Chocolate Macaron Shells

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Learn how to make chocolate macaron shells by adding cocoa powder to French style macarons. This recipe will walk you step by step through the process with helpful photos to guide you along the way.

chocolate macarons with chocolate buttercream and an espresso bean garnish.

Once you've mastered the basic French macaron, you'll likely want to start playing around with flavoring the shell. Chocolate macarons are the perfect recipe for this!

Not only does cocoa powder add a beautiful color to the macarons without any food dye, but it also brings rich flavor.

If you're looking for a reliable and well-tested chocolate macaron recipe, you can rest assured that this recipe has been tested well over 20 times.

I do have to warn you that chocolate macaron shells do have some slight differences compared to traditional macarons without cocoa powder. But don't worry, we will talk through everything you need to know!

If you have any trouble along the way, feel free to comment below and I'll do my best to help you out. Macarons can be tricky, so don't give up even if they don't turn out perfectly the first time.

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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
Your free macaron template
Ingredients You Need
How To Make This Recipe
Expert Tips
Macaron Troubleshooting Tips
More Macaron Shell Recipes
Chocolate Macaron Shells

What You'll Learn In This Recipe

My tips and tricks for baking chocolate macaron shells, including a longer baking time.
How different types of cocoa powder can affect the taste and color of the shell.
The most important steps to get correct in order to bake perfect chocolate macarons.
Troubleshooting steps to try if your macarons aren't turning out correctly.

Enjoy learning tips about making chocolate macaron shells? Sign up for my free macaron template and email series. You'll learn my favorite tricks for achieving perfect macarons.

Ingredients You Need

Here are the ingredients you need for chocolate French macaron shells.

chocolate macaron shell ingredients with labels.

Confectioners' sugar: Confectioners' sugar is an important ingredient in macarons as the correct ratio determines the size of the macaron feet, aids in softening the macaron shell, and helps with the texture.

Super fine almond flour: This ingredient is made from almonds that are ground into a fine powder. Almond flour adds a subtle but delicious flavor to macarons. Make sure to sift the almond flour to remove any large clumps which could lead to bumpy shells.

Natural or Dutch processed cocoa powder: When it comes to cocoa powder, you have two options for chocolate macaron shells. First, you can use an unsweetened natural cocoa powder. This will provide a lighter shell and just a hint of chocolate flavor.

For a darker colored shell and a more bold, rich taste, opt for a Dutch processed cocoa powder.

Egg whites: Egg whites are the base of the meringue. As air is beaten into the egg whites, some of the egg proteins unfold. These unfolded proteins turn into a strong network of air bubbles. This ingredient provides a strong base for the macarons.

Cream of tartar: Adding an acid to the meringue helps to stabilize the egg whites. By adding this ingredient, it will help you yield a sturdier and more consistent meringue. While you can make macarons without cream of tartar, this ingredient helps with the structure of the macaron and will give you more consistent results.

Granulated sugar: For French macarons, the granulated sugar gets added directly into the egg whites as they are whipped. Granulated sugar helps to add structure to the meringue. If there's too little granulated sugar, the meringue will be too airy. If there's too much granulated sugar, the meringue will be thick and glossy.

How To Make This Recipe

Here's a step by step photo guide to making chocolate macaron shells:

1. Prep Work

baking sheet with macaron template next to vinegar, whisk attachment, eggs, and piping bag.

Before you start baking the macarons, there's some prep work you need to complete. This will help set you up for success:

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, then allow the egg whites to come to room temperature. Egg whites foam best at room temperature (around 70°F - 80°F).
Measure all of the dry ingredients using a digital kitchen scale. Measuring by weight ensures your ingredients are accurately weighed.
Sift the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder together to get rid of any large clumps. Discard any large pieces of almond flour that may cause your shells to be bumpy.
Wipe down the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment with a little white vinegar on a paper towel to remove any leftover oils. Fats interfere with the aeration of the egg whites and can ruin your meringue.
Print off a macaron template. Place them on a light-colored sheet pan underneath a piece of parchment paper.
Prepare your piping bag with a ½ inch round tip. Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make pouring the batter easy and clean.

2. Make The French Meringue

foamy egg whites in a metal mixing bowl.

