Sip of Paris: Hot Cocoa French Macarons Delight!
Bonjour, sweet indulgence seekers! Get ready to whisk yourself away to the cozy streets of Paris with our delightful Hot Cocoa French Macarons. These little treasures aren’t just treats; they’re Parisian dreams wrapped in delicate shells, offering a sophisticated twist to the comforting flavors of hot cocoa.
Macarons are like tiny pieces of edible art—a meringue-based delight boasting a crisp outer shell and a soft, chewy interior. They’re notorious for their intricate process and vibrant colors, often resembling tiny sandwich cookies filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam. These dainty delights have a history dating back centuries, originating in Italy but gaining fame in France.
Check out our Gourmet Hot Cocoa Macarons! The shells—light as a feather with a touch of cocoa—sandwich a smooth, velvety ganache that whispers hints of warm, chocolatey goodness. Each bite is like sipping on a steaming mug of hot cocoa on a chilly winter evening—comforting, indulgent, and oh-so-sophisticated.
Baking these macarons isn’t just a recipe; it’s an art, a delightful journey that blends precision with creativity. From meticulously folding almond flour into egg whites to piping perfect circles on baking sheets, each step is an invitation to embrace the Parisian patisserie experience in your own kitchen.
These decadent Chocolate Macarons are more than just sweet treats; they’re a taste of sophistication, offering a momentary escape to the enchanting streets of Paris in every blissful bite. Prepare your aprons, preheat those ovens, and get ready to savor a slice of Parisian heaven with our delightful Hot Cocoa French Macaron recipe!
More Hot Cocoa-Inspired Recipes:
Hot Cocoa Dessert Cups: If you love Brownies and Hot Cocoa, this will be your favorite new dessert! You just need a brownie Mix and the ingredients to make the chocolate ganache, and you will have your own Heavenly Chocolaty deliciousness!
Hot Chocolate Dump Cake: If you love the delicious flavor of hot chocolate and the ease of dump cakes, then you are in for a real treat today! This scrumptious Hot Chocolate Dump Cake Recipe is easy to make and absolutely mouth-watering. It is the perfect after-dinner dessert or even a sinful afternoon snack delight!
If you need some creative Hot Chocolate Recipes, look no further. We have over SIXTY Homemade Hot Chocolate recipes! You will find some that can simmer in the crockpot (perfect for a crowd) and others that will make a mug at a time.
Ingredients needed for Hot Cocoa French macarons:
- 130 g almond flour (approx. 1 1/3 c. loosely packed)
- 130 g powdered sugar (approx. 1 c.)
- 90 g granulated sugar (approx. 1/3 c.)
- 100 g egg whites (approx. ½ c. – about 3 large eggs worth)
- ½ t. meringue powder (optional)
- 1 t. egg white powder (optional)
- 2 T. dark chocolate cocoa powder
Supplies recommended:
- Kitchen scale
- Sifter
- Spatula
- Electric mixer with whisk attachment
- Mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment or Silicone sheet with macaron template
- Pastry bag (or a Ziploc bag)
- Large round metal tip
Creating the Hot Cocoa French Macarons:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Separate the eggs and retain the egg whites – be sure that there is no yolk, or they will not whip up. Beat egg whites until foamy in the bowl of the mixer with the whisk attachment, about one minute. Add in the meringue powder (optional).
Slowly add granulated sugar in three increments and mix well after every addition on medium speed. Once all the sugar has been combined, increase the speed to medium/high and mix for another five minutes. The mixture should be very stiff peaks and balled up in the whisk attachment and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Combine almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and egg white powder (optional) together in a fine mesh strainer and gently sieve, leaving behind any larger chunks and discarding.
Pour the sifted dry ingredients into the whipped mixture and stir only enough to incorporate.
From here, slowly start to fold, deflating the mixture and occasionally checking for consistency. Take special care to scrap the bottoms and sides of the bowl to ensure no dry ingredients are hiding.
