(Inside: So, I decided to take a plunge and try this amazing recipe from a friend for Chocolate Espresso Macarons. I was not disappointed. So amazing.)

I was afraid, for a long time, to try making these mystical, magical cookies–but recently, with time on my hands…well, I decided to take the plunge.

My first foray didn’t go as planned–and I told a friend that I just didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull it off. I mean, they were not right…and I was a little crushed.

But then Brittanie gave me this recipe she said she’s been perfecting for the past two years.

A no-fail that, as long as you follow the directions, you can do every time.

And OMG. I did exactly what she said and made these madly beautiful–and deliciously perfect Chocolate Espresso Macarons.

Brittanie was sweet enough to let me share, so yay!

So, I decided to take a plunge and try this amazing recipe from a friend for Chocolate Espresso Macarons. I was not disappointed. So amazing. #nerdymammablog #frenchmacaron

Now, the real trick to this recipe for Chocolate Espresso Macarons is to weigh the ingredients.

I know, I know–so not the makings of an “easy” recipe.

But it’s a more exact way to measure your portions and so, for a finikey recipe like this, weighing only makes sense.

I also wrote the 12 Simple Tips to Make Perfect Macarons. You need to check out these tips before starting your own creation of perfect macaron cookies!

I had to actually buy a food scale, since this was the first time I have ever had to really weigh food. And I got this really simple-to-use digital scale (paid link) with a flat face–you know because less edges equals less I have to clean up when I make a mess. LOL!

Then, I made a simple template for measuring how much cookie dough to pipe onto my silicone mat .(paid link)…you know, things…

Then, to show how simple this recipe really is, I totally made one of my simple slideshows of the making of these Chocolate Espresso Macarons when I made the second batch to take photos of…check it out!

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”BYmGgLbU” upload-date=”2019-01-21T16:00:00.000Z” name=”Chocolate Espresso Macaron” description=”Recipe for making chocolate espresso macarons with the following ingredients: Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, eggs, butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, salt, Hershey’s cocoa powder.”]

If you’re digging this recipe for Chocolate Espresso Macarons, be sure to pin it–because you will definitely want to be able to find it when your food scale comes in and you’ll want to make seconds when you devour the first batch in 10 mintues (my bad).

Chocolate Espresso Macarons

So, I decided to take a plunge and try this amazing recipe from a friend for Chocolate Espresso Macarons. I was not disappointed. So amazing.

Ingredients

Cookies

4 oz. confectioners sugar minus 2 tbsp
2 oz. almond flour I recommend Bob’s Red Mill
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Hershey’s is the best!
1 oz granulated sugar
2 oz. egg whites roughly two eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla optional, or you can use your favorite extract
1/4 tsp salt

Buttercream Filling

1 stick butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbsp of your favorite ground coffee You can also use instant
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Instructions

Cookies

First, weigh out all of your ingredients.
Next, sift together your almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a large bowl and set aside.
Add your egg whites to the bowl of your mixer and start mixing on a medium speed until they get frothy. Add in the salt.
Gradually add in your sugar to the egg whites and mix on a medium speed until you get a soft peak consistency. (see photo about, VERY important).
After the egg whites are the right consistency, add about 1/3 of the dry mixture to the egg whites and fold in until there are no dry spots left.
Add in the remaining dry mixture to the meringue and fold in until there are no dry spots.
Begin to check for the “ribbon” stage, where the batter falls off in ribbons and you can make a figure 8 without it breaking off. Once you get to this consistency stop folding.
Prepare your piping bag with a small round tip. Place your bag in a large cup to make it easier to add your batter. Slowly add in your batter.
Place the macaron template under a silicon mat on a baking sheet.
Hold your piping bag completely vertical when piping and lift straight up. Making about 1 1/2 to 2 inch circles.
10. After you have piped all the batter, bang the baking sheet on the counter 10-20 times (seriously) to remove all air bubbles. Use a toothpick or something sharp to pop them.
Now it is time to let them dry. Leave them sitting on the counter for 30-60 minutes until you can touch them and you can feel a “shell” form over them. No batter should come off on your finger.
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. and bake your macarons for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. When you touch the top of the macaron it should not wiggle around on the “feet”.
Allow them to cool COMPLETELY before taking them off the baking sheet.

Buttercream Filling

Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until light and fluffy.
Add in the confectioners sugar and mix until combined.
Add in the coffee grounds and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Place in a pipping bag with a star tip, and pip a generous amount on half of the macarons.
Sandwich them with the remaining macaron shells.
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours to allow them to “mature”.
Enjoy!