S'mores Macarons

🥘 Ingredients

Chocolate Macaron Shells

• Almond Flour - I find that the brand of almond flour I use makes a difference in how fine it is. I recommend using Bob's Red Mill or Blue Diamond. Try to find one that says ultra-fine or super-fine.
• Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar.
• Cocoa Powder - A small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder is what makes these shells chocolate.
• Egg Whites - Use room temperature egg whites. If you have some time, age them in the fridge for 24 hours by placing them into a bowl covered with plastic wrap. This helps to remove excess moisture, giving you a stronger meringue.
• Vanilla - Pure vanilla extract will have the best flavor.
• Cream of Tartar - A little bit of cream of tartar will help to stabilize the meringue.
• Sugar - Regular granulated sugar will be beaten into the egg whites.

Filling

• Heavy Cream - Some heavy cream is used to make your ganache.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - You can also use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chopped-up baking bars.
• Marshmallow Creme - You can't have s'mores without marshmallows.
• Graham Cracker - One crushed graham cracker is enough for both the filling and the topping.

Topping

• Chocolate Chips - Melt your chocolate chips (or baking bars or almond bark) in the microwave.
• Marshmallow Bits - These tiny dehydrated marshmallows can be found at most grocery stores right next to the regular marshmallows.

🔪 How To Make S'mores Macarons

Macarons are known for their temperamental nature, but that doesn't mean they have to be hard to make. As long as you follow these step-by-step instructions exactly, you'll be on the right path to making tasty macarons.

You will need a stand mixer, some baking sheets, some piping bags or storage bags, a kitchen scale, and a silicone spatula.

This recipe will make 26 assembled macarons, depending on how large you pipe the shells.

Prepare the Ganache

Add your ingredients. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, add 3 ounces (85 milliliters) of heavy cream and 3.75 ounces (106 grams) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (photo 1).

Heat. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute.

Sit. Remove from the microwave and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Mix. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until melted and combined (photo 2). If not completely melted, you can heat it for another 15 seconds.

Chill. Place the ganache into the fridge to set up while you make the macarons.

Make the Macaron Batter

Prepare. Prepare your baking sheet with a silicone macaron mat or parchment paper.

Add. In the bowl of your food processor, add 150 grams of almond flour, 140 grams of confectioners sugar, and 10 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder (photo 3).

Pulse and sift. Blend with the food processor on low speed until the mixture has become extra-fine. Then, use a fine-mesh sieve to sift the mixture into a large mixing bowl (photo 4). Set aside.

Begin making the meringue. Add 110 grams of egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer (photo 5) and beat, using the whisk attachment, on medium speed until foamy.

Mix. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar (photo 6) and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

Add sugar. Once you have soft peaks (where you can see lines in the meringue, but the peaks droop), begin to very gradually add 95 grams of sugar (photo 7).

Beat. Continue to beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form (photo 8).

Start folding. Add ⅓ of your meringue into the bowl with your dry ingredients (photo 9). Gently fold until combined.

Repeat. Repeat this process for the second and third portions (photo 10) of the meringue.

Continue folding. After the last bit of the meringue has been added, continue to gently and slowly fold the macaron batter until the batter falls from the spatula in ribbons (photo 11). *The consistency should be similar to honey or lava. If you let the batter fall from your spatula, it should only take about 10 seconds to sink back into itself.

Pipe the Macarons

Prepare your piping bag. Once you have reached the perfect consistency, transfer the batter into a piping bag that has been fitted with a round tip (or a storage bag with the corner cut off).

Pipe. Pipe the macarons onto your parchment paper (or mat) in 1½-inch circles, making sure to space them at least ½-inch apart from each other (photo 12).

Remove air bubbles. Firmly tap the baking sheet on the counter 5 times to get rid of any air bubbles. Then, use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles that you might see.

Rest. Allow the macarons to rest on the counter at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or until they are dry to the touch and no longer tacky.

Preheat. While the macarons are resting, go ahead and preheat your oven to 300˚F (150˚C/Gas Mark 2).

Bake. Once ready, bake the macarons for 15-17 minutes, or until the macarons don’t move if you tap on them slightly.

Cool. Remove the macarons from the oven (photo 13) and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Assemble

Prepare. Match up your macaron shells so that each pair is close to the same size. Get prepared by placing your ganache into a piping bag with a round tip, and your ¼ cup (32 grams) of marshmallow creme into a separate piping bag with the corner cut off. You'll also want to crush your 1 graham cracker (photo 14).

Fill the macarons. Taking one macaron shell, pipe a ring of chocolate ganache around the outside. Add some marshmallow creme to the middle and sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top (photo 15). Then, top with the second macaron shell.

Decorate

Melt the chocolate. Melt your ¼ cup (45 grams) of chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth (photo 16).

Dip. Flip your assembled macaron upside down and lightly dip it into the melted chocolate.

Add toppings. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle some graham crackers on top and add a few of your 2 tablespoons of marshmallow bits (photo 17).

Set. Set the macarons aside for 2-3 minutes for the chocolate to set.

Chill. For best results, place your macarons into a sealed container in the fridge for 24 hours before letting them come to room temperature and serving them.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• Mix until stiff peaks. Your meringue should have stiff peaks before you stop mixing. When you remove the whisk, the meringue should stick up in a peak. You could also flip the bowl over, and nothing falls out.
• Try a piping bag. I recommend using a piping bag with a round tip (I used a Wilton 12 tip). You could also use a storage bag with the tip cut off.
• Use a template. If you plan on making macarons frequently, I recommend picking up some silicone macaron baking mats or parchment paper with a template printed on them. If you don't have one, you can print a template out online.
• Weigh your ingredients. Weighing all of your ingredients is the best way to ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
• Avoid overmixing. Make sure you don't overmix your batter, as it will cause your macarons to flatten out. The consistency should be thin enough to let the batter fall from your spatula in a figure 8 without the batter breaking. It should also sink back into itself within about 10 seconds. If it is faster than this, you have overmixed it. If it is slower than this, keep folding to thin it out some more.
• Let the ganache thicken. If your ganache is still thin, it probably needs to chill in the fridge for longer. It should have a consistency that is similar to peanut butter.
• Make a dam. Store-bought marshmallow creme is very sticky and does not hold its shape. You must pipe a ring of chocolate ganache around the outside of the macaron, or the marshmallow creme will all slide out. 
• Try different chocolate. You can also melt almond bark or candy melting wafers for dipping if you don't want to use chocolate chips.

🥡 Storing

Place shells into an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 6 days. Simply add your filling when you are ready.

If assembled, place your macarons into the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freezing

Once the shells have fully cooled, place them into an airtight container and freeze them. When ready, allow them to thaw in the fridge for a few hours before filling and assembling them.

Allow your macarons to fully bloom in the fridge for 24 hours before freezing them. Stack them carefully in an airtight container and then place them in the freezer.

When ready to serve, allow the macarons to thaw in the fridge for a few hours.

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