee says
YAY, so happy you found and loved my recipe, Joanna! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Swathy says
How many large egg whites do I need to equate to 75g? I don’t have a digital scale, It would be easy if you also give your recipe in US cups.
Shinee says
Hi, Swathy. I don’t recommend making macarons with volume measurements. Macarons require precise ingredients amount for proper look.
Deb says
I’ve just made another batch of the chocolate macarons. I’ve made them a few times and have had great success using this recipe. Delicious!!! Thanks Shinee!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy this one works for you, Deb!! Thank you for your feedback!
Saba says
Hey, Thanks for the recipe! I’m excited to try it and have much success with your basic macaron recipe. A question I have, what brand cocoa powder do you use? I have Ghiradelli, wanted to ask what fat content I should target in the cocoa powder.
Thanks in advance!!
Shinee says
Hi, Saba. I actually in process of testing this recipe with different cocoa powders, but haven’t finalized everything. 2 more brands of cocoa powder left to try. But I know Hershey’s unsweetened natural cocoa powder works perfect.
Gina Faiola says
Hi Shinee! This is my third year using your excellent macaron recipes. My kids and I love your macaron tutorial and your carefully written recipes. We have such a great time making these together and we’ve had a lot of success over the years. This year we tried the chocolate macarons. They came out with a nice foot but the tops are wrinkled. Should I try a different cocoa powder? (I used Trader Joe’s Dutch processed) Or could there be an issue with our mixing? Thanks for the help.
Shinee says
Hi, Gina!! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. So happy my basic macaron recipe works for you. Chocolate macarons are definitely more finicky, and a lot depends on the cocoa powder. I’m currently testing different brands of cocoa powder, and will share my results soon. I haven’t tried TJ’s cocoa powder, and it probably is the culprit. That soft wrinkled shell is very common with chocolate macarons, it’s an indication of excess moisture or fat. That being said, I’ve used Hershey’s Natural cocoa powder in this recipe.
Ching says
So when you test when the batter is ready, where do you drop the batter? Do you drop it on the counter or put a small bit on a spatula?
Ching says
Never mind I got it.
Advay says
The video has different measurements as compared to the recipe, could you help with that please?
Thanks!
Shinee says
Hi, Advay! Great observation. The reason for that is couple of years ago, I updated my basic macaron recipe, adjusting the sugar amount for better meringue stability. I have made this chocolate macaron with the updated ratios and it works just as great. Hope this helps.
Rose says
I have an odd question (maybe)… where did you get the curvy dish you have them displayed in? Is there a specific name for it? I love this!!
Shinee says
Hi, Rose. Not odd question at all. I get asked this question all the time! 🙂 I personally bought this dish at a thrift store. But I searched and search the internet to find similar one, but it turns out it’s super rare. I found this one on Amazon (affiliate link), but it’s ridiculously expensive!!!
Leila says
I made macarons before but this time they turned out more like brownies but they tasted rlly good
Shinee says
Hi, Leila. Thank you for your feedback.
Sya says
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! But I think I have no luck with macarons 😭😭 I tried to make it, but mine was hollow, and it was chewy and sticky in the middle. Did I underbaked them? But they came off ok from the baking paper. 😭 And may I know what is the difference when I use the powdered sugar (w/ cornflour?) and the pure icing sugar? Does it make the macarons chewier? Hehe thanks!!
Mel says
Took me an entire hour just to mix the batter and it was still too thick. It needed an other egg, and they came out cracked with no feet. They did taste really good though.
Lizzy Abrams says
Hello,
I made your recipe, the chocolate macarons. I used Droste cocoa. They came out excellent. I was sooo happy because for weeks I have been trying different recipes but nothing came out as good as yours. the texture was perfect, the sweetness was perfect, everything!!
thank you!!
I have a question, which is the lastest or improved recipe version of your macarons? de ones that have 100 g of powder sugar or the ones that have 75 grams? Thanks you!!
Lizzy
Jana says
Hi,
Reading some of the reviews and wanted to ask what fat content chocolate should I be using to ensure it doesn’t change the consistency of the batter.
Thanks in Advance.
Jana
Jason Dai says
I’ve made macarons before, and I followed this recipe. However, my macarons do not look like macarons…no feet, cracked tops, not sure what went wrong
Shinee says
Hi, Jason. Thanks for your feedback. It’s quite common to have issues with chocolate macarons. I find that a lot depends on cocoa powder. If you don’t mind, can you please let me know which brand and what type of cocoa powder you used?
Marie says
These did not come out very well. I weighed out all the ingredients and followed the directions. The tops were very cracked and they didn’t have any feet. I also had a similar problem to others with the consistency of the batter; the edges of the dropped batter never really disappeared. So I may have over mixed it, or perhaps it was under mixed…I don’t know. I have made macarons with a different recipe that came out better than these, and for that recipe, the macarons rested for a full hour, whereas here they rested for only 30 min. Also got nowhere near 40 shells, but maybe I piped them too large?
Shinee says
Hi, Marie. Bummer my recipe didn’t work for you. But if you had better success with another recipe, definitely stick to it. Also, not all cocoa powders are made equal. If your cocoa powder had higher fat content, it affects the macaron batter.
Ariel Rainey says
Help! I tried this recipe for my very first attempt at making macaroon shells… They turned out looking like turtle shells or like crumpled up foil, and flat… No feet. I did use a silicone mat, which I remember reading you got weird result with feet in the 101… If I’m remembering correctly. I wasn’t confident in my batter shaping ability.
Also, I felt like my batter was never smooth enough. I measured out my ingredients on a scale, and I felt that when measuring out the powdered sugar… The 100g was WAY more than 3/4 of a cup…
That being said, I definitely mixed and mixed and mixed the batter… But I never felt like my drops of batter fully sunk in. So over mixing is likely a thing… I also let them sit before putting them in the oven… Lightly touched the tops and no batter came off on my finger… My guess is I went wrong in the proportions…
Any advice you can give is much appreciated!
Sozoe says
Your other recipes have 70g of egg whites. Is the 75g in this recipe because of the extra T of cocoa, or do you now use 75g in all of your recipes?
Shinee says
Hi, Sozoe! Yes, in my testing, I learned that we need a little more egg whites due to addition of cocoa powder.
Lyn says
I am not close to making 42 shells. Made this couple times and only about 18 1.5” rounds each time. They all turned out great but curious why i only have so few shells. Any idea? Thanks!
Shinee says
Hi, Lyn. Thank you for writing in. I’m surprised you’re not getting as many as I have. Are your baked shells 1.5-inch rounds, or are you piping 1.5-inch circles? I’m asking this because there’s a little difference. When you pipe 1.5-inch rounds, they usually spread and become bigger as they rest and bake. Let me know.
Angie says
I only got 28 shells from this recipe!
maria says
i liked the recipe. i think it was great for party’s and snacks sweets
i had the same problem though. i had to whip up another egg in order to make the macarons the right consistency.