Mocha Macarons

I was really happy with how these macarons came out. The espresso flavor really came through in the shells and the mocha buttercream was the perfect complement. I think chocolate ganache would also be a fantastic pair with these espresso-flavored macaron shells. To make the coffee flavored shells, I simply added two Tablespoons of espresso powder to my favorite, go-to macaron recipe. Check out the recipe below :).

Mocha Macarons
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients Part A:
110 grams (minus 2 Tablespoons) almond flour
200 grams powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons espresso powder
Part B:
100 grams aged egg whites (egg whites aged for 12-24 hours)
50 grams sugar

Part A Instructions:
1.) Measure out almond flour, espresso powder and powdered sugar. Add the two ingredients to a blender and blend together to form a homogeneous mixture.
2.) Sift this mixture of almond flour, espresso powder and powdered sugar into a bowl.

Part B Instructions:
1.) Add egg whites to clean and oil-free stand mixer or large bowl. Begin beating egg whites at medium-high speed until a foam forms.
2.) Gradually add in sugar to egg whites as you continue beating egg whites at medium-high speed.
3.) Beat egg whites to stiff peaks (you can test by lifting the beater and seeing if the meringue holds its shape).
4.) Add about 1/4 of the mixture from part A and fold in gently, scooping about 10 times (folding motion, scoops along bottom of the bowl, bringing the bottom layer to the top. Folding ensures the meringue doesn't deflate).
5.) Continue folding part A ingredients to the meringue (this should take no more than 50 strokes) until you achieve a "magma-flow" consistency .
6.) Prepare a sheet with parchment paper and transfer mixture to piping bag.
7.) Pipe mixture into evenly-sized circles onto the parchment paper, being careful to space out the macarons.
8.) Tap out the metal sheet against the counter-top, to eliminate the air bubbles in the macarons.
9.) Let piped macarons sit out for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
10.) Preheat oven to 300 F and bake each sheet for 12-14 minutes.
11.) Let macarons cool completely before removing from parchment paper
12.) Pair likesize macaron shells and fill with mocha buttercream. Serve in a few hours or store unfilled shells in airtight container in the freezer.



mocha buttercream filling
adapted from squirrel bakes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
0.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 Tablespoon espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

1.) Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl by microwaving in 15 second intervals.
2.) Let chocolate cool.
3.) Beat butter until light and fluffy in a large bowl.
4.) Add melted chocolate, espresso powder and vanilla to large bowl and mix to incorporate.
5.) Sift confectionar's sugar and beat into mixture.
6.) Add milk and beat into mixture. (Add a Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.







I've been experimenting with macaron flavors, so I will be posting up more variations soon!