A decadent double chocolate macaron recipe that is easy enough for beginners but tastes like it came straight from the bakery! These Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache filling are a decadent treat for the pastry lover in your life.

Chocolate Macarons Recipe

Macarons are one of my favorite cookies to make for special occasions. They are so pretty and sophisticated while being deceptively easy to make!

A great macaron should have a delicately crunchy exterior that gives way to a soft and chewy cookie interior, with the filling adding a bit of richness and flavor without being the star of the show.

These double chocolate macarons feature a light chocolate-almond meringue cookie sandwiched with a luscious chocolate ganache. It’s incredibly decadent and reminiscent of a brownie with it’s rich chocolate flavor and combination of crispy and soft textures.

I’ve streamlined my macaron recipe to be easy and straightforward without being too technical, so this is a great first macaron recipe to make if you’ve never made them before. I’ve also included a step-by-step video below so you can see what the macaron batter should look like at every step.

A big myth with macarons are that they are super hard to make. While they are definitely a recipe that needs to be followed to the letter (!) they don’t deserve their reputation as incredibly tricky or technical.

Practically no one is intimidated by making boxed pasta – even though it needs to be cooked the perfect amount of time to not be too crunchy or too mushy. It needs to be drained and enjoyed quite quickly after making for best results. To make the perfect pasta, you have to rely on visual and textural cues, while timing things well. The same principles exists with macarons.

For example, the egg whites need to be beaten for a full 4-8 minutes so they become fluffy and shiny. They cannot be over-beaten or under-beaten (so watch them carefully). The finished macaron batter should flow like lava – thick, without clumps.

While we don’t rest our macarons before baking, I have never had issues with them blowing out (exploding). If yours do, you can let them sit for an hour to develop a “skin” before proceeding with baking.

If you run into issues making this recipe – reach out to me! I’m happy to help troubleshoot with you; I want you to have a great experience making these!

And if you end up with a bunch of broken macarons, it’s the perfect excuse to make a Eton Mess – a yummy English dessert that came about just for this very purpose.

Check out our other homemade macaron recipes here:

• Samoa Macarons with Caramel-Coconut Filling
• Birthday Cake Macarons
• Heart-Shaped Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache Filling
• Strawberry Macarons (with Video)
• Nutella Macarons
• Blueberry Macarons
• Raspberry Macarons
• Cookies and Cream Mickey Macarons

Check out our quick recipe video to see how easy it is to make these Chocolate Macarons – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:

Chocolate Macaron Ingredients

• Egg whites, room temperature
• White sugar
• Powdered icing sugar
• Almond flour
• Cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache for Macarons:

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Heavy whipping cream (35%)
• Powdered icing sugar, optional

Tip: Almond flours is sometimes referred to as almond meal. Homemade almond flour from processing your own almonds is much denser and only 2/3 cup is needed for this recipe.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat <– you can also purchase macaron baking mats that come with guides for the macaron shapes
• Cookie sheet
• Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
• Mixing bowl
• Piping bag <– a basic piping set will have all you need

How to Make Double Chocolate Macarons

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. You may find it helpful to draw circles on the underside of your parchment paper to use as a guide. 

In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder. Mix thoroughly to combine, and then set aside

Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, then add in the sugar and continue beating for 4 minutes until glossy, stiff peaks form. (You should be able to pull your beater away and have some of the egg whites form a little “tuft” on the tip of the beater.)

Carefully but thoroughly fold in the dry ingredients – some people will say exactly 25 folds, some 30 – just make sure you don’t have dry patches and that everything is well incorporated. The batter should flow like lava.

Spoon the macaron batter into a piping bag and snip the tip off for about a half inch opening.

Pipe the batter in circular cookie shapes on your prepared baking sheets, about 2″ in diameter. 

Bang the tray on a hard, level surface to remove any air bubbles, then wet your finger and smooth down any “peaks” on the macarons.

If desired, let the macarons sit at room temperature for an hour to develop a skin. (I usually skip this step without issue, but it is a best practice.)

Preheat oven to 285ºF.

Bake for 10 minutes, until  the glossy appearance has become matte, the macarons have “feet” (that little bubbling at the bottom) and the feet look cooked through. (If they look uncooked when you take them out, immediately return them to the oven.)

Chocolate Ganache Filling directions:

Using a small pot, heat up the heavy whipping cream over medium heat until it starts to simmer

Place the chocolate chips in a medium, heat-proof bowl (glass preferably).

Pour the hot heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 minute.

Whisk until smooth and allow to cool completely.

Some people like adding powdered icing sugar to their ganache, which increases the sweetness and gives a slightly fluffier texture.

Scoop the cooled ganache into a piping bag, securely wrap and tie the end and then snip off the tip of the bag. Apply about a half tablespoon of ganache to the side of the macaron that was on the baking sheet, and then sandwich with a second macaron on the same end.

Repeat with all cookies until done.

Pin this Easy Chocolate Macaron recipe for your next baking session:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our double chocolate macaron cookies recipe:

I hope your family loves these easy chocolate macarons as much as mine did!

For more scrumptious cookies, check out our full cookie recipe collection here:

For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here: