Description
These Peppermint Chocolate Macarons are delicate French cookies with a peppermint-flavored chocolate buttercream filling and a festive candy cane coating. Perfect for holiday celebrations or a special treat, they feature crisp shells with soft, chewy interiors and a refreshing peppermint 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
- 1 to 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 Sugar: Add the granulated sugar to the egg whites. Continue beating until the mixture almost reaches stiff peaks.
- Add Coloring and Extract: Add the red gel food coloring and peppermint extract and beat until stiff peaks form and the batter holds when the bowl is tipped upside down.
- Fold in 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 until the batter runs off the spatula forming a “figure-8” without breaking. Avoid overmixing.
- Pipe Macarons: Scoop the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe 1 to 1 ½ inch circles onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 to 2 inches between them.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Tap the pan on the counter at least 5 times to release air bubbles, then pop any surface bubbles with a toothpick.
- Rest Macarons: Allow the macarons to rest in a dry area for 30 minutes to 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 one cookie sheet at a time for 17 minutes until macarons rise and form “feet.”
- Cool Macarons: Let macarons cool on the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the pan and continue cooling macarons on the rack for at least 10 more minutes until completely cool.
- Make Buttercream Filling: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with a handheld mixer on medium speed. Gradually add powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add Cocoa and Peppermint: Mix in cocoa powder, then peppermint extract, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Add a second tablespoon of cream if needed for smooth texture.
- Assemble Macarons: Pipe buttercream on half of the macaron cookies. Place remaining macarons on top to form sandwiches.
- Decorate Edges: Roll the macaron edges in crushed candy canes to coat.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring instead of liquid to avoid affecting egg white consistency.
- Let piped macarons rest to dry out the tops, ensuring smooth shells after baking. Setting them under an oven hood helps drying.
- Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer to ensure accuracy.
- Do not open the oven during baking to prevent airflow disturbances that can affect macarons.
- Store macarons in an airtight container: fresh at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for 7 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
- Freeze assembled macarons or shells layered in airtight containers. Thaw in fridge for a few hours before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 macaron sandwich
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
