Chocolate Raspberry Macarons with Chambord

One of my favorite flavor combos is dark chocolate and fresh raspberries! These chocolate raspberry macarons have a tender French macaron shell and are filled dark chocolate ganache and a tart raspberry compote. Then drizzled with even more dark chocolate! Both the ganache and raspberry compote are flavored with Chambord (raspberry liqueur) for extra raspberry flavor!

I'll walk you through how to make homemade French macarons and give you all my tips and tricks for success!

You might also enjoy these pistachio macarons with white chocolate ganache or this raspberry almond tart!

ingredient notes

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these dark chocolate raspberry macarons!

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• Egg whites - I've recently started "aging" my egg whites and I've found it helps with my consistency. This is absolutely not necessary, but it's super easy to do so I recommend trying it out. Weigh out 100 grams of egg whites into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours but up to 3 days. Make sure to remove the egg whites from the fridge at least an hour before baking.
• Almond flour - If you've ever seen macarons that look bumpy, it's usually because the almond flour isn't ground finely enough. I love using Bob's Red Mill for my almond flour because it's super fine. But if you have lumpy almond flour you can also just pulse it in a food processor for a few seconds to break it up further. Sifting your dry ingredients is also super important for ensuring smooth macarons.
• Dark chocolate - Use dark chocolate baking bars as opposed to chocolate chips!! Chips contain emulsifiers that help them keep their shape, which also means they won't combine as smoothly as chocolate bars. If desired, you can use milk chocolate instead.
• Chambord - Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur with a smooth, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor. It adds a delicious depth of flavor to the chocolate ganache and raspberry compote, but you can leave it out if desired.
• Raspberries - I prefer to use fresh raspberries for the filling, but frozen work too!

Raspberry Chambord Filling

I like to make my own homemade raspberry compote to fill these macarons!

You only need a few simple ingredients!

• Fresh or frozen raspberries
• Granulated sugar
• Chambord

I recommend making the compote the night before you want to make the macarons so that it has time to fully cool.

Add all of the compote ingredients to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the jam to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.

Transfer the raspberry compote to a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache

This dark chocolate ganache is super easy to make, but I just have a couple quick notes!

• The ganache calls for 226 grams (8 ounces) of dark chocolate which is about two chocolate bars. So I like to set aside 1 square to melt to drizzle on the macaron tops. The tiny amount of chocolate won't affect the consistency of the ganache, and it keeps you from having to break into a whole new chocolate bar!
• Use a spatula to combine the ganache as opposed to a whisk, so you don't incorporate any air.
• I recommend making the ganache a few hours before the macarons so that it has time to set.

Finely chop the dark chocolate and place into a large bowl.

Place the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot to the touch but not boiling.

Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for about two minutes.

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Using a spatula, gently mix until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is fully combined and smooth.

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Let sit at room temperature or in the fridge until is has thickened enough to hold its shape.

If your ganache is too firm, microwave for 10 seconds to soften and then stir until ganache is the desired consistency.

How to Make French Macarons

Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.

Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk on high until soft peaks form.

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Add in 1-2 drops of pink or red gel food coloring, then continue to whisk on high until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients.

Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.

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Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.

Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.

*The macaron batter will look like photo 6 before banging out the excess air, and photo 7 afterwards.

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Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.

While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F.

Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.

Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.

Match up your shells before filling, and then turn one side over. On the other side, drizzle a small amount of dark chocolate over the top.

Then pipe a circle of dark chocolate ganache around the edges and fill with homemade raspberry compote.

Put the assembled chocolate raspberry macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge for mature for 12-24 hours before eating for the best taste/texture.

Or just eat them all immediately. You do you.

macaron tips & tricks

Macarons can be tough so setting yourself up for success is key!

• Buy a kitchen scale if you don’t already have one! Macarons are incredibly finicky, so weighing all your ingredients is super important!
• Clean the mixing bowl and whisk attachment of your stand mixer with lemon juice or white vinegar to make sure there are no trace fats on either (if you don’t, your meringue may not form).
• Use a super sturdy baking sheet that won't warp and conducts heat evenly! These Cuisinart baking sheets are my favorite for macarons! I have 6 of them lol.
• Invest in some silicone macaron mats! They aren’t expensive and they will make your life so much easier!
• Also invest in an oven thermometer! We want our oven as close to 300 degrees as possible to make perfect macarons but just because your oven says it's 300 degrees, doesn't mean it actually is. My oven tends to run hot, so I usually end up having it set to about 290.
• Always use gel food coloring! Since macaron batter is so finicky, we don’t want to add any extra liquid to the batter. So gel food coloring is the way to go! The color is also even more concentrated so you need less.

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