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Nutella Macarons

I am obsessed with Nutella, and it was only a matter of time before I made Nutella Macarons!

These are made with French chocolate macaron shells, piped with fluffy Nutella buttercream, and filled with a straight-up Nutella center! They chewy, sweet, and quite literally full of Nutella!

image of a Nutella macaron that's being held up to show its delicious Nutella buttercream filling

Making These Nutella Macarons with the French Method

There are a few different ways macarons are made. French macarons are considered easier to make while the Italian and Swiss methods use a few more steps but are more structurally sound.

French macarons also require less equipment. While I love Italian macarons, I like to keep things simple and used the French method for this recipe.

image of Nutella macarons filled with nutella buttercream and a nutella core laid out to show their filling

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Nutella Macarons

I’ve made quite a few batches of macarons, and they definitely turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.

These are the tools I like to use when I make these macarons:

How to Make These Nutella Macarons: Step-by-Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!

Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

Step #1: Make the French Meringue

The first step is to make the French meringue! If possible, separate your eggs at least a day in advance. They’re easiest to separate when they’re cold!

image of an egg white being separated into a container to make french macarons

Store the whites in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for a few hours or up to a few days before baking with them. Be sure to bring them to room temperature before whisking them.

Whisk the room temperature, aged egg whites on a medium-low speed until the surface is covered in small bubbles.

image of egg whites that have been whipped to make small bubbles on the top before adding in the sugar to make french meringue

Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until the whisk begins to leave tracks.

Gradually add the granulated sugar over a few minutes white mixing on a medium low speed. Then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed.

Mix until stiff peaks form like in the photo below. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing the meringue.

image of meringue that's shiny and has reached stiff peak stage for making macarons

Step #2: Sift and Fold the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue

Sift the superfine almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into the meringue.

image of dry ingredients being sifted into meringue to make macaron batter

If there are any bits that aren’t going through the sieve, use a rubber spatula to push them through.

image of dry ingredients being pushed through a sieve to make macaron shells

Then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula.

Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.

image of dry ingredients being folded into french meringue to make chocolate macaron shells

Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.

You should be able to draw a couple figure 8’s with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream once it is the right consistency.

image of chocolate macaron batter that's been mixed properly and passes the figure 8 test

If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to this, you may need to fold it a bit more.

Step #3: Pipe the Chocolate Macaron Shells

Fill a large piping bag with macaron batter and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto 2 silpat lined baking sheets. Space them about 1-inch apart.

image of chocolate macarons being piped

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times.

This brings any trapped air bubbles to the surface, which can then be popped with a toothpick or scribe.

image of chocolate macaron shells that are having their bubbles popped with a scribe

Popping these little bubbles can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Step #4: Rest the Chocolate Macaron Shells

Let the macarons rest for about 30 minutes, or until they form a skin. On rainy days this can take up to an hour where I live!

They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked. While the shells rest, preheat your oven.

Step #5: Bake the Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray in the middle rack of your oven.

Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.

image of baked chocolate macaron shells that are cooling on a silpat mat

Let the macarons cool fully on the pan, then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

If they’re properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly.

Step #6: Assemble the Nutella Macarons

While the macaron shells bake and cool, make the Nutella buttercream.

image of Nutella buttercream being mixed in a large mixing bowl

Place the frosting in a piping bag fit with a small French piping tip and set aside.

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a ring of Nutella buttercream on one macaron shell. Fill the center with Nutella.

image of a nutella macaron being filled with a straight up nutella center

Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.

Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight.

Letting the filled macarons rest overnight softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavor to develop.

Troubleshooting These Chocolate Nutella Macarons

While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these macarons will turn out perfectly, my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.

Macarons are incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right. If you run into any issues, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Choosing the Right Filling for These Macarons

While we put tons of energy into the shell of a macaron, almost all the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling.

