These dark chocolate peanut butter macarons are filled with a creamy peanut butter buttercream and then dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peanuts.
I'll walk you through how to make homemade French macarons and give you all my tips and tricks for success!
If you like these chocolate peanut butter macarons, you might also like these s'mores macarons or these chocolate sea salt macarons!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make these dark chocolate peanut butter macarons.
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
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 Bob's Red Mill for my almond flour because it's usually fine enough. 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.
Cocoa Powder - I highly recommend using Dutch processed cocoa powder for macarons because the acidity has been neutralized. However, you can use natural cocoa if that's all you have.
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 melt as smoothly as chocolate bars. If desired, you can use milk chocolate instead.
Peanut Butter - It's important to use the right kind of peanut butter in baked goods! And by that I mean, smooth processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy! Varieties of peanut butter labeled "natural" or "minimally processed" are typically thinner and the oil separates more easily, making them less than ideal for baking. That's especially problematic when making the peanut butter frosting!
Crushed Peanuts - Dry roasted, unsalted peanuts are best for this recipe!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Special Equipment
Macarons can be tough so setting yourself up for success is key!
- Kitchen scale - Macarons are incredibly finicky, so weighing all your ingredients is super important!
- Sturdy baking sheet - You want to use a super sturdy baking sheet that won't warp and conducts heat evenly! These Cuisinart baking sheets are my favorite for macarons!
- 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.
- Silicone macaron mats - You can pipe your chocolate macarons on parchment paper, but I highly recommend silicone mats! I love these macaron mats that have small circles printed on them. The guide is super helpful for making sure all your macarons are the same size!
- French star piping tip (optional for filling)
How to Make French Macarons
Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder 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 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.
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.
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 chocolate 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. Dip the top of one side in dark chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. Let the chocolate harden completely before filling.
Once the chocolate peanut butter macarons are cooled and decorated. Pipe the filling in the center of the undecorated shell, leaving a little bit of room on the sides. Then top with your chocolate peanut covered shell.
Put the assembled chocolate peanut butter macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they're perfectly soft and tender!]
Recipe FAQ's
Macarons get a bad rap, but once you get the hang of it they're pretty easy! It's important to follow the directions carefully but if your first batch doesn't turn out, just keep practicing until you get it!
Unless you have experience baking macarons, I don't recommend making any changes to the macaron recipe because even small changes can negatively affect the recipe. But you can make to the peanut butter filling recipe if desired!
The majority of macaron issues can be traced to either oven temperature or improper mixing. This is why it's so important to use an oven thermometer and only mix your batter until it starts to flow like lava and then stopping.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Macarons
- 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 110 grams almond flour, sifted
- 190 grams powdered sugar, sifted
- 10 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 57 grams dark chocolate, melted
- crushed peanuts
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 57 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 65 grams creamy peanut butter, Jif or Skippy
- 180 grams powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Macarons
- Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder 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 (make sure to add the sugar in very slowly so that the meringue doesn’t deflate).Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whip 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.
- Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a 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.
- 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 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. Dip the top of one side in dark chocolate and garnish with chopped peanuts. Let the chocolate harden before filling.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter and peanut butter until smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until fully combined. Then slowly drizzle in the milk while the mixer is on low.
- Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- Once the macarons are cooled and decorated. Pipe the filling in the center of the undecorated shell, leaving a little bit of room on the sides. Then top with your chocolate covered shell.
- Put the assembled chocolate peanut butter macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they're perfectly soft and tender!]
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Lizzie says
just made these for my dad as a Father's Day treat and they were a hit! they came out so well!! I've struggled with macarons in the past, so for 10 years I haven't really attempted them. but now I got the hang of it!! very excited to use these chocolate shells as a base recipe to riff off of. thanks for sharing!!!
Kathleen says
These were amazing! The buttercream is delicious and not too sweet. I really appreciate all the tips on how to master macarons, it has made such a big difference for me!
Shannon says
Hi!
I'm super excited to make these but I am wondering if I can use vegan butter for these or if it would mess up the consistency too much?
Kyleigh Sage says
That should work fine for the filling!! I just don’t recommend changing the macaron shell recipe!
Natalie says
Can I replace the dark chocolate with milk chocolate, how would that change the final flavor? The people I’m trying to make this for don’t really care for dark chocolate.
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes absolutely!! Milk chocolate will work great, the overall flavor will just be slightly sweeter and creamier with none of the bitterness from the dark chocolate.
Nicole says
Do you age the egg whites? Also, can you use a different method (i.e. Italian or swiss) to make the meringue, without changing any amounts of the ingredients?
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes! I prefer to age my egg whites, but I've also had success using fresh egg whites. However, I have found that using a different method (namely Swiss) does effect the ingredient ratios, so my recipes are designed specifically for the French method. So I'm not offended at all if you prefer to use someone else's recipe that uses a different method 🙂
Kyleigh Sage says
Also! I've been meaning to update this specific recipe with more information and photos, so if you want a more in-depth post about my chocolate shells, this is a great post that uses the same shell! https://www.barleyandsage.com/chocolate-cherry-macarons/