Millionaire Macarons

These decadent millionaire macarons are filled with thick layers of buttery caramel and dark chocolate ganache, and topped with a crispy shortbread crumble.

📝 Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (half a 14 oz can) sweetened condensed milk (200g)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (50g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (56g)
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup (30g)
• 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (180g)
• 1 cup + 1 Tbsp dark chocolate chips (180g)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (45g)
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup - optional (20g)
• 1/4 tsp fine salt (2g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (56g)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (62g)
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (16g)
• 1/4 tsp fine salt (2g)
• 110 g aged egg whites, room temperature (about 4 large eggs whites)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar - optional
• 110 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tsp)
• 140 g superfine almond flour - blanched (1 1/2 cups)
• 126 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
• Yellow gel food coloring - optional
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate, melted
• Edible gold leaf
• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)
• 1 Large Piping Bag (18-inch)
• 2 Small piping bags (for macaron filling)
• 1 Large round piping tip - Ateco 805
• 1 Small round piping tip - like a Wilton 10 (for the chocolate ganache)
• Scribe or Toothpick
• Saucepan

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Caramel Filling ---
2. 2I recommend tackling the caramel filling first (it can be made up to a week in advance)! Heat 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 2 Tbsp light corn syrup, and 1/2 tsp fine salt over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.
3. 3Stir frequently and cook the mixture until it just begins to bubble (if you have and are using a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture hits 212 F/ 100 C). It will start bubbling up on the sides of the pan first. Once this happens, turn the heat down to low to let the caramel simmer.
4. 4Continue to stir frequently until the mixture thickens and becomes a medium caramel color (this usually takes me about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5. 5Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool to room temperature. If any of the butter separates or floats on top of the caramel, gently stir it into the caramel as it cools. The mixture will come together once it reaches room temperature.
6. 6If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and store it at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to a week. If you refrigerate the caramel, heat it in the microwave in short 10-second intervals until it reaches room temperature and is a more workable consistency.
7. 7--- Chocolate Ganache Macaron Filling ---
8. 8Next, we tackle the chocolate ganache filling. It can also be made up to a week in advance. Heat 3/4 cup of heavy cream in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds, until it's just beginning to bubble.
9. 9Gently pour 1 cup + 1 Tbsp of dark chocolate chips into the heavy cream. Make sure the chips are fully covered with cream. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute. If you want to use milk chocolate to make the ganache, use 1/3 cup (80g) of heavy cream and 1 1/3 cups (240g) of milk chocolate.
10. 10Stir slowly until the cream and chocolate are combined and the mixture is smooth. If any bits of chocolate aren't fully melted, heat the mixture again for 15 seconds and stir until smooth.
11. 11Mix in 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter, 1 Tbsp of corn syrup, and 1/4 tsp fine salt until combined. Press a piece of plastic wrap flush against the ganache to prevent a skin from forming. Set the bowl aside to let the ganache come to room temperature and thicken.
12. 12--- Shortbread Cookie Filling and Crumble ---
13. 13Before we bake the macarons, I like to make the shortbread filling and crumble. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Set aside.
14. 14Use a pastry cutter or electric mixer to combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, and 1/4 tsp fine salt. The mixture might look a bit crumbly at first, but it will eventually form a soft dough once it's fully mixed. If the mixture isn't coming together, you may want to heat it in the microwave for a couple of seconds (literally 2-3 seconds, you don't want to melt the butter!) to help soften the butter.
15. 15If you want each macaron to have a shortbread cookie inside the filling, roll half of the dough into a long, thin log that is about 1/2 inch or 1.25 cm in diameter and about 6 inches or 15 cm long. Chill the dough for 15 minutes, or until it's firm to the touch. Then use a sharp knife to cut 24 discs that are about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thick. The goal is to make discs that are small enough to fit inside a ring of ganache piped onto each macaron shell. Place the cookie dough discs about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet and prick each cookie a couple of times with a fork. Then bake for 7-10 minutes, just before the edges start to brown.
16. 16Divide the remaining dough into 6 balls that are similar in size. If you don't want to fill each macaron with shortbread discs, skip step 3 and divide the dough into 12 similar-sized cookie dough balls. Flatten each ball out with your fingers so that they're roughly 1 cm thick and place them about 1 inch apart on the remaining lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
17. 17Remove the pan from the freezer and prick each cookie with a fork a few times, then bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. Place the pans on a wire rack and let the cookies cool fully on the pan. Then crumble the larger cookies into small pieces with your fingers to garnish the macarons and set aside. Turn the oven down to 315 F / 157 C once you're done baking the shortbread to prepare it for the macarons.
18. 18--- French Macaron Shells ---
19. 19Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
20. 20Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on 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 where you can see the whisk leaving faint tracks in the egg whites.
21. 21Gradually add 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
22. 22Sift 140g superfine almond flour and 126g powdered sugar into the meringue, then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. If you want to color the shells like I did, add a small drop of yellow gel food coloring at this stage. 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.
23. 23Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple of figure 8s with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
24. 24Pour the batter into a large piping bag fitted 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.
25. 25Pipe one pan at a time and bang the pan 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 or scribe.
26. 26Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 157 C (if you haven't already done so after baking the shortbread).
27. 27Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 17-21 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. I like to place a foil tent over the macarons when I rotate them for the second half of the baking process to prevent them from browning.
28. 28Remove the pan from the oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the Silpat mat.
29. 29--- Assembling These Millionaire Macarons ---
30. 30Place the room-temperature ganache in a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 10), and place the caramel in a separate bag with a medium-sized round tip. Seal the top of both bags with rubber bands or clips. Both should be thick enough to scoop into the piping bag and hold their shape.
31. 31Pair up the macaron shells, then pipe a ring of dark chocolate ganache on one macaron shell. Place a shortbread disc inside the ganache ring, then set aside. Pipe a dollop of caramel onto the other shell, then gently press the shells together to create a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining shells.
32. 32If desired, drizzle melted chocolate over each macaron and top it with a sprinkle of shortbread crumble and a little piece of edible gold leaf.
33. 33Place the finished macarons in the fridge in an airtight container to mature overnight. When you're ready to eat them, take them out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, then enjoy!