The shell gives macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

Using Nutella in the buttercream and to fill the center makes these macarons so delicious!

image of a Nutella macaron that's been bitten in half to show its delicious Nutella filling

However, if you want a less sweet filling, try piping a ring with my chocolate ganache filling.

How Many Macarons Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 36 large macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons.

You can double or halve this recipe as needed.

The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of macarons you pipe. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches.

Tips for Making the Best Nutella Macarons

  • Wipe your mixing bowl, mats and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making the meringue. It will help your egg whites whip up better!
  • Separate your own eggs and age them if possible. Do not use egg whites from a carton.
  • Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. You really need to be precise with this recipe. These macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
  • Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
  • Let your baked and filled macarons mature! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
  • If your macarons don’t turn out, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!
image of nutella macarons stacked on each other

Making These Nutella Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

  • Macarons need to mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge in an airtight container before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and flavor.
  • Refrigerate these filled macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  • Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • Freeze unfilled macaron shells for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • Make the frosting ahead of time too or save any leftovers! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
image of a Nutella macaron that's been cut in half to show its delicious Nutella filling

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for Nutella macarons, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Yield: 18 macarons

Nutella Macarons

image of Nutella macarons filled with nutella buttercream and a nutella core laid out to show their filling

Learn how to make these gorgeous Nutella macarons! My step by step tutorial & detailed recipe will help you master these delicious little cookies.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Macarons

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

  • 56g unsalted butter, room temperature (1/4 cup)
  • 4g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (1 tsp)
  • 1g salt (1/8 tsp)
  • 38g Nutella (2 Tbsp)
  • 125g powdered sugar (1 cup)
  • 15g heavy cream (1 Tbsp)

Nutella Filling

  • 140g Nutella (1/2 cup)

Equipment

Instructions

Nutella Macarons

  1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
  2. Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage.
  3. Gradually mix in 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs over a few minutes while mixing on a medium low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  4. Sift 133g superfine almond flour, 125g powdered sugar, and 7g of cocoa powder into the meringue. Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.
  5. Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
  6. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
  7. Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
  8. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 157 C.
  9. Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 17-20 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.
  10. Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

  1. Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
  2. Mix in 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt, and 38g Nutella on a low speed.
  3. Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 15g heavy cream on a low speed.
  4. Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
  5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
  6. Place in a piping bag with a small french tip and set aside.

Assembling These Nutella Macarons

  1. Pipe a thick ring of Nutella buttercream or frosting of your choice around one macaron shell and fill the center with Nutella. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
  2. If desired, drizzle some melted chocolate and chopped hazelnuts on top of each macaron.
  3. Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Yield:

This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or half this recipe if needed.

The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Nutella Macarons

  • Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
  • Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
  • Carefully read through the directions before making these macarons. There are quite a few steps and it's good to know your game plan before you start!
  • Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
  • FIRMLY bang your pans on your counter after piping your macarons. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped and prevent cracked or hollow shells.
  • Rest the macarons for 30 minutes before they're baked to allow them to develop a skin.
  • Let your filled macarons mature in the fridge overnight! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
  • If your macarons don't turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide for help!

Making These Nutella Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

  • French macarons need to mature overnight (or ideally 24 hours) in the fridge before being eaten! They taste best 24 hours after being made.
  • Macarons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  • Filled macarons can be frozen for up to a month, but the length can vary based on the filling.
  • Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • The frosting can be made ahead of time too or save any leftovers! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 213Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 49mgSodium 53mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 1gSugar 25gProtein 4g

If you want to take a walk down memory lane, below are some of the original photos from this post in 2015. I think my baking and photography has come a long way in the last 5 years 😛

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Anne G.

Wednesday 22nd of November 2023

Thank you so much for your recipe and instructions! I just started my attempts at macarons last year and I’ve tried a few recipes. Your recipe was the first real success for me!

Chelsweets

Monday 27th of November 2023

Hi Anne,

That is such great news, I'm so happy to hear that!! :) Thank you for sharing!!!

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