Next, it's time to make the French style meringue. This is a major component of the macarons, so it's important to get this step correct.

Add the room temperature eggs and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Whip on medium-low speed (I use speed 4 on my KitchenAid mixer) until the eggs are very foamy. This usually takes about 3 - 4 minutes.

pouring granulated sugar into a mixer with foamy egg whites.

Once the eggs are very foamy and you see small bubbles all around the mixer, it's time to slowly begin adding in the granulated sugar. Keep the mixer on a medium-low speed, and add in a third of the granulated sugar.

Allow the mixer to beat in each batch of sugar for about 45 seconds before adding in another batch.

This allows the sugar crystals time to dissolve so they don't weigh down the egg whites. If the sugar is added too quickly, it can affect the final structure, resulting in an under whipped and weak meringue.

stiff peak egg whites on a whisk mixer attachment.

Once all the granulated sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium-high (I use speed 7 on my KitchenAid mixer), and allow the egg whites to continue to whip until stiff peaks form, around 10 - 11 minutes.

If you're new to baking macarons, I'd suggest setting a timer. This will keep you aware of how long the meringue has been whipping.

This is a very crucial step to get correct. If your meringue is under whipped, you're likely to have problems once the shells bake up.

Here are some visual cues to look for to ensure your meringue has whipped to stiff peaks:

You'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while it's mixing.
Pull the whisk out of the mixer. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip).
You can see pointy off-shoots of egg whites on the whisk when you pull it out of the mixer.
You can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
The meringue feels sturdy (not flimsy).
The egg whites hold the indentation that the whisk makes as it's whipping.

Generally, if you're new to baking macarons, you're likely to underwhip the meringue. Don't be afraid to whip a little longer if you're not seeing all of these visual cues.

3. Mix In Dry Ingredients

Grab a heavy-duty silicone spatula, and fold the sifted almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder into the meringue. Continue until all the meringue is fully incorporated and no dry bits of almond flour remain on the bottom of the bowl.

4. Macaronage The Batter

Next, it's time to macaronage the batter. This is another important step to correctly perform.

Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.

To properly macaronage, you will continue folding the batter until it reaches a lava-like consistency. The goal of macaronaging is to deflate some of the air that was incorporated into the meringue.

You can test that you've achieved the perfect consistency by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. The batter should still have a thick consistency to it. Once it drops off the spatula, the batter that was dripped should fade back into the batter within 10 - 15 seconds (not immediately).

Additionally, the almond flour should look blended into the meringue (not lumpy).

Many home bakers who are new to baking macarons will over macaronage the batter, meaning that the batter will be too runny.

If you're unsure if your batter has been properly macaronaged, it's better to under macaronage a bit since the batter will still be worked in the piping bag.

5. Pipe The Macaron Shells

chocolate macarons piped onto a parchment mat.

Pour the batter into the prepared piping bag. Hold the bag vertically, and gently pipe 1.5 inch circles. Once you have reached the desired size, release the pressure on the bag and twist your wrist without lifting up.

Here are some tips for improving your piping technique:

Try not to move the piping bag to ensure you pipe an even circle.
The macarons will spread slightly once they're piped, so pipe them .25" smaller than you want them to be after they have been baked.
Flick your wrist after you've piped the desired size to cleanly finish off each macaron.

6. Pop Large Air Bubbles

popping chocolate macaron air bubbles with a toothpick.

Tap the sheet pan down on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. You can tap the pan fairly aggressively, so don't be scared! Failure to do this could result in cracked macarons.

Once you've tapped the sheet pan, you may notice some large air bubbles that have formed. In order to help improve the texture and appearance of the macaron tops, pop any large air bubbles that rise to the top with a toothpick.

Next, it's time to allow the macarons to dry. Before baking the macarons, allow the batter to sit on the counter and dry for 45 - 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining the macaron. This may take up to 90+ minutes if you live in a humid climate, or it's a rainy day.

If you're having trouble with this, check out my tips for how to fix macarons that aren't drying.

While the macarons are drying, heat your oven to 300°F (150°C). If this is your first time making macarons, you might want to experiment with the oven temperature to find out the best temperature range for your home oven.

Once the macarons are done drying, bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 24 - 27 minutes. I've found that chocolate macarons take slightly longer to bake. So, allow them to stay in the oven for about 5 minutes longer than your normal batch of macarons without cocoa powder.

