Hot Chocolate French Macarons with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
You'll want to sit by the fire to enjoy these sweet and delicious Hot Chocolate French Macarons with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting.
Ingredients
For the macarons
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ c. white sugar
- 2 c. confectioners sugar
- 3/4 c. almond flour
- 3 tbsp. hot chocolate mix
- pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
For the frosting
- 1 c. butter softened
- 1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2-3 tbsp. milk
Instructions
For the macarons
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Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
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Sift together almond flour, hot chocolate mix, and powdered sugar; removing the larger lumps of almond pieces. Discard those, you want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.
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Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 6-10 mins. Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Then add the food coloring. Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. Be careful, if you under mix your macaroons they will be lumpy and cracked when they bake and they won’t have feet. If you over mix, your macaroons will be flat and won’t have feet (the mark of a well-made macaroon). A good measure is 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding.
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Transfer batter to a pastry bag. Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking. Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or even up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit. They should be “tacky” to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons develop feet! When they dry out they can’t spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up, which is what creates the feet!
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Bake for 20 mins. Whatever you do: DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray. You will also want to avoid opening the oven door while baking. Meanwhile mix the buttercream.
For the frosting
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Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the entire jar of marshmallow creme. Whip for 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and milk until it’s the desired consistency. Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ ” in diameter) Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell and you have your French Macaroon!
Recipe Notes
My 2 Cents
These store really well in the refrigerator or can even be frozen. If you aren’t going to eat them right away it is best to keep them refrigerated.
Frosting slightly adapted from Butter With A Side Of Bread: http://www.butterwithasideofbread.com/2013/01/marshmallow-buttercream-frosting-how-to.html
Adapted from Beth's Entertaining