Rose Dark Chocolate Flavored Macarons

Roses are red, violets are blue, macarons are delicious, and chocolate is, too! Give your valentine (or Galentine's) flowers AND sweets this year with my Rose Dark Chocolate Flavored Macarons. Tender, lightly crisp, and chewy almond meringues sandwiched between floral chocolate ganache before being garnished with more chocolate and edible rose petals. They’re simply exquisite!

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

If you’ve been following the blog a while, you’re probably already aware of my borderline obsession with French macarons. These delicate, delicious, and absolutely precious cookies can be made in endless flavor combinations, and they never cease to make me smile.

One of the things I love best about making macarons is that they’re perfect for preparing in advance. Once baked, macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month, meaning cookie bliss is never far from reach!

While I keep my macaron shell recipe the same for most of my kitchen experiments, the filling is where I get to have all the fun. My newest iteration of this traditional treat combines two of my favorite things: dark chocolate and roses! 

At the center of these Pretty in Pink treats is rosewater-infused chocolate ganache, which is essentially just a rose chocolate truffle in a different form. And while it might sound fancy, the act of making ganache is actually a snap! The whole process takes just a few minutes of active time.

PRO TIP: Make extra rose chocolate ganache to warm and use as an ice cream topping, to whip into a delicious frosting, or to turn into truffles!

Finally, these gorgeous rose dark chocolate flavored macarons just so happen to be gluten-free, making them the perfect treat for loved ones with food allergies. Happy Valentine’s Day, indeed!

🍴Ingredients

Making these vibrant and romantic chocolate rose macarons takes fewer ingredients than you might think. Here’s everything you’ll need:

Macaron Shells

• Granulated Sugar - Regular or superfine sugar will do perfectly here. Please note that brown sugar has too much water content because of the additional molasses, so do not make the substitution. 
• Egg Whites - Separating eggs is easier when they are still cold from the fridge, but they should be room temperature for making your macaron shells. 
• Almond Flour  - It might sound fussy, but opt for almond flour that has been blanched. This means the dark skins have been removed, which results in a smoother and prettier macaron shell.
• Confection’s Sugar - Also known as Powdered Sugar, this is an essential ingredient for getting the proper consistency in your macarons. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own using granulated sugar and cornstarch.
• Gel Food Coloring - While this is optional, I love coloring the macaron shells to match their fillings. Gel food coloring offers more pigment without adding too much moisture, which can happen with liquid food coloring.
• Heavy Cream - Heavy or whipping cream with a milk fat percentage of at least 30% is necessary for the ganache. If you are dairy-free, coconut cream (NOT sweetened cream of coconut) is an acceptable substitution.

Rose Dark Chocolate Ganache

• Glucose Syrup - This sugary syrup is used to help prevent sugar crystallization in your rose ganache. If you are unable to find it, swap in an equal amount of light corn syrup instead.
• Dark Chocolate - Since ganache is made with so few ingredients, you should be sure that they are high quality. Valhrona, Scharffen Berger, and Guittard are all very reputable brands to consider. You can also opt to use semi-sweet, milk, or even white chocolate if you prefer a different flavor profile.
• Rose Water - This beautifully flavored and scented ingredient is made by distilling steam from roses simmered in water. Because the flavor is quite potent, remember that a little bit will go a long way. Look for brands that only have rose and water as the ingredients and that have the word “distilled” or “distillate” for the best, longest-lasting product.
• Unsalted Butter - Look for organic, grass-fed, and/or cultured butter for the best quality. If you are dairy-free, swap in cultured plant-based butter instead.

⚒️ 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.
• 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!

📖 Step by Step Instructions

I’m not going to lie here - this is a moderately difficult and somewhat lengthy recipe. Don’t lose faith, though! Simply follow along with the steps below and you’ll end up with a gorgeous plate of rose-chocolate flavored French macarons.

Make Macaron Shells

• As with many baking recipes, you’ll have both wet and dry ingredients to work with. Don’t try to rush or combine any of these steps.
• First, prep your materials. 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 for piping.
• Pro Tip: Use a tall glass to assist you in filling your piping bag.

