For a deliciously sweet treat, try making Cinnamon Chocolate Macarons. These nutty treats can be decorated with chocolate or a variety of other candies. They are perfect for a Valentine’s Day gift or to make as a treat at home. For a fun twist, pipe them in heart shapes! To serve, top them with melted chocolate or drizzle them with a layer of melted dark chocolate.
Natalie: 2 Macarons: 1
Confused? Let me explain. Macarons are notorious on the internet and food blogs for failing. They are not necessarily hard to make, but so many factors can case their ultimate demise. Either they crack, they stick, they are flat, or the dreaded macaron that doesn’t have feet.
Macaron Feet: The rough, uneven bit on both sides of the filling. The bottom of the discs where they bake on the sheet. When piped onto the baking sheet the macaron is essentially foam. If piped correctly the top of the disc will not crack and will remain immobile while baking, thus the air from the foam has no where to go but down. The downward force pushes the cap up, revealing the randomly formed interior of the macaron, otherwise known as the foot.
Oh yeah, this is one serious cookie. Yeah I said it, it’s basically a fancy cookie.
My first attempt to make these was around a year ago, and they were a disaster not worth reminiscing about. But then a few months ago I made some Strawberry Macarons with Peanut Butter filling, and posted a picture on Saturday Stills Vol: 5. After that I had an extra boost of confidence (and some left over almond flour) so I decided to try again. And would you know, they came out perfect, with little feet and all.
Now I had a few bad shells. The top rack in the oven does not bake as well as the bottom rack (which I remembered after baking a tray) so I had a few that didn’t develop feet.
But why let them go to waste? I decided to practice my piping skills.
And then I realized that I can’t pipe worth a darn.
That’s okay, I’m in the business to make food taste and look good!
The macaron shells were flavored with cinnamon. I have said it once and I will say it again, you should invest in some high quality cinnamon. The flavor is so much better than most generic brands you can buy at the store. The flavor is somewhat bittersweet. I can’t think of anything that goes better with cinnamon than chocolate, and the sweet chocolate buttercream provided a nice contract to the cinnamon.
Cinnamon Chocolate Macarons
Ingredients
- 225 grams Powdered Sugar
- 125 grams Ground Almonds
- 110 grams Egg Whites about four, aged overnight at room temperature
- Pinch of Salt
- 30 grams Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- Chocolate Buttercream recipe below
- Chocolate for garnish optional
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1/3 cup Butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder sifted
- 1 – 2 TBS Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees
- Combine powdered sugar and ground almonds and sift. Set aside.
- In the (clean, dry) bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add sugar. Add cinnamon and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, and the mixture is shiny.
- In a large clean bowl add whipped eggs. Add sugar/almond mixture on top and gently fold until just combined. Do not whisk, do not hurry, and do not mix any more than you have to to combine.
- Prepare a pastry bag with a large circle pastry tip. Stand it in a tall glass for easy loading. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and pipe small discs, around 1.5 inches in diameter across. Let macarons rest 30 minutes at room temperature before baking.
- Bake on a lower rack in the oven for 12 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes before gently peeling off the parchment paper.
- Grasp one disc and pipe or spread the chocolate buttercream, sandwiching with another macaron. Repeat until all sandwiches are assembled.
- Melt chocolate and drizzle over shells (optional). I suggest looking at the pictures from these two posts, to get a better idea of what the macaron process making looks like before diving in for the first time.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Cream butter with an electric mixer. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
- Add sugar mixture to butter and cream until buttercream has formed. Add 1 – 2 TBS if needed to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
Other ways to make Cinnamon Chocolate Macarons
To make these macarons, start by preparing a simple filling: a simple mix of melted chocolate and cinnamon, preferably Belgian, and some melted chocolate. Next, sift the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cinnamon into a large bowl and set aside. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Pour the batter into the prepared shells, and bake for about 12 minutes. Once cooled, sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
To make the ganache, process the chocolate and almond flour in a food processor until they are almost completely melted. Add espresso powder to the mixture and mix well. Let them cool for 15 to 20 minutes before filling. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by placing the shells on a baking sheet. For the inside, chop 4 ounces of good chocolate (Scharffen Berger is a good example) and place them in a separate bowl. Heat 1/4 cup heavy cream to a simmer, and pour over the chocolate and allow to cool. Then, add the vanilla and cinnamon.
To prepare the macarons, prepare the ingredients and age them overnight at room temperature. Don’t use volume recipes, but weigh measurements. The recipe calls for 50 g egg whites, 40 grams of icing sugar, and 75 g almond flour. A pinch of cream of tartar is required for each macaron. Finally, place the macarons onto a baking sheet and allow them to cool for about 12 minutes.
To make the macaron shells, mix the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar until the batter is smooth and pliable. Using a 1/2″ cookie cutter, pipe the batter into the shells. Then, flip the parchment paper over and set them aside until ready to serve. Then, fill the shells with the filling. The filling is white chocolate-cinnamon ganache, a delicious mix of cocoa and cinnamon.
First, prepare the macaron shells. They should be hollow with a thin membrane on top. Then, you need to prepare the filling. You can also add cayenne pepper if you’d like a Mexican flavor. After this, set aside the macarons to cool. After cooling, prepare the filling. It is important to carefully remove them from the shells to avoid them from becoming soggy.
The filling is a chocolate filling that’s flavored with cinnamon and cayenne. These cookies are a treat that will make your guests swoon. These French-style macarons are a great treat for any celebration! These macarons are ideal for a party or for a special occasion. You’ll be able to enjoy them without worrying about how long they take to make.
For the filling, you’ll need two large sheet pans. You can then use a small round cookie cutter that’s about 1.5 inches in diameter. You’ll need to space them evenly between rows, because these shells will overlap. You’ll have to make the macaron shells as many as you can before you can cut them in half. Then, you’ll have to bake them one at a time.
