For this years last holiday inspired macaron I kept things simple with these dark chocolate macarons. A fun green colored shell topped with Christmas colored nonpareil sprinkles and filled with a creamy and rich dark chocolate ganache.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Macarons (Holiday Edition!)

Shells:

To color the shells I used the Wilton Color Right gel food coloring in Green. You can use as much or as little coloring as you’d like, but these shells took about 10 drops of green coloring. I find that macaron shells will darken their color slightly as they dry out after piping, so keep that in mind.

After piping the macarons onto the baking sheet is when you’ll add any sprinkles of your choice. I used Christmas colored nonpareil sprinkles here. It’s important to add any sort of sprinkles to your macarons while they are still wet, so that they stick.

Filling:

Dark Chocolate Ganache

This dark chocolate ganache is a simple but delicious macaron filling. Its rich and perfect for the chocolate lover in your life. To make the ganache add chopped bittersweet chocolate to a heat proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes. Stir together until the chocolate is fully melted. Add in the butter and mix until everything is combined. Allow ganache to cool and thicken in texture. Once thick, whip with a hand mixture until fluffy and then pipe onto macaron shells.

Tips for Successful Macarons:

If you’ve been following along with my other macaron posts this past week then you’ll be familiar with the following tips. But they are worth repeating each and every time, not only as a reminder for the experienced bakers but also as a handy guide for the newbie.

For a full list of all the equipment needed in making these macarons using the Italian method, check out my Pumpkin Spice Macarons post.

Read through the recipe at least twice – do this before starting to fully understand the method and equipment needed.
Measure out all ingredients – have all ingredients ready to go and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature.
Consistency of dry ingredients – use a finely ground almond flour and sift together with the confectioners sugar, discarding any large granules. If necessary, use a food processor to grind the two ingredients into a fine powder.
Sugar Syrup – carefully monitor the temperature of the syrup so as not to overheat it. Heating beyond 244°F will cause the sugar to become too firm. Use a good candy thermometer for an accurate temperature reading (I use a digital candy thermometer, similar to this one).
Meringue – whip the meringue just until stiff peaks are reached. Meringue should be thick and glossy. If you over mix it will become lumpy and dry, causing hollow shells. Also, be sure the stand mixer bowl is very clean before whipping the egg whites. There should be no liquid or oil residue in the bowl, otherwise it can prevent the eggs whites from whipping up properly.
Macaronage (mixing) – swipe the spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the middle of the batter to combine the meringue with the dry ingredient/paste mixture. The batter should flow smoothly but not become runny. Stop mixing often to check the consistency. Better to under mix than over mix. You should be able to draw a figure “8” with the batter as it falls off the spatula without it breaking.
Piping – hold the piping bag straight up and down. Apply even pressure while piping each round. Release pressure before flicking away the piping tip.
Air Bubbles – bang the baking sheets on the counter to release any air bubbles that may be trapped in the piped macarons. If any stubborn air bubbles remain, use a toothpick to pop them. Air bubbles can lead to cracking or bumpy shells, so best to get rid of them.
Drying – allow the macarons to dry at room temperature until a ‘skin’ forms on the outside of the shell. The shell should not be sticky when lightly touched. The ‘skin’ encourages the macarons to pop up when baking, rather than spread out, creating the little ruffled feet at the bottoms of the shells.

Check out my Other Holiday Macarons!

Dark Chocolate Macarons

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Prep Time: 1 hour 30 min (includes resting)
Cook Time: 12 min
Total Time: 1 hour 45 min (includes resting)
Yield: ~ 30-35 filled macarons

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Description

Green macaron shells topped with holiday colored sprinkles and filled with a creamy and rich dark chocolate ganache.

Ingredients

Scale

Macaron Shells

150 grams almond flour, ground finely
150 grams confectioners sugar
110 grams egg whites (divided into two 55 gram portions)
150 grams granulated sugar
43 grams water
10 drops green gel food coloring (optional)
Holiday colored nonpareil sprinkles

Dark Chocolate Ganache

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 oz heavy cream
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

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Instructions

Macaron Shells

Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If desired, place a template under the parchment paper with 1 1/2 inch diameter circles to use as a piping guide. (I like using these baking mats/template for piping even sized macarons.)
Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar into a large bowl, discarding any large granules remaining in the sieve. Whisk to combine. (If there are a lot of large pieces remaining, place all of the almond flour and sugar into a food processor and grind for about a minute, then sift again. There should be very few large granules left.) Add in the first portion of egg whites (55 grams) to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the egg whites into the dry ingredients to form a thick paste.
In a small saucepan, add in the granulated sugar and water. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the mixture closely while cooking. Begin heating on medium-high heat and bring the temperature to 240°F.
Meanwhile, while the sugar is cooking, begin whisking the second portion of egg whites (55 grams) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the egg whites are frothy and form tight small white bubbles. Once the sugar syrup reaches 244°F reduce the mixer to low speed and very carefully add the hot syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream along the side of the mixing bowl. Avoid hitting the whisk when adding the syrup to prevent it from splattering around the sides of the bowl.
Once all of the syrup is added increase the speed to high and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until soft peaks form. At this point, stop the mixer and add in your gel food coloring (if using). Continue whipping the egg whites for a few more minutes until they are thick, glossy and form stiff peaks. The meringue should have cooled down to room temperature.
Take a large spatula full of the meringue and add it into the almond-sugar paste. Fold the meringue into the paste to begin loosening the consistency. Add in the remaining meringue and continue folding into the batter, sweeping the spatula around the outside of the bowl and then cutting through the middle to combine. Keep mixing until the batter falls off the spatula in a “ribbon” and moves like slow lava. You should be able to draw a figure “8” with the batter as it falls off the spatula. The “ribbon” should smooth itself back into the bowl of batter after about 10 seconds. This is when the batter is ready to pipe.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip. Secure the end of the piping bag with a bag clip or a rubber band to prevent the batter from spilling out of the top. Pipe the batter onto the prepared baking sheet in even circles, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently but firmly tap the baking sheet on your work surface a few times to release any air bubbles from the piped macarons. Use a toothpick to pop any stubborn air bubbles. Top the piped macarons with sprinkles.
Let the piped macarons sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes to dry out and form a skin. They should no longer feel sticky when lightly touched.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes. Macarons are done when the tops are set and there is little to no jiggle from the “feet” when lightly tapped. Let the macarons cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Place the finely chopped chocolate into a medium sized bowl. Measure out the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until steaming and hot to the touch. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes. Stir together until all the chocolate is melted and combined. (If needed, place back in the microwave in 15 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted.) Stir in butter until melted and combined.
Allow to sit at room temperature (or in the fridge) until the ganache has thicken. Once set, use a hand mixer to whip the ganache to a fluffy consistency.
Add whipped ganache to a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe rounds of ganache on the flat side of one macaron and sandwich with another macaron, pressing gently to adhere together.