Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
These chocolate strawberry macarons are filled with a creamy chocolate buttercream and homemade strawberry jam. They're a little sweet, a little tangy, and completely delicious!
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Resting time20 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: chocolate strawberry macarons, macarons
Servings: 18 macarons
Calories: 130kcal
Author: The Tipsy Macaron
Kitchen scale
Strainer
Whisk
Stand mixer
Spatula
One 16 inch pastry bag
Three 8 inch pastry bags
Round piping tip (Wilton 12)
Two silicone baking mats
Two half sheet pans
Oven thermometer
Small saucepan (for strawberry jam)
Potato masher (to crush the strawberries)
Small glass bowl (for melting chocolate wafers)
Macaron shells
- 90 grams powdered sugar
- 80 grams almond flour
- 70 grams egg whites
- 70 grams granulated sugar
- 2 grams egg white powder (optional)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 drops brown gel food coloring
Chocolate buttercream
- ½ tsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup salted butter (½ stick)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp heavy whipping cream
Strawberry jam
- ½ lb frozen strawberries (can also use fresh strawberries)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
Chocolate drizzle
- 9 melting chocolate wafers
Prepare dry ingredients
Sift powdered sugar and almond flour using a whisk to break down any clumps. Set aside.
Line sheet pans with silicone mats.
Insert the piping tip into the 16 inch pastry bag.
Make the meringue
Whisk the egg whites on medium speed (speed 4) until you start to see small bubbles (this can take as little as 15 seconds sometimes).
Slowly add 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, 1 tbsp at a time.
Whisk until you start to see tracks in the meringue.
Increase speed to 6 and continue slowly adding the remainder of the granulated sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until you’ve added all the sugar.
Once you have soft peaks, stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla.
Whisk for about 2 minutes, or until medium peaks, and add 3 drops of gel food coloring.
Whisk for another 5 minutes or until stiff peaks.
Combine ingredients
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the meringue and fold the batter until you can't see any of the dry ingredients.
When folding the batter, slide the spatula under the batter, lift it in a U motion, go over the top of the batter, and slide it under again. This way you make sure to get the batter at the bottom of the bowl.
Once fully combined, add in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and repeat the process of folding.
Add in the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients and fold until fully combined.
Once all of the powdered sugar/almond flour mixture has been added, continue folding a few more times to make sure all the ingredients are combined well.
Now you need to deflate some of the air in the batter by taking the spatula and smearing the batter on the sides of the bowl two or three times, and then folding once or twice.
Continue this process of smearing some of the batter on the side of the bowl and folding once or twice until the batter starts to run off the spatula in ribbons.
You can test the consistency by lifting the spatula and letting the batter run down. If it falls in ribbons and sinks into itself within 30 seconds, it's ready.
Pipe the shells
Transfer the batter to the 16 inch pastry bag.
Holding the pastry bag at a 90° angle, pipe the macarons into ¾ inch circles about 1 inch apart.
Tap the tray against the counter about 8 times to release any air bubbles.
Let the macarons rest until they form a skin and are no longer sticky.
While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 310°F.
Bake the macarons for 14-16 minutes.
Macarons are ready when they no longer shift if you touch the tops.
Chocolate buttercream
Using the stand mixer, whisk the butter and cocoa powder until the cocoa powder has dissolved.
Add half of the powdered sugar and whisk until fully combined.
Add the remaining powdered sugar and whisk until you no longer see any sugar.
Add the cream and continue to whisk until the buttercream looks smooth and creamy.
Strawberry jam
Add frozen strawberries and sugar to saucepan and heat on medium, stirring frequently.
Continue stirring and breaking down the strawberries with a spatula.
Once it starts to boil, add lemon juice, and continue stirring so that jam doesn't burn.
Boil for about 20 minutes and using either the spatula or potato masher, crush the strawberries. Jam will thicken as it cooks.
Check the consistency by running the spatula down the middle of the jam, and if it takes a few seconds to come back together, it's ready. Jam will thicken as it cools.
Remove saucepan from heat and let the jam cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a glass container, or a bit longer if transferring to a plastic container.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour so the jam cools before filling the macarons.
Assemble the macarons
Transfer the jam to an 8 inch pastry bag and set aside. Don't cut an opening at the tip yet.
Fill another 8 inch pastry bag with the buttercream and cut about a ¼ inch opening at the bottom of the bag.
Pipe the buttercream around the outer edge of half of the macaron shells, leaving a space in the middle for the jam.
Take the pastry bag filled with the jam and cut a ½ inch opening at the tip and fill the middle of the macarons with jam. It will be a bit runny but the buttercream will keep it in place.
Place the top half of the macaron shells on top of the filled macarons.
Place 9 chocolate wafers in a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Remove from microwave and stir with a spoon until the chocolate has completely melted. If it needs more time, microwave for another 10 seconds, remove from microwave, and stir until melted.
Immediately transfer the chocolate to an 8 inch pastry bag, cut a small opening at the tip, and drizzle on the macarons. This needs to be done very quickly as the chocolate will start to set inside the bag if it cools down too much.
*Calories reflected are for macaron shells only
Mixing bowl should be clean and grease free
Weigh all ingredients in grams for accuracy
Use room temperature egg whites (to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, put them in a bowl filled with hot water for about 5 minutes)
Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together because almond flour is moist and doesn't sift well alone
Mix the egg white powder and the granulated sugar before adding to the egg whites to fully dissolve the egg white powder
Whisk the meringue until you have stiff peaks
Let macarons dry before baking so they don't crack
Work very quickly with the melted chocolate wafers because the chocolate will start to set inside the pastry bag as soon as it starts cooling down
Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 130kcal