Description
These Peppermint Chocolate Macarons are delicate almond flour cookies with a smooth peppermint chocolate buttercream filling, perfect for festive occasions. Crisp on the outside and chewy inside, they are decorated with crushed candy canes for a refreshing holiday twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Macarons:
- 100 grams almond flour (≈ 1 cup)
- 180 grams powdered sugar (≈ 1½ cups)
- 3 large egg whites (around 90 grams), room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Peppermint Chocolate Buttercream Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 12 crushed candy canes for decoration
Instructions
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Using a large sieve, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together into a large bowl. Then sift the mixture a second time into another large bowl. Set aside.
- Whip Egg Whites: In a large bowl, pour in the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until soft peaks form.
- Add Granulated Sugar: Add the granulated sugar to the eggs. Continue beating until the mixture almost reaches stiff peaks.
- Add Color and Flavor: Add the red gel food coloring and peppermint extract and beat until stiff peaks form, and you can tip the bowl upside down and nothing falls out.
- Fold Dry Ingredients: Fold in a third of the dry ingredients to the egg white mixture with a spatula until completely mixed. Fold in the rest of the ingredients until the batter can run off the spatula forming a “figure-8” without breaking. Be careful not to overmix the batter or you will lose air bubbles from the egg whites.
- Pipe Macarons: Scoop the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 1 to 1½ inch circles onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 to 2 inches between each macaron.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Tap the pan on the counter at least 5 times to release air bubbles to the top of the macarons. Use a toothpick to pop any bubbles on the surface.
- Rest Macarons: Allow the macarons to rest in a dry area for 1 hour until the tops are no longer tacky to the touch.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 315°F (157°C).
- Bake Macarons: Bake the macarons, one cookie sheet at a time, for 17 minutes. The cookies should rise and form “feet” as they bake.
- Cool Macarons: Let the macarons cool on the pan set on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan, keeping the macarons on the parchment paper, and leave on the cooling rack until completely cool, at least 10 more minutes.
- Make Buttercream Filling: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with a handheld mixer on medium speed. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is well mixed with no lumps. Add the cocoa powder, and mix until completely incorporated. Add the peppermint extract and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream. Mix well. If the buttercream is still thick, add the second tablespoon of cream and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble Macarons: Add the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe onto the flat side of half of the macaron cookies. Top with the other half of the macarons to form sandwiches.
- Decorate Edges: Roll the macarons in crushed candy canes to coat the edges.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring instead of liquid to avoid affecting egg whites.
- Let piped macarons rest before baking to dry the tops for smooth cookies.
- Check oven temperature with a thermometer for accuracy.
- Do not open the oven during baking to avoid disrupting the meringue.
- Store macarons in an airtight container: 3 days at room temperature, 7 days refrigerated, or up to 2 months frozen.
- Freeze macarons assembled or as shells; thaw in fridge before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 macaron sandwich
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
