Happy Sunday! I’ve been busting my ass working on my first cookbook but I’m taking a quick (& short) break to share this recipe with you as it’s one of my favorite macaron recipes I’ve developed! It’s a chocolate macaron base with a white chocolate peppermint ganache filling, or simply put chocolate peppermint macarons! I developed this recipe for the Holiday Cookie issue of Bake From Scratch, along with two other recipes that you should check out in the issue! But back to these macarons…
These chocolate peppermint macarons are the perfect holiday cookie. They are wonderfully delicate and full of bold Christmas flavor. It’s surprisingly simple to make these macarons as long as you work with a delicate hand and really pay attention to what you’re doing. Regardless of if your macarons crack or don’t form feet, you will still end up with a deliciously tasty treat everyone will love. And if you do happen to have a few aesthetic flaws, they are easily covered with powdered sugar!
Now, get this recipe for chocolate peppermint macarons pinned, then let’s get baking, because, dude, these are SO DELICIOUS… you have to try them.
Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Check these out!
Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Fudgy Brownie Crinkle Cookies
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Ganache Cookies
Red Velvet Macarons
Chocolate Peppermint Macarons
Ingredients
- 120 grams egg whites (approx. 4 large eggs)
- 120 grams granulated sugar
- 200 grams powdered sugar
- 130 grams almond flour
- 15 grams cocoa powder
- Garnish: crushed peppermint candy
For the White Chocolate Peppermint Ganache:
- 9 oz white chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
Instructions
- Make the macarons: In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites
on medium speed until foamy. Continue to beat until your whisk begins leaving
visible trails in the foamy egg whites. - Once you can see trails, gradually add the granulated sugar, increase the mixer
speed, and whip on high until the meringue forms stiff peaks. (Be sure not to
over-whip your egg whites otherwise you risk drying them out.) - Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the dry
ingredients to the meringue and fold with a rubber spatula from the bottom of
the bowl upward then press the flat side of your spatula through the middle
against the side of the bowl. (The batter will look very thick at first, but it
will get thinner as you fold.) Continue folding until the batter gets to a
lava-like consistency. Pro Tip:
The figure 8 test is a great way to check your batter’s consistency; pick up
the batter with your spatula and let it flow down into the bowl while drawing
the figure “8”. If it can do that without the batter breaking, immediately stop
folding. - Transfer the batter into a large pastry bag with a medium-sized round tip, such as a Wilton 2A plain round tip.
- Holding the piping bag at a 90 ̊ angle to the surface, pipe
out the batter into 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined
with parchment paper. (Feel free to print out a macaron template if you’re
worried about size/uniformity). Sprinkle crushed peppermint on the top of each shell,
if desired. - Holding the baking sheet with both hands, carefully bang the sheet 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 your beautiful macarons
shells.) - Repeat the piping and banging process until you have used up all the batter (usually about three sheet pans worth.)
- Let the macarons rest and dry for 30 minutes or until a skin has developed; on a
humid day, it might take an hour or more. 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.
(Don’t forget to remove the macaron templates, if using, before baking!) - While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C) and position the
oven rack in the center of the oven. - Bake the macarons, one tray at a time, for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan once
halfway through the cooking process. - Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes before peeling off the parchment paper and cooling completely on a wire rack. (If the bottoms are a tiny bit sticky, keep them on the tray to cool off for an additional
10-15 minutes. If, however, the bottoms are already brown, they peel off cleanly, or they appear over-baked, then carefully take them off the tray immediately to cool down.) Repeat the baking process with the remaining sheet pans.
Pro Tip:
It’s always better to over- rather than under-bake your macarons as the
maturation process can typically salvage ones that are over-baked. - Make the white chocolate peppermint ganache frosting: Heat heavy cream up until just simmering and pour it over the chopped white chocolate. Let the cream and chocolate mixture sit for 3 minutes.
- Add the peppermint extract, then whisk the mixture together in one direction until combined and smooth.
- Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap pressed on the top of the ganache and place in the refrigerator to let it cool until it firms up, about 1 hour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the ganache until
it’s a light & fluffy frosting consistency. - Transfer the white chocolate peppermint ganache frosting into a pastry bag and fill the macarons, then gently sandwich together.
Notes
- Store unused frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If the frosting feels too stiff, allow it sit at room temperature for some time before piping it.
- Macarons are best enjoyed the next day after they mature in the fridge (since the flavors will be absorbed into the shell). If your shell is hard/crunchy/over-baked, letting them mature will also cause the shells to absorb the moisture from the filling and soften up / give them their signature chewy texture.
Nutrition
Sharing this recipe with you guys today as a part of the virtual cookie party my friend Cosette from Cosette’s Kitchen is hosting! Be sure to check out the hashtag #virtualcookieparty2019 on Instagram for more cookie inspiration or check out some of the recipes below:
Cosette’s Tahini Pinwheel Cookies
Kathryn Pauline’s (Cardamom and Tea)Sesame Blossom Cookies
Candice Walker’s (Proportional Plate) Dark Chocolate Gelt with Matcha Mousse
Tawnie Graham’s (Krolls_Korner) White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Rylee Foer’s (About to Sprout) Spiced Honey Cardamom Cookies with Orange Glaze
Gina Fontana’s (Healthy Little Vittles) Cookie Dough Stuffed Dates
Christine Ma’s (Cherry on My Sundae) Southern Butter Pecan Skillet Cookie
Alexa Blay’s (Key To My Lime) Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies for Cutouts
Tamara Giebel’s (The Herbalist & The Carnivore) Chocolate Espresso Dipped Hazelnut Lace Cookies
Ashley Cuoco’s (AshCuoco) Stamped Citrus Shortbread
Elizabeth Waterson’s (ConfessionsOfABakingQueen) Viennese Whirls
Erin Kowal’s (Down to a Simmer) Date Drop Cookies
Lily Morello’s (LilyBubbleTea) Holiday Fuel Cookies
Kathleen Culver’s (The Floured Table) Triple Ginger Molasses Cookies
Taylor Carson’s (Crust and Confections PNW) Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Kimberlee Ho’s (kickassbaker) White Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cindy Feingold’s (saltandserenity) Chocolate Dipped Mint sandwich Cookies
Tamara, Tina, & Tara’s (ThreeTeasKitchen) https://threeteaskitchen.com/lawzena/
Jean Choi’s (whatgreatgrandmaate) Cranberry Pistachio Paleo Chocolate Cookies
Tristin Rieken’s (onearmedmama) Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Kathryn’s (wornslapout) Rocky Road Chocolate Bark
Taylor’s (allpurposeflourchild) Mulling Spice and Orange Marmalade Thumbprint Cookies
Dana’s (olivemeetscoconut) Cranberry Orange Halaweh Cookies
Kristine Hinterkopf’s (TheEarnestBaker) Smoked Sea Salt and Bourbon Cowboy Cookies
Anita’s (cookonawhim) Cranberry and Rosemary Tassies
Casey Colodny’s (TheMindfulHapa) Paleo Soft Ginger Cookies
Emma Duckworth’s (Emma Duckworth Bakes) Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Kat Higashiyama’s (Pasta Ragazza) Chocolate and Coffee Biscotti
So pretty! How did you manage to keep the crushed peppermints intact on your macarons? As I assumed, all the crushed peppermint melted when I put the macarons into the oven!
Oh no! Try using crushed candy canes instead!