Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Macarons are the perfect bite-sized treat to bring to showers, parties, and special occasions! The rich chocolate ganache is flavored with a touch of raspberry liqueur and sandwiched between two crisp macaron shells. What could be better?!
Jump to:
About this recipe
Add a touch of elegance to your usual French macarons with a raspberry liqueur-infused chocolate ganache and cocoa nib-topped shells. Yep, I’m talking about these Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Macarons!
So soft, fudgy, and sweet, these chocolate raspberry macarons make for an elegant and impressive dessert you can bring to any special event or holiday. There is some practice involved when learning how to make macarons from scratch, but with my easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll be a macaron pro in no time!
If you're craving other variations of rich chocolate macarons, then you should try my Port Wine Ganache Macarons and Pumpkin Butter and Dark Chocolate Macarons!
For more tips on making homemade foolproof macarons, check out my complete guide here!
Macaron vs macaroon
Macarons (pronounced “mack-a-ruhn”) and macaroons, while they’re almost spelled the same, are very different! Macaroons are made with shredded coconut, eggs whites, and sugar, while macarons are made with almond flour and customized with various flavors.
Dark chocolate raspberry macaron ingredients
- Blanched almond flour - I ususally use blanched almond flour when making macarons. The skins of the almonds have been removed in this flour variety, meaning you won’t end up with brown speckled macaron shells.
- Egg whites - To make a meringue with stiff peaks, the egg whites need to be at room temperature and whipped together with white granulated sugar.
- Powdered sugar - Sweetens the shells and helps to thicken the batter.
- Granulated sugar - You’ll need granulated sugar to transform the egg whites into a sturdy meringue.
- Raspberry chocolate ganache - This creamy chocolate mixture comes together with heavy cream, dark chocolate, corn syrup, butter, and raspberry liqueur. Chambord is delicious and easy to find, but it’s expensive. For a budget-friendly liqueur option, go with DeKuyper’s Razzmatazz.
Equipment
- Electric mixer with whisk attachment - If you have one, I highly recommend going the stand mixer route here; getting those elusive stiff peaks takes some time. In a pinch, a hand mixer will work, but you won’t be able to multitask as efficiently.
- Food processor - Ensuring that your ingredients are finely processed means you have a much better chance of having perfectly smooth, perfect macarons. In a pinch, you can also use your high-powered blender and pulse for 1-2 minutes.
- Mesh strainer- Sifting is another step you don’t want to miss when you’re making these plum macarons; any large chunks that were missed in the food processor will not make it through the strainer, meaning you don’t have to worry about any unsightly bumps.
- Sheet pans - If you haven’t yet, I recommend investing in some good (read: unwarped) cookie trays.
- Piping bags and tips - Part of the allure of French macarons is their appearance, and piping bags and tips ensure that they are flawless. In a pinch, use a zip top plastic bag with the corner cut off!
- Silicone spatula - When it comes to the “macronage” step (where you mix the dry ingredients into the egg whites), you’ll want a spatula that is flexible and can scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Mixing bowls - Having a sturdy set of mixing bowls (with tiny ones for your mise en place!) is a godsend in a baker’s kitchen. Opt for metal or pyrex; plastic is porous and can hold onto grease that will kill your meringues.
- Immersion blender - Getting the softest, silkiest ganache around is much easier with the help of a stick blender. They’re also great for puréeing soups!
How to make dark chocolate raspberry ganache macarons
These deeply luscious dark chocolate homemade French macarons can be a little tricky to make for the first time, but these detailed steps will easily guide you to macaron success:
Make Macaron Shells
Step 1: Make the meringue. Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on medium speed. Slowly add the white sugar when it starts to foam, and increase to high speed. Keep whisking until stiff peaks form and mix in your desired food coloring.
Step 2: Macaraonage! Pour your remaining dry ingredients into the bowl with the meringue and slowly fold the two together. The batter should be thin, drippy, and slide easily off of the rubber spatula. Overmixed macaron batter is impossible to salvage, so don’t fuss with it too much.
Step 3: Pipe the batter. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into one inch rounds on the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space in between each. Tap the baking sheet a few times to pop any air bubbles or use a toothpick.
Step 4: Decorate and set. Decorate half of the macaron rounds with cocoa nibs for the top shell. Leave the other half plain for the base. Important Step: Allow the shells to set for about 30-40 minutes or until they feel dry to the touch for best results.
Step 5: Bake and cool. Bake the meringues in a 310ºF oven for 9 minutes on parchment. Rotate the large baking sheet and bake for 2 minutes more. Your shells are done when they’re dried out and firm. Let the shells cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper.
Make Raspberry Chocolate Ganache & Assemble
Step 6: Make the ganache. Add the chopped chocolate to a bowl with the warm cream and corn syrup/glucose and stir to melt. Add the unsalted butter and use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture. Finish by folding in the raspberry liqueur.
Step 7: Assemble, chill, and enjoy! Pipe a nickel size amount of raspberry filling using a pastry bag onto each of the bottom macaron shells. Top each one with a top shell and place the assembled macarons in the fridge overnight. Enjoy the next day!
Tips to make the best macarons
- Mise en place - Macarons are time-sensitive! Prepare your mise en place (meaning to set up your working space in preparation for an activity) before you get started so your ingredients and equipment are ready to go.
- Use a piping template - A foolproof way of making perfect macaron shells every time is to trace identical 1-inch diameter circles onto the parchment paper to use as your piping template.
- Use an oven thermometer - Baking the shells at the right temperature is important, so I highly recommend using an oven thermometer.
- Weigh the ingredients - While macarons only use 4 ingredients, if one isn’t measured correctly, your odds of macaron success are considerably lower. I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale so everything is precise!
