S’mores Macarons

These S’mores Macarons have chocolate macaron shells filled with chocolate ganache, buttery graham cracker crumbs, and a torched homemade marshmallow.

It was 78 degrees today here in the Midwest so naturally long summer days at the lake capped off with s’mores around a fire is the first thing that came to mind. So since summer is imminent and s’mores are officially “in season” I’m sharing my first of many s’mores themed desserts of the year – S’mores Macarons! (PS can I start a petition to make s’mores a year round thing plz.)

Now we all know that macarons are not the easiest dessert to master. They are finicky little guys. BUT if you’re up for the challenge, I’m here to walk you through it with process photos of every step! Let’s just get right to it!

How to Make S’mores Macarons

These cuties have quite a few steps and it can seem overwhelming. If you want to break up the tasks, you can bake the macaron shells or make the marshmallow a day in advance. Just seal them in an airtight container until you’re ready to assemble.

Make the Homemade Marshmallow

Don’t be intimidated about the homemade marshmallow. It’s super easy and once you taste one, the store bought version just won’t cut it anymore.

Start by spraying a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Set aside. Next, whisk the gelatin and water in the bowl of your stand mixer. Then set it aside. The gelatin will start to swell and absorb the water as it sits.

In a medium saucepan, add the water, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat it reaches 240 degrees. Then take the mixture off of the heat and let it cool to 210. I use clear vanilla flavor when I make marshmallow. There’s just something about the imitation vanilla that gives you that marshmallow flavor. Feel free to use Pure Vanilla if you want!

Turn the mixer on low to kind of break up the gelatin mixture. Then with the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the sugar syrup. Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to high and beat until the mixture turns white and glossy and cools down completely. It will take 8-10 minutes, and should hold a soft peak.

Using a spatula sprayed with nonstick spray, pour the marshmallow onto your prepared cookie sheet and spread it into a thin even layer. It will be VERY sticky, so keep spraying your spatula as needed. Add a dusting of powdered sugar on top of the marshmallow mixture. Let the marshmallow cure on the countertop for at least two hours, up to overnight.

Make the Chocolate Macaron Shells

I feel like S’mores Macarons just NEED a chocolate macaron shell. Agreed?

I use the Italian Method of macaron making. I find it to be more reliable that the French Method and I can count on the shells coming out perfect every time. Start by measuring out all of your ingredients so you have everything ready to go. I use weighed measurements for macarons and I use a kitchen scale similar to this one – nothing fancy.

In a large bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and almond flour. Make a well in the center and add 85 g of the egg whites. Fold the mixture together until combined into a thick paste. It will seem very thick and hard to combine, but just keep folding and it will come together like the photo below. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the granulated sugar and water. Stir occasionally and monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer. While the sugar syrup is heating up, add 90 g of egg whites and a pinch of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Once the sugar syrup reaches 200 degrees, start whipping the egg whites in the stand mixer on medium high until it is foamy and holds its shape.

When the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees, remove it from the heat. With the stand mixer on low, slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup and mix to combine. Once combined, turn the mixer up to high and whip until you achieve medium stiff peaks. They should hold their shape, but they don’t need to stick straight up.

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Now you will combine this egg white-sugar syrup mixture (meringue) to the cocoa powder-almond flour mixture. Add the meringue to the almond flour mixture 1/3 at a time, folding to combine before adding more meringue.

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Once you have combined everything, you need to continue to fold the batter together until the macaron batter reaches a “ribbon-like consistency.” This is called macronage and is the most important part in macaron baking. The proper way to do it is to take your rubber spatula around the edges of the mixing bowl, and fold the batter over, then drag it through the center. What you’re trying to do is deflate some of the air from the batter.

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Continue doing this until the batter falls off of your spatula like a ribbon without breaking. I fold the batter 10-15 times, then check to see if it has reached the ribbon-like consistency. You can see in the photos below, that the first one isn’t quite ready, the batter breaks as it falls back into the bowl. But, in the second photo, the batte stays together and falls back into the bowl like a ribbon. That’s how you know it’s done. And yes, your arm will get a workout.

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Now, fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the macaron batter and pipe the macarons out onto a baking sheet. I use a silicone macaron mat like this one. But if you don’t have one, just use some parchment paper. You can make a template so they’re all the same size if you want, by tracing circles on a piece of parchment paper with a sharpie and then placing that under a fresh piece of parchment to pipe.

I like the silicone mat, because it’s less work with all the cirlce tracing and it satisfies my perfection-ism by making sure all the shells are exactly the same. Once you have them all piped out, drop the cookie sheet onto the counter a few times to release the air bubbles. You can pop any stubborn ones with a toothpick. Then rest the macarons on the counter for at least 30 minutes. This allows the tops to dry out a bit and is what gets you the shiny tops and cute little “feet.”

While the macs are resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You might need to adjust the temperature depending on your oven. The best way to make sure you’re baking at the right temperature is to put an oven thermometer inside your oven. Macs ae temperamental and can be affected by humidity, temperature, bake time, and about 100 other things.

After they’ve rested at least 30 minutes, bake them at 350 for 15 minutes. (*You may need to adjust the time and temperature to what works best for your kitchen and climate, but this is what works for me. If they crack, I’d try baking at 325 for 17 minutes.) Then allow to cool completely. You can bake in batches if you need to. Just keep any extra batter in the piping bag and limit the exposure to air to it doesn’t start to crust over.

Assemble the S’mores Macarons

Crush up the graham crackers and stir in 1 TBSP of melted butter. Set aside. Melt 1 C of semi sweet chocolate chips with 2 TBSP heavy cream in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between. Once completely melted, allow to cool slightly.

Cut the marshmallows into circles the same size as the macaron shells. I used the smallest cookie cutter from this set. It’s 1/5 inches in diameter. If you don’t have a small round cutter, you could just use a knife and cut the marshmallows into small squares. Make sure your knife/cookie cutter is coated with nonstick spray and dusted with powdered sugar.

Put a dab of melted chocolate onto half of the mararon shells and stick the marshmallow to it. Then use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows. The shell might get a little toasty too, but that’s ok!

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On the other half of the macaron shells, spread some of the melted chocolate on using an offset spatula, then sprinkle on some of the graham cracker crumbs. Then match up the shells and press them together. Best if eaten that same day once they are assembled.

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If you loved these S’mores Macarons – check out my other macaron recipes like these Pistachio Macarons and these Triple Chocolate Macarons.