Chewy chocolate macaron shells filled with whipped chocolate peppermint ganache, then dunked in melted chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies.
How freakin’ cute are these babies?! They made an appearance in my 2020 Christmas Cookie Box and I’d say they basically stole the show. They’re mostly chocolatey, with a hint of peppermint for that festive holiday twist on my OG Triple Chocolate Macs.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- macarons are not “easy” to make. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible or that you can’t do it. It just means it’s not a chocolate chip cookie and they take practice and the careful following of the recipe instructions. If it’s your first go at it, I recommend reading through the recipe carefully before you even start. Then gather and measure out all of your ingredients so they’re ready to go, and you have one less thing to stress about. That said, I believe in you! You got this! Let’s do it.
How to Make Triple Chocolate Peppermint Macarons
Make the Chocolate Macaron Batter
*Macarons shells freeze rather well, so you can totally do this step ahead of time, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze them until you’re ready to use them.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sifted almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the 85 g of egg whites and mix until combined. It will seem like it won’t come together, but just keep mixing until it becomes a thick paste. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, heat the water and sugar over medium high heat. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Once the syrup reaches 200 degrees, add the remaining egg whites and a pinch of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and begin whipping on medium speed. Continue to monitor the temperature of the sugar syrup. Keep whipping the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Once the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees, remove it from the heat. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup. Once all of the syrup is combined, add the vanilla extract and turn the mixer up to high and mix until stiff peaks form.
Add 1/3 of the egg white meringue into the almond flour mixture and combine by folding it in with a rubber spatula. Once it’s pretty well incorporated, add another 1/3 and do this until all of the meringue is incorporated into the almond flour mixture.
Continue folding the batter together until it reaches a ribbon-like texture. You should be able to pick the macaron batter up with the rubber spatula and have it run off back into the bowl in a smooth ribbon – without breaking. Another test is to take some of the batter on your spatula, and try to make a figure 8 back into the bowl. If you can complete the entire 8 shape without the batter breaking, it’s good to go!
Pipe, Rest, and Bake the Chocolate Macarons
Fit a piping bag with a small round tip and fill it with the batter. This will be enough batter to fill 2 large piping bags. Or you can fill one bag, pipe the shells, then refill the bag. Just be sure to cover the macaron batter that’s left in the bowl with a kitchen towel if you’re not putting it into a bag right away.
Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment or a silicone macaron mat. Pipe the batter straight down, then pull it away by doing a quick circular motion at the top. Once all the cookies are pipes, rap the cookie sheet on the counter 4-5 times to release any air bubbles. Pop the stubborn ones with a toothpick. Let the macarons rest on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Letting them rest is essential in getting those cute little feet on the sides.
Preheat the oven to 395 degrees. Once the cookies have rested for 30 minutes, test if they’re ready by lightly touching the top. A thin skin should have formed and it shouldn’t stick to your finger. If it’s still tacky, let rest another 15 minutes. Bake at 395 for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Make the Whipped Peppermint Ganache
Making whipped ganache is much easier than it sounds, so don’t let it intimidate you. Easier even than making buttercream I would argue.
In a microwave safe bowl, add the heavy cream. Heat it in the microwave for 1 minute. It should be pretty hot, but not boiling. Add the chocolate into the bowl and let it sit for 1 minute. Using a spatula or whisk, mix until the chocolate is melted and smooth. It should become completely smooth, but if there is still some chunks of chocolate, pop it back in the microwave in 15 second intervals until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract and mix to combine.
Let the ganache sit on the counter until it is room temperature, stir it occasionally. Once the ganache is thick and room temp, use a handheld mixer to mix the ganache. This incorporates air and it will become thick, and smooth, and very similar in texture to buttercream. Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip and fill it with the whipped peppermint ganache.
Fill and Garnish the Chocolate Peppermint Macarons
Match up the cookies in pairs and pipe some whipped peppermint ganache on half of the cookies. Take the other half and press it together. Melt some semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate and dunk the tops of the macarons into the chocolate. Sprinkle them with the crushed peppermint candies.
Set the finished macarons on a cookie sheet and leave on the counter until the chocolate sets. Enjoy right away, or place them into the fridge where they will keep over the next few days. I actually prefer to eat macarons chilled.
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Triple Chocolate Peppermint Macarons
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 18
- Total Time: 48 min + 30 min rest
- Yield: 40–50 macarons 1x
Description
Chewy chocolate macaron shells filled with whipped peppermint ganache and dunked in melted chocolate then sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies.
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells
- 212 g Almond Meal
- 212 g Powdered Sugar
- 30 g Dark Cocoa Powder
- 175 g Egg Whites (separated into 85 g & 90 g)
- 235 g granulated sugar (plus a pinch)
- 158 g water
For the Whipped Chocolate Peppermint Ganache
- 60 g Bittersweet Chocolate (60-70%)
- 60 g Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
1/2 C Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate to melt for dipping cookies
1/4 C Crushed Peppermint Candies
Instructions
For the Macaron Shells
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture, and add 85 g egg whites. Fold together until combined. Mixture will be thick and paste-like. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine granulated sugar and water. Stir to combine. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add 90 g of egg whites and a pinch of sugar.
- When the sugar syrup reaches 200 degrees, start whipping the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- When sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees, remove from heat.
- With mixer on medium, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites.
- Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Add the egg whites to the almond flour mixture, 1/3 at a time. Fold to combine between each addition.
- When all the egg whites are incorporated into the almond flour, continue to fold until the batter reaches a ribbon like texture. It should fall off the spatula in a continuous ribbon, with little to no breaking.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Pipe the batter into circles. Then rap the baking sheet on the counter to remove air bubbles.
- Let the batter rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 295 degrees.
- Bake the macarons for 18 minutes, or until the cookies are mostly firm, but with a little give when you press on the shell.
- Let cool completely, then fill with chocolate buttercream.
For the Whipped Chocolate Peppermint Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Add the chocolate to the hot cream and let sit for 1 minute.
- Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Stir in peppermint extract.
- Let sit on counter until ganache is room temperature, then whip with a hand mixer until it becomes a buttercream-like texture, about 3 minutes.
- Pipe onto macaron shells.
- Dip macarons into melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
Keywords: chocolate peppermint macarons, italian method macarons, christmas macarons
If you loved these Triple Chocolate Peppermint Macarons, be sure to check out my S’mores Macarons, and my Pistachio Macarons.
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