- Chill overnight - For the best texture, chill your macarons overnight. It helps dry the shells out further to achieve that light, crisp surface.
- Practice makes perfect - It’s no secret that making macarons can be tricky. Just keep practicing and experimenting with different macaron flavors, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Macaron variations
- Food Coloring - A fun way to jazz up your macarons is to add color to your meringue. I prefer gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring is too moist and not as vibrant.
- Toppings - Cacao nibs are an adorable decoration and the crunch is delicious! Instead of cacao nibs, you can use chocolate sprinkles, crushed Oreos, or chopped nuts.
Storing macarons
Macaron shells can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. When it’s time to assemble, take the frozen macarons out of the freezer to thaw for 10 to 15 minutes before filling with ganache. They’ll taste as good as new!
Filled macarons are best kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More macaron flavors you’ll love
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try making these Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Ganache Macarons, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - and for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Ganache Macarons
Equipment
Ingredients
Macarons
- 76 g (⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon ) Granulated Sugar
- 90 ml (About 3 egg whites) Room Temperature Egg Whites
- 80 g (¾ Cup + 1 Tbsp) Almond Flour, Blanched
- 150 g (1 ¼ Cup ) Confection’s Sugar, Powdered Sugar
- Cacao Nibs, for garnish
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
- 100 g (⅓ Cup + 1.5 Tbsp) Heavy Cream
- 32 g (1.5 tablespoon) Glucose syrup, or corn syrup
- 175 g (1 Cup) Dark chocolate, Roughly Chopped
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) Raspberry Liqueur
- 25 g (2 tablespoon) Unsalted Butter , room temperature
Instructions
Macarons
- Line each baking sheet with your prepared parchment templates and prepare your piping bags along with your piping tips. I like to use small, round piping tips for piping.
- Pour your egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer and start whisking on medium speed. Once they start to foam, slowly add your sugar and bring up your speed to medium for about three to four minutes.76 g Granulated Sugar, 90 ml Room Temperature Egg Whites
- While your meringue is whisking away, grind together your measured powdered sugar and almond flour using a food processor for one minute. Sift these dry ingredients into a large bowl with a fine sieve and set aside.80 g Almond Flour, 150 g Confection’s Sugar
- Your meringue is complete when it holds stiff peaks - add desired food coloring and gently whisk for a few additional seconds to incorporate,
- Now it’s time for the ever so important Macaronage! This is the act of mixing your dry ingredients into your french meringue and folding these ingredients enough to allow for the perfect desired consistency. To start, pour your dry mixture onto the meringue and slowly start to fold with a spatula. While rotating the bowl, continue to fold ingredients together. Press mixture on the side of your bowl until the batter flows off your spatula rather slowly and smoothly. You should see that the batter will drip off the spatula back into the bowl, and rest on top for a moment. Then, the batter from your spatula will slowly sink back into the mixture. One too many folds and your batter could be over mixed leading to it being impossible to work with, so be careful not to overmix!
- Pour your macaron batter into your prepared piping bag and pipe in circles onto your templated parchment paper. In order to get rid of any air bubbles within your piped shells and to even out your tops, tap your baking sheet firmly on a flat surface. You can always use a toothpick to gently pop any extra air bubbles that you see hovering on top of your shells. Then add cocoa nibs to the tops of half the shells - the other half will be the base of the macaron.Cacao Nibs
- Allow the shells to rest for approximately 30 minutes. Once the top of your shells are dry to the touch they are ready to bake!
- Place your macarons in your oven that has been preheated to 310 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 9 minutes, then rotate the baking tray and bake for an additional 2 minutes.
- You will know that your macarons are ready to remove from the oven when you gently touch the upper shell, and it barely moves, while the developed foot of the macaron stays set to the parchment paper. Remove from the oven to cool completely before removing shells from the parchment paper.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
- Add cream & glucose to a saucepan and bring to a slight boil.100 g Heavy Cream, 32 g Glucose syrup
- Remove from heat and pour over the dark chocolate. Stir to combine as the warm cream starts to melt the chocolate.175 g Dark chocolate
- Add the butter into your warm chocolate mixture, using an immersion blender or spatula, blend ganache until the butter has fully incorporated and your mixture is smooth. Add raspberry liqueur and fold to combine.25 g Unsalted Butter, 30 g Raspberry Liqueur
- Allow the chocolate ganache to cool completely before assembly.
Assembly
- Once cooled, the shells will peel easily off of your parchment paper. Find each shell's matching half and pipe a circle of ganache into the middle. Finally, top with the matching half.
Notes
- Mise en place - Macarons are time-sensitive! Prepare your mise en place (meaning to set up your working space in preparation for an activity) before you get started so your ingredients and equipment are ready to go.
- Use a piping template - A foolproof way of making perfect macaron shells every time is to trace identical 1-inch diameter circles onto the parchment paper to use as your piping template.
- Use an oven thermometer - Baking the shells at the right temperature is important, so I highly recommend using an oven thermometer.
- Weigh the ingredients - While macarons only use 4 ingredients, if one isn’t measured correctly, your odds of macaron success are considerably lower. I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale so everything is precise!
- Storing your macarons - Technically, allowing your completed macarons to sit overnight in the fridge allows for the best texture for consuming! If you have the patience, place your macarons in the fridge overnight and enjoy the following day. Macaron shells can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for a month and still taste as good as new! Take the frozen macarons out of the freezer and let them sit for 10-15 minutes before enjoying, In the fridge, filled macarons should be stored in an airtight container for no more than 3 days.
- Practice makes perfect - It’s no secret that making macarons can be tricky. Just keep practicing and experimenting with different macaron flavors, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Aurora
Muito bem explicado obrigada chef Emília...
Emily
De nada Aurora -espero que goste dos Macarons!