Prepare Egg Whites and Dry Ingredients

• 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. 
• 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.

Macronage

• Now it’s time for the ever so important Macaronage! This is the act of mixing your dry ingredients into your French meringue - the trick is to fold it well enough without overmixing. 
• 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. Your mixing is done when the batter flows off your spatula rather slowly and smoothly. 
• You should see the batter that has dripped back into the bowl rest on top for a moment before slowly sinking back into the mixture. One too many folds and your batter could be over-mixed (which makes it impossible to work with), so be careful not to overmix!

Pipe and Rest

• Pour your macaron batter into the prepared piping bag and pipe in circles onto your templated parchment paper. 
• Tap your baking sheet firmly on a flat surface to remove air bubbles and ensure a smooth top. 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 - this is non-negotiable. You want a sort of skin to form on the surface of the macarons; once the top of your shells are dry to the touch they are ready to bake! 

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. 
• When you gently touch the upper shell and it barely moves, and the developed foot of the macaron stays set to the parchment paper, the macarons are done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing shells from the parchment paper.

Make Ahead Tip: Macaron shells that have been baked and fully cooled can be placed in an airtight container and frozen for up to a month with no discernible change in quality! Simply allow them to defrost for 10-15 minutes at room temperature before filling and eating.

Make Rose Chocolate Ganache

• Add cream & glucose to a saucepan and bring to a slight boil.  Remove from heat and pour over the finely chopped dark chocolate. Stir to combine as the warm cream starts to melt the 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. Then, fold in the rose water. Allow mixture to cool until the chocolate ganache has cooled before piping onto your baked macaron shells.

Expert Tips for Making Ganache

1. Chop your chocolate!  taking a few moments to roughly chop your chocolate into small pieces will allow for the hot cream to easily melt your chocolate. This leads to a lovely ganache texture and mouthfeel.
2. Quality is key. Since there are so few ingredients in ganache, I'd highly recommend using quality chocolate as the flavors and textures will shine through!
3. Make sure your cream is hot, hot, hot! The cream's temperature needs to be hot enough to gently melt our chocolate. Your cream is ready to pour over chocolate when it comes to a slight boil!
4. Make sure your butter is nice and soft. Ensuring that the butter is at room temperature will help during the immersion process. If your butter has not been softened, it will be quite challenging to incorporate it into the chocolate & cream mixture.
5. Break out the immersion blender for the best consistency. Using an immersion blender to make ganache will help to make sure that all the ingredients are properly mixed together for a perfectly fudgy consistency.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

1. Use exactly ZERO yolks. The easiest way to separate eggs is by using cold eggs (cold yolks don’t break as easily) and the fingers of your non-dominant hand. Crack the egg open with your dominant hand, then pour the contents into the slightly separated fingers of your non-dominant hand; your fingers should catch the yolks, and the whites will drip through.
2.  Process the dried ingredients. French macarons are smooth and shiny. To get that perfect, airbrushed looking exterior, you can’t have any chunks. Be sure to both process the flour and powdered sugar mixture, and then...
3. Don’t overmix. Getting the whites to stiff peaks takes a lot of time; don’t ruin all of that amazing levity by overmixing! Be sure to fold - not stir - and stop when the batter runs off your spatula slowly, with the drips resting atop the rest of the batter for a few moments before sinking in.
4. Rest the batter. Once the macarons are piped onto your baking tray, it is absolutely imperative that you rest the batter. While the shells are resting, they develop a skin over the top; this means that any air that is forced out while cooking must go through the bottom, creating the signature “foot” on a French macaron.
5. Use an oven thermometer. Baking is always a scientific endeavor, and nothing could be more true of making French macarons. After living in a multitude of rented apartments, I can tell you one thing with certainty - most ovens are FINICKY. Get yourself a $7 oven thermometer so you can take the guesswork out of it.
6. Use a scale! Read item #12. The French baking tradition is an exacting art; proper tools will ensure perfect results every time.

💭 Recipe FAQs

For more tips on making homemade foolproof macarons, check out my complete guide here!

More Macaron Recipes to Try

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