Holiday baking season is officially here and we’re kicking it off with peppermint mocha macarons!
Some people wait until December 1st to start holiday baking, I start the day after Thanksgiving. Making the most of holiday baking season, obviously.
I’m going to be totally honest with you, I first attempted making these a couple of weeks ago with my normal macaron shell recipe. I don’t know what my oven’s deal is but for whatever reason, it refuses to consistently cooperate with the Italian method of macaron making. REFUSES.
So I went back to the French method and it worked like a damn charm. I mean, almost every single macaron was perfect.
I guess you shouldn’t really stray from what the French know. They are macaron connoisseurs after all.
We’re embracing the holiday season by holiday drinking the heck out of these peppermint mocha macarons. We start with a coffee shell, pipe in a slightly minty chocolate ganache, and then roll them in peppermint bits because why not? It’s your favourite (non-alcoholic) holiday beverage in cute macaron form. The macaron you didn’t know you wanted.
These babies and a large batch of my gingerbread macarons made their way to my freezer this weekend in preparation for a holiday bake sale we’re having at work next week. I’ll also be making my crinkle cookies and ginger cookies and a coworker of mine is going to be baking a few things so it’ll be a very festive affair.
I can’t wait!
Peppermint Mocha Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. espresso powder
- 210g egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Filling:
- 500g dark chocolate, chips or chopped
- 14 fl. oz. heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 30g sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, cubed
- Crushed candy canes/peppermint candies
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour, powdered sugar, and espresso powder in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it’s clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms. The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
- Step 4 With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined. Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter. The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out. This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you’ll just be able to feel when it’s ready.
- Step 5 Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles (sprinkle on additional espresso powder, if desired) and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they’re ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
- Step 6 While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18). The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Filling:
- Step 8 Put chocolate chips/pieces into a bowl.
- Step 9 In a saucepan, heat the cream, extract, and sugar until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir to fully incorporate then add in the butter and stir until combined. Cool to room temp and let it sit until reached desired piping consistency.
- Step 10 Assembly:
- Step 11 Pair up shells. On one half of each shell pair, pipe filling. Sandwich shells together and roll in peppermint bits.
