The Dark Side of Macarons

These two macarons are rich and delicious. They have been a crowd pleaser for sure! My two favorite sinfully sweet macarons are 1. Nutella and Chocolate and 2. Peanut butter and butter cream filled Chocolate Macrons. Enjoy!

I use the same base macaron cookie with two different fillings, convenient and easy!

Ingredients

2/3 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, room temperature
¼ granulated sugar
Filling #1:
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup powdered sugar
Filling #2
1 14oz jar of buttercream icing
1 cup peanut butter

Instructions

Separate your eggs and allow them to come to room temperature while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix hazelnut meal, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and salt until combined. Sift into a medium bowl.
When the egg whites are room temperature, add the cream of tartar. Beat on medium speed until frothy.
Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Add half of the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber scraper, then repeat with the other half of the dry ingredients, being careful not to over-fold and deflate the whites.
Place the batter in a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe circles onto lined baking sheets. Tap each baking sheet against the counter once to remove any air bubbles. (Let sit 45-60 mins to ensure a good skin on top and no longer sticky to touch)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Bake the macarons for 14 minutes (only one pan at a time for perfect even bake)
The macarons are done when they just begin to separate from the parchment. Cool completely on a wire rack.
You can use straight Nutella for the filling, or mix the Nutella with powdered sugar for a thicker paste. (I used a few Tbs for this so they would set easier and be less messy) and set aside
Mix the 2^nd filling: Mix the peanut butter and buttercream. Set aside.
Use an offset spatula or an icing bag to top one macaron, and then find a similarly sized macaron to complete the sandwich. Repeat with all meringues.