I decided to put a fun spin on my French chocolate macaron and give them a spooky yet gorgeous look for Fall! With the help of some black cocoa powder and a decadent dark chocolate filling these black macarons are perfect for just about any occasion.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Black Macarons

This recipe don’t require a ton of equipment. However, I find they turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.

As macarons bake, they usually spread less on silpat mats than parchment paper.

Below is a list of tools and equipment I like to use when I make black macarons:

• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large piping bag
• Round piping tip
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)

Making Black Macarons – Step by Step Process

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

Below are some photos and a video tutorial of the process to help guide you through this recipe for black macarons.

Step #1: Prep the Ingredients and Equipment to Make These Black Macarons

After prepping and weighing your ingredients, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to remove any residual grease.

This helps the meringue whip up better!

Step #2: Sift the Dry Ingredients

Sifting the superfine almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder will help your macaron shells turn out nice and smooth.

This step makes sure that no chunks of almond or powdered sugar get mixed into your macaron batter.

Step #3: Make French Meringue

Next, it’s time to make the French meringue! Whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until soft peaks form, then add in the granulated sugar.

Once the sugar is incorporated, add in the black gel food coloring, and mix on a medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing your meringue.

Stop the mixer once you notice the meringue begins to gather in the whisk like the photo below.

Don’t worry if the meringue is kind of a gray color, I promise the batter will get darker once the dry ingredients are mixed in.

Step #4: Mix the Dry Ingredients into The Meringue

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.

Step #5: Pipe the Macaron Shells

Once the batter is ready, fill a large piping bag with the macaron batter and pipe 1-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface and pop them with a toothpick.

This can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Step #6: Rest the Piped Macaron Shells

Next let the macarons rest for at least 30 minutes until they form a skin.

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 #7: Bake the Black Macaron Shells

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

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

Step #8: Assembling These Black Macarons

The final step is to pair up the macaron shells and pipe a dollop of dark chocolate buttercream onto one macaron shell. Gently top it with a second shell.

To jazz up these macarons you can also brush the top of each macaron with a bit of edible gold paint.

I like to use the edible art brand, but you can also make your own by mixing together gold luster dust with a bit of clear extract or alcohol.

Place the finished macarons in the fridge in an airtight container to mature overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!

Black Macaron Troubleshooting

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

Macarons can be incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right.

If you run into any issues, please check out my detailed French macaron troubleshooting guide.

Choosing The Right Filling for These Black 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 the macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

You can use just about any type of frosting or ganache to fill these chocolate macarons.

I love using a small batch of my black chocolate buttercream to fill my macarons because I have a huge sweet tooth. However, I also like filling them with dark chocolate ganache!

Black Macaron Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 36 small macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons 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 about 1 1/4 inch so they’re a bit smaller than a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Black Macarons

• Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making your 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 and your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
• Use superfine almond flour rather than trying to make your own. It more consistently yields great macarons.
• Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
• Brush a streak of edible gold paint on top of the assembled macarons to give them a beautiful finished look.
• Let your macarons mature! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
• If your first batch of macarons doesn’t turn out, please check out my French macaron troubleshooting guide.

Making These Black Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

• You need to let French macarons mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before eating them. This gives them their best texture and taste.
• Store macarons at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
• Refrigerate macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Make your filling ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

Let Me Know What You Think!

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

You can also tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets on social media so I can see your amazing creations!

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