I decided to put a fun spin on my French chocolate macaron and give them a spooky yet gorgeous look for Fall! With the help of some black cocoa powder and a decadent dark chocolate filling these black macarons are perfect for just about any occasion.
Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Black Macarons
This recipe don’t require a ton of equipment. However, I find they turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.
As macarons bake, they usually spread less on silpat mats than parchment paper.
Below is a list of tools and equipment I like to use when I make black macarons:
- Kitchen scale
- Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
- Large piping bag
- Round piping tip
- Large, flat baking sheets
- Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)
Making Black Macarons – Step by Step Process
While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!
Below are some photos and a video tutorial of the process to help guide you through this recipe for black macarons.
Step #1: Prep the Ingredients and Equipment to Make These Black Macarons
After prepping and weighing your ingredients, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to remove any residual grease.
This helps the meringue whip up better!
Step #2: Sift the Dry Ingredients
Sifting the superfine almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder will help your macaron shells turn out nice and smooth.
This step makes sure that no chunks of almond or powdered sugar get mixed into your macaron batter.
Step #3: Make French Meringue
Next, it’s time to make the French meringue! Whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until soft peaks form, then add in the granulated sugar.
Once the sugar is incorporated, add in the black gel food coloring, and mix on a medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing your meringue.
Stop the mixer once you notice the meringue begins to gather in the whisk like the photo below.
Don’t worry if the meringue is kind of a gray color, I promise the batter will get darker once the dry ingredients are mixed in.
Step #4: Mix the Dry Ingredients into The Meringue
Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.
You should be able to draw a couple figure 8’s with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency.
If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
Step #5: Pipe the Macaron Shells
Once the batter is ready, fill a large piping bag with the macaron batter and pipe 1-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface and pop them with a toothpick.
This can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.
Step #6: Rest the Piped Macaron Shells
Next let the macarons rest for at least 30 minutes until they form a skin.
They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked. While the shells rest preheat your oven.
Step #7: Bake the Black Macaron Shells
Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray in the middle rack of your oven.
Let the macarons cool fully on the pan then gently remove them from the silpat mat.
Step #8: Assembling These Black Macarons
The final step is to pair up the macaron shells and pipe a dollop of dark chocolate buttercream onto one macaron shell. Gently top it with a second shell.
To jazz up these macarons you can also brush the top of each macaron with a bit of edible gold paint.
I like to use the edible art brand, but you can also make your own by mixing together gold luster dust with a bit of clear extract or alcohol.
Place the finished macarons in the fridge in an airtight container to mature overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!
Black Macaron Troubleshooting
I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of macarons will turn out perfectly, but my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.
Macarons can be incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right.
If you run into any issues, please check out my detailed French macaron troubleshooting guide.
Choosing The Right Filling for These Black Macarons
While we put tons of energy into the shell of a macaron, almost all the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling.
The shell gives the macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.
You can use just about any type of frosting or ganache to fill these chocolate macarons.
I love using a small batch of my black chocolate buttercream to fill my macarons because I have a huge sweet tooth. However, I also like filling them with dark chocolate ganache!
Black Macaron Recipe Yield
This recipe makes about 36 small macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.
The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells.
I piped these shells with a diameter of about 1 1/4 inch so they’re a bit smaller than a standard macaron.
Tips for Making the Best Black Macarons
- Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making your meringue. It will help your egg whites whip up better!
- Separate your own eggs and age them if possible. Do not use egg whites from a carton.
- Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. You really need to be precise with this recipe and your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
- Use superfine almond flour rather than trying to make your own. It more consistently yields great macarons.
- Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
- Brush a streak of edible gold paint on top of the assembled macarons to give them a beautiful finished look.
- Let yourmacarons mature! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
- If your first batch of macarons doesn’t turn out, please check out my French macaron troubleshooting guide.
Making These Black Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
- You need to let French macarons mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before eating them. This gives them their best texture and taste.
- Store macarons at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
- Refrigerate macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
- Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
- Make yourfillingahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in thefridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this recipe for black macarons, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.
You can also tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets on social media so I can see your amazing creations!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Yield: 18 macarons
Learn how to make these gorgeous black macarons! My step by step tutorial & detailed recipe will help you master these delicious little cookies.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 7 minutes
Ingredients
Black Chocolate Macarons
- 63g superfine almond flour - blanched (1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp)
- 63g powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
- 7g unsweetened dark or black cocoa powder (1 Tbsp)
- 55g aged egg whites - about 2 large eggs
- pinch of cream of tartar - optional
- 55g granulated sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tsp)
- 1 squirt black gel food coloring
Black Buttercream Filling
- 56g unsalted butter, room temperature (1/4 cup)
- 7g unsweetened dark or black cocoa powder (1 Tbsp)
- 4g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (1 tsp)
- 1g salt (1/8 tsp)
- 1 squirt black gel food coloring
- 125g powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15g heavy cream (1 Tbsp)
Equipment
Instructions
Black Macarons
- Sift 63g superfine almond flour, 63g powdered sugar and 7g of black cocoa powder into a large bowl and set aside.
- Pour 55g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage.
- Add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the black gel food coloring at this point, then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Add in the dry ingredients then fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
- Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
- Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F.
- Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for15-18 minutes and rotate your pan halfway through.
- Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.
Black Chocolate Buttercream Filling
- Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
- Mix in 7g black cocoa powder, 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt and a squirt of black gel food coloring on a low speed.
- Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 15g heavy cream on a low speed.
- Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
- Place in a piping bag with a small round tip and set aside.
Assembling These Black Macarons
- Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a dollop of chocolate buttercream onto the bottom of one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich and repeat with the remaining shells.
- If desired, brush the top of each macaron with a streak of edible gold paint.
- Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Remove the macarons from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to eat them to let them come to room temperature. Store any leftover macarons in the fridge.
Notes
Recipe Yield:
This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.
The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells. I piped these shells with a diameter of about 1-inch, so they're a bit smaller than a standard macaron.
Tips for Making the Best Black Macarons
- Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
- Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
- Use black gel food coloring. If you try to use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency of the batter.
- Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
- Let yourmacarons mature in the fridge overnight! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
- If your first batch of macarons doesn't turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide for help!
Making These Black Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
- French macarons need to mature overnight (or ideally 24 hours) in the fridge before being eaten! They taste best 24 hours after being made.
- Macarons can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
- Macarons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Filled macarons can be frozen for up to a month, but the length can vary based on the filling.
- Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
- Yourfillingcan be made ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in thefridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition Information
Yield
18Serving Size
1
Amount Per ServingCalories 127Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 28mgSodium 35mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 14gProtein 3g
