My obsession with macarons is actually out of control. Like, I willingly admit I have a problem and probably need a support group kind of out of control. These salted butter caramel chocolate macarons are my latest macaron obsession.
I would say it’s bad but I’m 99.9% sure something this adorable and cute can’t possibly be bad. Right?
Please say I’m right.
I made caramel sauce at work this week for our two restaurants and food cart and decided that this week’s macarons had to include some sort of caramel. Salted caramel is clearly the best kind of caramel so this salted butter caramel was born.
It’s really easy to make, has a four ingredients (sugar, water, heavy cream, salted butter) and tastes great. But you do have to be careful when you make it – I like to use the tallest pot I have – because when you add the cream to the hot water and sugar, it bubbles up like crazy. You need to be really, really careful. You don’t want to burn/scald your arms on hot caramel. It’s good, but not worth that kind of pain.
You’ll have extra caramel. Feel free to eat it with a spoon. I don’t judge. That would be hypocritical.
With these macarons you get not one, but TWO fillings. Because I love you and think you all need cavities.
Just kidding. Although I did recently get my first ever cavity at the age of almost 25. Being cavity-free was fun while it lasted.
Anyway…the other filling is a super simple but delicious chocolate ganache. Is there a better combination than chocolate and caramel? I don’t think so.
This particular combo is sweet and slightly salty. It’s sandwiched between the most beautiful chocolatey macaron shells which basically makes it the perfect little dessert for chocolate lovers.
I’m pretty sure non-chocolate lovers would like it too. It’s just that good.
So we have this: shells and a ring of chocolate ganache filled with salted butter caramel coming together to create delicious salted butter caramel chocolate macarons.
Enjoy!
Salted Butter Caramel Chocolate Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 240g powdered sugar
- 10g dark cocoa powder
- 210g egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
- Chocolate Ganache:
- 250g dark chocolate (chips or chopped)
- 7 fl. oz. heavy cream
- 15g sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- Salted Butter Caramel:
- 250g sugar
- 2 1/2 fl. oz. water
- 4 fl. oz. heavy cream
- 7 oz. salted butter
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa 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 and top with chocolate sprinkles. 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 Ganache:
- Step 8 Put chocolate pieces/chips into a mixing bowl.
- Step 9 Heat cream and sugar over medium heat until hot. Pour cream over chocolate and gently combine.
- Step 10 Incorporate butter until smooth. Cool to room temp. and refrigerate 1 hr. before using.
- Step 11 Salted Butter Caramel:
- Step 12 Heat the sugar & water over medium heat – do not stir. Watch until it becomes a light-brown caramel colour.
- Step 13 Next, slowly and CAREFULLY add the cream, stirring with a spatula. The caramel will bubble and foam a lot.
- Step 14 Once cream has been incorporated into caramel, monitor the temperature. Once it hits 225°F., remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.
- Step 15 Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours.
- Step 16 Assembly:
- Step 17 Match shells of the same size to form pairs. On one half of each pair, pipe a ring of chocolate ganache. Fill with the caramel and gently sandwich together.
- Step 18 To store, keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week.
2 thoughts on “Salted Butter Caramel Chocolate Macarons”
Comments are closed.