To check the consistency, pull a scoop of the mixture up with your spatula and let the mixture drop back into the bowl. This is not the time to take out your aggression – treat it nicely and mix gently!
When it’s ready, it should flow nicely off the spatula, ribboning as it falls and then re-incorporating back into the mixture within about a 20-second count. The mixture should be the consistency of lava. Too few turns will result in tall macarons with a “peak”. Too many turns will result in the macarons spreading outward like traditional cookies rather than upward to get the nice, ruffled edges (feet).
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large round metal tip. If you do not have a tip, then just a straight cut across will do. Also, if you do not have a pastry bag, a Ziploc will also work.
Prepare your baking pan by turning it upside down if it has a rim to it. Place your mat on the pan or your template (find it here) with parchment paper covering it.
Holding the bag approximately ½ inch above the template and perpendicular to the pan, using the center as a bullseye in the center and slowly squeezing the bag, keeping it in one place until the mixture reaches the inner circle of the template (provided above). The mixture should settle to the outer line. Pipe out all the rounds until all batter has been used.
Take the entire baking sheet with the piped rounds on it and firmly hit the sheet on the counter several times, releasing any air bubbles and settling the batter. Any stubborn air bubbles can be popped with a toothpick.
Allow the piped rounds to rest for at least 30 minutes (that’s for our climate in the Colorado mountains. Higher humidity areas will need to increase this rest time). The tops should no longer be sticky/tacky. Sacrifice one shell to test by gently touching the surface. If it sticks to your finger, it’s not ready yet. Allow it to rest until you can touch it without sticking to your finger.
Once they have rested for about 30 minutes, place the tray in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. If baking more than one tray at a time, make sure to rotate the pans halfway through the cooking time. Let them cool on the pan. When cooled, very gently remove from baking sheet. Store in an airtight container stacked on their sides until ready to fill.
Hot Cocoa Filling
- 10 oz white chocolate chips
- ⅓ c heavy cream
- ½ c hot cocoa mix
- ½ c dark chocolate chips
- ½ c mini dehydrated marshmallows
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips and heavy cream for 1 minute. Remove and stir thoroughly. If needed, heat for an additional 15-30 seconds and stir well again until all chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add in the hot cocoa mix and stir well.
Transfer the hot cocoa ganache to a piping bag.
Assembling the Macarons:
When ready to assemble, lay out the macaron shells and partner up with shells of similar size.
Fill one-half of the shells with the ganache.
Pipe a mound in the center and then top with the remaining shell to create the cookie sandwich.
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, heat in 15-second increments, and stir well between intervals until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Cut a small hole in the end of the chocolate bag and quickly drizzle over the tops of the assembled macaron shells. Place the dehydrated marshmallows on top to decorate.
It can be enjoyed right away, but to get the best texture, it’s best to wait 24 hours for the shells to mature and create the chewy goodness we all love!
Store in an airtight container refrigerated for about two weeks or frozen for up to three months (watch for freezer burn). If stored in the freezer, allow it to reach room temperature before enjoying it.
Hot Cocoa French Macarons Tips / Tricks:
- Carton egg whites can be substituted; however, we recommend freshly separated eggs for better results.
- Room-temperature egg whites whip up quicker than cold egg whites.
- Meringue powder is recommended to help stabilize the egg whites while whipping – but it is optional.
- Egg white powder (available online) is recommended to help fill the gaps in the macaron shells and make them fuller.
- Once baked, always store the shells in an airtight container. It does not take long for them to dry out and lose their chewiness.
Print the Recipe:
Hot Cocoa French Macarons
Indulge in a little slice of Parisian heaven with our Hot Cocoa French Macaron Recipe. Crafted with passion and precision, our recipe ensures these macarons are a true work of art.
Ingredients
- Macarons:
- 130 g almond flour (approx. 1 1/3 c. loosely packed)
- 130 g powdered sugar (approx. 1 c.)
