Peppermint Mocha Macarons

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Peppermint Mocha Macarons

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Chocolate Peppermint, Cookies, French Macarons, Macarons

Servings: macarons

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Mike Johnson

Ingredients

For the Macaron Shells:

120 g egg whites (approx. 4 large eggs)
100 g granulated sugar
200 g powdered sugar
130 g almond flour
15 g cocoa powder

For the Peppermint Mocha Filling:

225 g 70% cacao dark chocolate finely chopped
120 g LACTAID® Whole Milk
60 g unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder

For the Garnish:

85 g 70% cacao dark chocolate melted (optional)
crushed peppermint candy (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the macarons: In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder then 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.
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).
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 macaron 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 they're ready to be baked, lightly touch one. 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 with an empty sheet pan preheating inside.
Bake the macarons on top of the preheated sheet pan 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 peppermint mocha filling: Add the dark chocolate and espresso powder to a heatproof bowl. Heat the LACTAID® Whole Milk and butter up until just starting to come to a simmer then pour it over the chocolate and espresso powder. Let the milk 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 peppermint mocha filling into a pastry bag. Pair each macaron shell with another of a similar size and then fill the macarons, gently sandwiching together.
Drizzle the filled macarons with the melted chocolate and then immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermints, if using. Store the filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and bring back to room temperature before enjoying.

Notes

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.

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