Chocolate Macarons with Peanut Butter Filling (Step by Step)
These chocolate macarons with peanut butter filling are so delicious. No other dessert has a texture like the classic macarons. They are crunchy on the outside with a gooey and chewy center. The recipe I created is a combination of a French technique and American flavors. These macarons are so good. I promise you that you won’t be able to stop with having just one.
I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like chocolate and peanut butter. When I moved to America I fell in love with this classic combination. Ten years ago, the peanut butter wasn’t very popular in Europe. Now it is taking over the shelfs of the European grocery stores. I’m not sure how the French might feel about adding peanut butter to their delicate desert, but I loved it. It is heavier than the usual macaron, which helps satisfy my cravings better. The peanut butter is slightly sweet and salty. This makes it go well with so many sweet and savory dishes. Sometimes I have it with my breakfast, as a snack on my apple or banana slices, I use it in some sauces and in my desserts. It is simply addictive.
Helpful tips
Making the chocolate macarons with peanut butter filling is not hard but it requires you to follow some steps and to be patient. Don’t worry I’m going to give you all the secrets you need to know to create the perfect macarons.
For best results use room temperature egg whites. I remove my egg whites from the fridge two hours before I start making the macarons.
Add some salt when you whisk your eggs. This will help stabilize them and you will be able to achieve the perfect macarons.
Gradually add the sugar to the egg whites. I add one tablespoon at a time. If you add it too fast it will deflate the merengue.
Use a food processor to mix the dry ingredients. Add the almond flour, powdered sugar and cacao powder in the food processor and mix for about 30 seconds.
Then sift them through a fine mesh sieve. If there are any lumps left in the sieve throw them away. Extra fine dry ingredients will help you achieve those smooth macaron tops.
Mix the dry ingredients by folding them in. One of the biggest mistakes is mixing the macaron batter for too long or not mixing it enough. Stop mixing as soon as you can write the number eight with the batter.
After piping out the macaron mixture drop the tray for 2-3 times to get the extra bubbles out of the batter. Dry the macarons for an hour on the baking sheet before baking. This step is very important if you don’t dry out the batter you will not get the classic macaron shape. Before baking touch one macaron to make sure that its top is dry. This step will allow your macarons to grow tall instead of wide as they bake.
More helpful tips
Cool them off completely before piping the filling. Let them cool off on the backing sheet. If they are stuck to the parchment paper, then they are slightly underbaked.
Let them sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you serve them. That is the hardest part of the whole process, but it is so worth it. If you eat your macaroons right away, they will crumble and fall apart. They need time in the fridge to absorb some of the moisture from the filling. That is how you get the perfect macaron texture.
Chocolate Macarons with Peanut Butter Filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
- 3 egg whites at room temperature 4 oz.
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp sugar
For the filling
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter unsweetened
- ½ cup butter one stick Softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the almond flour, cacao powder, and powdered sugar in a food processor and mix for 30 seconds.
- The egg whites should be at room temperature. Add them in a deep (dry) bow with the salt. Start beating the egg whites on high speed using a mixer until they are foamy and no longer translucent. While you are beating add one tablespoon of sugar at a time. Stop beating the egg whites once you have stiff peaks.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the merengue. Using a spatula start to mix the ingredients by folding them in. Your mixture is ready once you are able to write the number eight with the batter without a breaking.
- Prepare a in a pasty bag with a round tip and fill it with the batter.
- Pipe the macarons about an 1½ wide on the parchment paper. Once you are done piping drop the tray a few times to remove the excess air bubbles out of your macarons.
- Dry out the macarons for 1 hour before baking. Their tops should be dry to the touch before you put them in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Bake for 15-17 minutes and allow cookies to cool off on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to dry them out before filling.
To prepare the filling
- Mix together the peanut butter, softened butter, the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract.
- Fill in a piping bag with the mixture. Pipe a dollop of filling to the flat side of the macaron. The filling should be slightly smaller than the macaron. Then carefully press another macaron on top to make a sandwich. Repeat the same steps with the rest of the macarons.
- Keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.
Notes
