"I'll have a London Fog please!" is a request I make all too often! It has to be one of my very favorite drinks, so of course, I had to turn it into a macaron. I present to you, my London Fog Dark Chocolate Macarons!
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Tips for macaron shell success
A few tips to note before we explore the process of making a macaron!
MISE EN PLACE
The French term "Mise En Place" means to set up your working space in preparation for an activity. With macarons, it's extremely important to make sure that set yourself up for success before starting. The meringue and batter you will be making is quite sensitive - if you take too much time in-between each step, you won't see quality results. Take that extra bit of prep to measure your ingredients and prepare the tools you need before starting these macarons.
SIFT, SIFT, SIFT
Another essential tip is to make sure that you are properly sifting the dry ingredients together - both almond flour and powdered sugar. I like to ensure that these ingredients are not clumped together by both using a food processor to first break up these dry bits and then in addition sifting into a clean bowl before incorporating the meringue.
MACARON TEMPLATE
Want to make sure that you have perfectly circular macarons? Use a template! Before I pipe my macaron batter, I like to draw identical circles onto a piece of parchment paper that I will then flip over before piping. You can use a cookie cutter, small lid, salt shaker - anything that is about 1 inch in diameter that you can then trace onto your parchment.
OVEN TEMPERATURE
After renting various apartments throughout the west coast, I have experienced my fair share of...let's say quirky ovens. Without an oven thermometer, I would not have known that a couple of my ovens were running 50 degrees hotter than what I had actually set my oven temperature to. If you don't have an over thermometer already, I would highly recommend grabbing one to make these delicate macarons. Here's the one I use!
EMBRACE THE SCALE
Since macarons require such precise measurements, I would encourage those that do not own a kitchen scale to invest in one! Here's a link to the scale I used throughout pastry school, and to this day. When working with pastry and confection recipes such as macarons, even a slight over-measurement of say, egg whites, will alter and potentially ruin your recipe. Macarons only require four ingredients - if one of those ingredients is not measured correctly, your odds for macaron success are considerably decreased.
For more tips on making homemade foolproof macarons, check out my complete guide here!
London Fog Dark Chocolate Macarons - The Method
Let's break down the many important steps that result in the macaron of your dreams!
Prep & Mixing
- Line each baking sheet with your prepared parchment templates and prepare your piping bags along with your piping tips. I like to use a small, round piping tip such as this Wilton piping tip.
- Pour your egg whites into the bowl of your mixing bowl and start whisking at medium speed. Once they start to foam, slowly add your sugar and bring up your speed to medium for about three to four minutes.
- 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.
- Your meringue is complete when it holds stiff peaks - add desired food coloring and gently whisk for a few additional seconds to incorporate,
Macaronage
- 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 mixture of 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!
Piping & Decorating
- 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.
- 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!
The 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.
Common macaron shell issues
There are a number of reasons why these delicate little cookies could come out less than perfect. Here are some of the most common macaron shell issues to keep in mind during this process!
SHELLS ARE NOT PERFECT CIRCLES
Make sure to hold your piping bag pointed directly perpendicular to the parchment paper that you will be piping onto. If your batter is piped at an angle, the macaron shells will likely spread unevenly leaving you with shells that are not identical.
HUMIDITY
It's tricky to make macarons in the midst of an incredibly humid day. High humidity prevents your shells from drying during their resting period, which is an essential part of the process. To combat this, place your shells near your oven while preheating - this has helped me during those days where it takes quite some time for the shells to dry.
NO FEET
The rest period that I mentioned above? This is going to help you create the feet that a macaron is known for. The dried tops of the shells trap in the heat at the base of your macaron and push the edges upward, creating the feet we know and love. Take the time to dry the tops of your shells otherwise, you won't get a distinguished macaron foot.
CRACKED TOPS
There's a number of reasons as to why this could be happening. We talked about how dried shells push the heat through the bottom of the macaron above. When those shells are not dry, there is no barrier to prevent the air from exploding through the tops, causing cracks. Cracked tops could also be due to over-mixing your french meringue and potentially your batter as well, so make sure to be extra gentle during the mix!
BUMPY SHELLS
Make sure that you are taking the time to properly sift and mix the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture into your meringue. If there are chunky, unsifted dry bits in your batter that have not been mixed well, the tops of your shells will be quite bumpy and uneven. Make sure to also lightly tap your just-piped shells to release any air bubbles as well as to prevent those bumps.
HOLLOW SHELLS
If you find that your London Fog Dark Chocolate Macarons are hollow, this could be due to many reasons. First, you may have over-mixed your meringue! The egg whites and sugar should not have been mixed for such a long duration of time. In addition, the heat from your oven could have been set too high. Make sure to utilize an oven thermometer to ensure that you are not baking your shells at a higher temperature than 315 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, make sure your macaron shells do not rest for too long - the shells should be dry within 20-45 minutes.
Maturation & Storing
Technically, allowing your completed London Fog Dark Chocolate 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.
Related Recipes
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try making these London Fog Dark Chocolate 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!
London Fog Dark Chocolate 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
- Gel Food Coloring, optional
London Fog Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 100 g (⅓ Cup + 1.5 Tbsp) Heavy Cream
- 5 g Earl Grey Tea
- Whole Milk, as needed
- 32 g (1.5 tablespoon) Honey
- 175 g (1 Cup) Dark chocolate, Roughly Chopped
- 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 a small, round piping tips for piping.
- Pour your egg whites into the bowl of a stand 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,Gel Food Coloring
- 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.
- 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.
London Fog Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Add cream and earl grey tea to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat, cover and allow to infuse for 15-30 minutes depending on how strong you’d like the flavor to be.100 g Heavy Cream, 5 g Earl Grey Tea
- Strain the infused cream through cheesecloth, squeezing the leftover earl grey in order to extract all the infused cream. Weigh the cream again to make sure you still have a total of 100g. If not, add a touch of milk until you reach 100g.Whole Milk
- Add infused cream & honey to a saucepan and bring to a slight boil. Remove from heat and pour over the dark chocolate. Stir to combine as the warm cream starts to melt the chocolate.32 g Honey, 175 g Dark chocolate
- Add the butter into your warm chocolate mixture and, using an immersion blender, blend ganache until the butter has fully incorporated and your mixture is smooth. Allow the chocolate ganache to cool completely before assembly.25 g Unsalted Butter
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.
Video
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!
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