Chocolate Macarons with Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache

These Chocolate Macarons make for the perfect treat. With their caramel chocolate ganache filling, these macarons are sure to be a new favorite!

📝 Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup double cream
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 3/4 tbsp butter
• 3.5 oz dark chocolate (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- For the macarons ---
2. 2Process: Combine the almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, and cocoa powder in a food processor, and pulse to break up any big pieces of almond. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. 3Whisk: In a mixing bowl, take the egg whites and whisk with an electric mixer until it starts to get frothy. (You can also use a stand mixer.)
4. 4Add Sugar: Slowly add one tablespoon of caster sugar into the egg-whites, while whisking.
5. 5Keep Adding: Add the next spoonful of sugar once the previous one is fully incorporated into the egg whites. Keep the speed of the whisk at low to medium during this entire process, and continue adding the sugar in one tablespoon increments.
6. 6Make Meringue: Once all the sugar has been added, sprinkle in the cream of tartar and whisk for a couple of minutes until it is fully incorporated. You should have a thick meringue.
7. 7Combine Some: Now add approximately one third of the meringue into the dry mixture.
8. 8Fold Some: Using a spatula, mix to form a thick paste.
9. 9Fold All: Now add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them into the batter.
10. 10Test: Once most of the egg whites are mixed into the batter, start to test the batter by making a figure-eight motion with your spatula after every fold. When the batter is ready, you should be able to drop the batter from the spatula into a figure 8 without the batter ribbon breaking.
11. 11Bag: Place the batter into a clean piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
12. 12Line Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
13. 13Stencil: If you need a little help making your macarons evenly sized, you can use a stencil to draw rounds on the parchment paper to help you pipe the macarons. Turn the ink side down before piping.
14. 14Pipe: Now start piping dollops of batter into the middle of the circles.
15. 15Tap Tray: Tap the tray on the work surface a few times to knock out any extra air bubbles trapped in the batter.
16. 16Let Sit: Now let the piped macarons sit undisturbed at room temperature for 30–45 minutes until a film forms on top of the macarons.
17. 17Bake the macarons at 325°F (or 160°C) for 18–20 minutes.
18. 18Cool: Let the macarons cool to room temperature before removing them from the parchment paper.
19. 19--- For the caramel chocolate ganache ---
20. 20Heat: Add the sugar to a heavy non-stick saucepan, and place it over medium heat.
21. 21Melt: Once the edges of the sugar start to melt and turn golden, stir and let it cook until all the sugar has melted completely.
22. 22Add Dairy: Now take it off the heat and stir in the butter, followed by the cream.
23. 23Add Chocolate: Once the butter and cream are fully incorporated, add the chocolate pieces.
24. 24Stir until all the chocolate is melted and evenly combined.
25. 25Add Salt: Add the salt and give it another stir.
26. 26Cool: Let the ganache cool to room temperature and then let it cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
27. 27--- Assemble the macarons ---
28. 28Bag Ganache: Add the cooled ganache into a piping bag.
29. 29Flip Half: Now flip half of the macarons over so that the underside is facing up.
30. 30Pipe Ganache: Pipe a big dollop of the caramel ganache on these flipped macarons.
31. 31Sandwich Together: Place the remaining macarons on top of the ganache like a sandwich, pressing down gently until the ganache spreads just to the edges.
32. 32Serve: Enjoy!