Check that the macarons have fully baked using the following tests:

The feet and the edge of the macarons feel firm when you gently touch them.
It feels like you could forcibly lift the macaron shell off the parchment paper if you needed to (don't actually do this, just use it as a test).
If you touch the shell and it wiggles, is still sticky, or is wet, you know the macarons need longer to bake.

7. Fill The Macarons

Finally, allow the macarons to fully cool, then it's time to pipe your filling of choice on the inside. Check out my favorite macaron filling recipes if you need some inspiration.

I also have these easy fillings including five-ingredient vanilla buttercream, a 20 minute chocolate ganache, or white chocolate ganache.

Mature the macarons with the filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor. Be sure to pay attention to the storage instructions of each filling to see how long they will last.

Expert Tips

Generally, chocolate macarons will need to be baked for a longer time in the oven compared to regular macarons. If you notice your chocolate macarons are fragile or have speckled tops after they cool, you likely need to bake them longer.
Adding too much cocoa powder can cause your macarons to turn out wrinkled. I would not recommend adding more cocoa powder than is listed in the recipe.
Most types of cocoa powder, whether natural or Dutch processed, will work in this recipe. If you prefer a more rich-tasting chocolate macaron shell, use a Dutch-processed cocoa powder. For a lighter-tasting chocolate shell, use a natural cocoa powder.
After testing a variety of cocoa powders, you can see that most types will result in a beautiful looking macaron shell. You'll see that the macarons made with a Dutch-processed cocoa powder are slightly darker in color. Most types of cocoa powder available at your grocery store should work with this recipe. The key is not using too much cocoa powder, which will cause your macarons to bake up with issues.

Macaron Troubleshooting Tips

Are you having trouble with your macaron shells turning out correctly? Don't worry! Use this troubleshooting guide or check out the frequently asked questions below.

Why are my macarons flat?

Here are a few common causes of flat macarons:

1. The oven is too hot or too cold: If your oven is too low, you'll notice that the macarons won't properly rise. Not only will they be flatter than a normal macaron, but the feet will be short (under 2 millimeters), and the tops will likely be wrinkly or indented.

On the other hand, if your oven is too hot, the shells will be flat because proper feet will not form. The macarons will bake too quickly on the outside, leaving a moist interior that doesn't properly rise.

2. You under whipped the meringue: You didn't whip your meringue to stiff peaks. Under whipped meringue won't be strong enough to properly rise in the oven. It can lead to flat, wrinkled, or weak macaron tops.

3. You over macaronaged your batter: Another common issue that results in flat macarons is over macaronaged batter. Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.

When you over macaronage, you'll notice the batter is very thin and easily falls off the spatula. You'll also notice that the batter spreads really easily when piped. It might even fall out of your piping bag when transferring from one circle to the next on your piping template.

If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for flat macarons.

Why are my macarons cracked?

Here are a few common causes of cracked macarons:

1. Your oven is too hot: Most likely, cracked macarons are related to oven temperatures that are too hot. To fix this issue, you'll first want to purchase an oven thermometer.

This inexpensive cooking tool will allow you to see if your oven is heating to the temperature you're setting it to. Oftentimes, home ovens are known for heating hotter or colder than you set the temperature to.

2. Your meringue is under or over whipped: Both under-whipped and over-whipped meringue can result in cracked shells. This is because the meringue needs to have the proper structure in order to rise in the oven.

Weak meringue will not be strong enough to withstand the heat of the oven when baked, causing a cracked top. Alternatively, meringue that has been over-whipped won't have enough air incorporated to properly expand in the oven.

3. You didn't rest your macarons long enough: It's important to allow your macarons to rest on the counter until they've formed a skin.

Typically, you'll need to allow the shells to rest for about 45 - 60+ minutes on the counter until a skin has formed on top. If you live in a humid climate, this may take up to 90+ minutes.

4. You have air bubbles in the macarons: Did you put your macarons in the oven without banging them on the counter? Oftentimes, air bubbles are trapped in the macaron batter. Air bubbles occur naturally in the batter during the macaronage and piping process.

In order to avoid cracked macaron shells, you need to release and pop these air bubbles, otherwise, they will burst in the oven and ruin the shells.

