Published: · by Kyleigh Sage · This post may contain affiliate links.
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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 think these are my favorite macaron flavor yet!
I'll walk you through how to make homemade French macarons and give you all my tips and tricks for success!
You might also like these s'mores macarons or these chocolate sea salt macarons!
Jump to:
- Ingredient Notes
- Special Equipment
- How to Make French Macarons
- Recipe FAQ's
- Tips for Success!
- More Macaron Recipes!
- Recipe Card
- Comments
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make these 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 usingDutch processed cocoa powderfor macarons because the acidity has been neutralized. However, you can use natural cocoa if that's all you have.
- Dark chocolate- Usedark chocolate baking barsas 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 therecipe 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! TheseCuisinart baking sheetsare 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 macarons on parchment paper, but I highly recommend silicone mats! I love thesemacaron matsthat have small circles printed on them. The guide is super helpful for making sure all your macarons are the same size!
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 alarge baking sheetwith a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with alarge 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 5 before banging out the excess air, and photo 6 afterwards.]
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 before filling.
Once the chocolate 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
Why are macarons hard to make?
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!
Can I make any ingredient substitutions to the macaron recipe?
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!
Why did my chocolate macaron shells turn out wonky, cracked, don't develop feet, etc.
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.
More Macaron Recipes!
- Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Buttercream
- Biscoff Cookie Butter Macarons
- Espresso Macarons
- S'mores Macarons
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Recipe Card
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
5 from 34 votes
These dark chocolate peanut butter macarons are filled with peanut butter buttercream then dipped in dark chocolate and crushed peanuts.
Print Pin
Prep Time: 2 hours hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 3 hours hours
Servings: 30 filled macarons
Author: Kyleigh Sage
Special Equipment
Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams!
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
Tip: Clean 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 skip this step, your meringue may not form).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
Category | Dessert
Cuisine | French
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