Black Macarons

5 from 9 ratings

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

Prep Time20

Cook Time17

Additional Time30

Total Time1 7

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 127kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Black Chocolate Macarons

63 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp
63 g powdered sugar 1/2 cup
7 g dark or black cocoa powder 1 Tbsp
55 g aged egg whites, room temperature - about 2 large eggs
pinch cream of tartar - optional
55 g granulated sugar 1/4 cup + 1 tsp
1 squirt black gel food coloring

Black Buttercream Filling

56 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup
7 g dark or black cocoa powder 1 Tbsp
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
1 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
1 squirt black gel food coloring
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
15 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1 Tbsp

Equipment

Instructions

Black Macarons

Sift 63g superfine almond flour, 63g powdered sugar and 7g of black cocoa powder into a large bowl and set aside.
Pour 55g 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.
Add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the black gel food coloring at this point, then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Add in the dry ingredients then fold the mixture 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. 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.
Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
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.
Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F.
Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 15-18 minutes and rotate your pan halfway through.
Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Black Chocolate Buttercream Filling

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.
Mix in 7g black cocoa powder, 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt and a squirt of black gel food coloring on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 15g heavy cream on a low speed.
Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
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).
Place in a piping bag with a small round tip and set aside.

Assembling These Black Macarons

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a dollop of chocolate buttercream onto the bottom of one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich and repeat with the remaining shells.
If desired, brush the top of each macaron with a streak of edible gold paint.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Remove the macarons from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to eat them to let them come to room temperature. Store any leftover macarons in the fridge.

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield:

This recipe makes about 36 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-inch, so they're a bit smaller than a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Black 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.

Use black gel food coloring. If you try to use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency of the batter.
Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
Let your macarons mature in the fridge overnight! 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 macaron troubleshooting guide for help!

Making These Black 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 stored at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
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.
Your filling can be made 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.

Nutrition