If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for cracked macarons.

Why are my macarons wrinkled?

Here are a few common causes of wrinkled macaron shells:

1. You used too much cocoa powder: Using too much cocoa powder can cause your macarons to bake up wrinkled. Even 10 grams more can have a huge impact on the macaron shells. Be sure to follow the specific measurements listed in the recipe card below.

2. Your oven temperature is too low: To remedy this, you'll first need to purchase an oven thermometer, and place it in the center rack of your oven to double-check the temperature reading before baking the macarons.

Next, you'll need to play around with your temperature settings. I usually recommend heating your oven to 300°F (150°C) and adjusting from there. Pipe a set of 4 - 6 macarons on a baking sheet and test just a few macarons at a time (so you don't ruin a whole batch).

3. You over or under whipped the meringue: One of the most important techniques to learn, especially when making macarons, is how to whip egg whites to stiff peaks.

Egg whites that are under whipped or over whipped can result in wrinkled shells, weak tops, and macarons that will not properly rise.

4. You over macaronaged the batter: Another common issue related to wrinkly macaron shells is over macaronaging.

Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.

To properly macaronage, you should fold the batter until it reaches a lava-like consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once it drops off the spatula, the batter that was dripped should fade back into the batter within 10 - 15 seconds.

If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for wrinkly macarons.

Why are my macarons soft?

Here are a few common causes of weak/soft macaron shells:

1. Your meringue is under whipped. French meringue needs to be properly beaten in order to form a strong macaron. Make sure that you're beating the meringue to stiff peaks.

To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). Signs that you're ready to test the stiffness include seeing lines left from the beaters in your eggs. In addition, the meringue starts to almost ball up inside the whisk attachment. You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.

2. The macaron shells are underbaked. If you don't give your macaron shells enough time to bake in the oven, a sturdy outside will never develop. Make sure to check that the macarons are done before pulling them out of the oven. If you touch the shell and it wiggles or is still sticky/wet, you know they need to bake longer.

Chocolate macarons in particular need to be baked for a longer time in the oven compared to regular macarons. If you notice your chocolate macarons are fragile or have speckled tops after they cool, you likely need to bake them longer.

Why are my macaron feet messed up?

Here are a few common causes of small feet, no feet, or feet that have ruffled/spread too far:

1. Your oven temperature is too high or too low: Work on dialing in your oven temperature. You may have to try a few different oven temperatures in order to find the perfect temperature for your home oven. You can read more about my experiments with oven temperature if you're curious to learn more.

2. You didn't rest the macarons long enough: Typically, you'll need to allow the shells to rest for about 45 - 60+ minutes on the counter until a skin has formed on top. If you live in a humid climate, this may take up to 90+ minutes.

3. You over or under macaronaged the batter: If you've over macaronaged your batter, it will be too thin and runny. This will cause your macarons to fall flat with small feet or even no feet. An overworked batter can also cause the macarons to spread out horizontally, rather than rising up vertically.

If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for macaron feet.

Why are my macaron shells hollow?

Here are a few common causes of hollow macaron shells:

This is the last troubleshooting problem you should worry about. Before perfecting your macarons so they don't have hollows, make sure all the other properties are correct:

1. The meringue is over and under whipped: In order to prevent hollows, you need the perfect consistency of meringue before starting the macaronage process. Oftentimes, adding in acid, like cream of tartar, can help stabilize your meringue and allow more time for the air to get incorporated.

2. The batter was over or under macaronaged: The macaronage stage, which refers to working your batter to the proper consistency, is a technique that takes a while to master. If you've worked the batter to a lava-like consistency and you're still getting hollow shells, try working it a tad less.

3. Your oven temperature is too high or low: Oven temperature plays a big role in hollow macarons. Unfortunately, due to the capabilities of home conventional ovens, you have to test and play around with the temperature to get your macaron shells perfect. Most recipes suggest baking macarons anywhere from 275°F (135°C) - 325°F (163°C). Test these temperature ranges out with your home oven and an oven thermometer to see what works best.

If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for hollow macarons.

More Macaron Shell Recipes

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Chocolate Macaron Shells

What You'll Learn In This Recipe

Your free macaron template

Ingredients You Need