- 90 g granulated sugar (approx. 1/3 c.)
- 100 g egg whites (approx. ½ c. – about 3 large eggs worth)
- ½ t. meringue powder (optional)
- 1 t. egg white powder (optional)
- 2 T. dark chocolate cocoa powder
- Hot cocoa filling:
- 10 oz white chocolate chips
- ⅓ c heavy cream
- ½ c hot cocoa mix
- ½ c dark chocolate chips
- ½ c mini dehydrated marshmallows
Instructions
Macarons:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Separate the eggs and retain the egg whites – be sure that there is no yolk, or they will not whip up. Beat egg whites until foamy in the bowl of the mixer with the whisk attachment, about one minute. Add in the meringue powder (optional). Slowly add granulated sugar in three increments and mix well after every addition on medium speed. Once all the sugar has been combined, increase the speed to medium / high and mix for another five minutes. Mixture should be very stiff peaks and balled up in the whisk attachment and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Combine almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and egg white powder (optional) together in a fine mesh strainer and gently sieve, leaving behind any larger chunks and discarding.
Pour the sifted dry ingredients into the whipped mixture and stir only enough to incorporate. From here, slowly start to fold, deflating the mixture and occasionally checking for consistency. Take special care to scrap the bottoms and sides of the bowl to ensure no dry ingredients are hiding. To check the consistency, pull a scoop of the mixture up with your spatula and let the mixture drop back into the bowl. This is not the time to take out your aggression – treat it nicely and mix gently! When it’s ready, it should flow nicely off the spatula, ribboning as it falls and then re-incorporating back into the mixture within about a 20 second count. The mixture should be the consistency of lava. Too few turns will result in tall macarons with a “peak”. Too many turns will result in the macarons spreading outward like traditional cookies rather than upward to get the nice, ruffled edges (feet).
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large round metal tip. If you do not have a tip, then just a straight cut across will do. Also, if you do not have a pastry bag, a Ziploc will also work.
Prepare your baking pan by turning it upside down if it has a rim to it. Place your mat on the pan or your template with parchment paper covering it.
Holding the bag approximately ½ inch above the template and perpendicular to the pan, using the center as a bullseye in the center and slowly squeeze the bag, keeping it in one place until the mixture reaches the inner circle of the template (provided). The mixture should settle to the outer line. Pipe out all the rounds until all batter has been used.
Take the entire baking sheet with the piped rounds on it and firmly hit the sheet on the counter several times, releasing any air bubbles and settling the batter. Any stubborn air bubbles can be popped with a toothpick.
Allow the piped rounds to rest for at least 30 minutes (that’s for our climate in the Colorado mountains. Higher humidity areas will need to increase this rest time). The tops should no longer be sticky/tacky. Sacrifice one shell to test by gently touching the surface. If it sticks to your finger, it’s not ready yet. Allow it to rest until you can touch it without sticking to your finger.
Once they have rested for about 30 minutes, place the tray in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. If baking more than one tray at a time, make sure to rotate the pans halfway through the cooking time. Let them cool on the pan. When cooled, very gently remove from baking sheet. Store in an airtight container stacked on their sides until ready to fill.
Hot Cocoa Filling
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips and heavy cream for 1 minute. Remove and stir thoroughly. If needed, heat for an additional 15-30 seconds and stir well again until all chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add in the hot cocoa mix and stir well. Transfer the hot cocoa ganache to a piping bag.
When ready to assemble, lay out the macaron shells and partner up with similar size shells. Fill one-half of the shells with a the ganache. Pipe a mound in the center and then top with the remaining shell to create the cookie sandwich.
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15-second increments and stir well between each interval until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag.
Cut a small hole in the end of the chocolate bag and quickly drizzle over the tops of the assembled macaron shells. Place the dehydrated marshmallows on top to decorate.
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