I hope your Thanksgiving was full of stuffing and pie and love!
Now that November is almost over, though, it's officially socially acceptable to listen to Christmas carols, start decorating, and bake holiday desserts. I made these peppermint hot chocolate French macarons on Sunday after my wife Kristie and I picked up and trimmed our very first real Christmas tree (omg the house smells so good!) and watched Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. What can I say, we're leaning in!
I think this recipe might be the one my sister and I use in our Christmas Eve macaron-baking tradition this year (my idea for egg nog-flavored macarons got shot down, ha!). These ones are true seasonal crowd-pleasers, perfect to pair with real hot chocolate and a handful (or two) of marshmallows.
I partnered with Bob's Red Mill on this post, a flour brand I've been using in macarons for years. Their super-fine almond flour version is my favorite – it passes so easily through the sifter. No extra time spent pulsing it in a food processor! It's already perfectly light for macarons, and that's a huge time and energy saver. It's made from organic, blanched almonds and of course, it's gluten-free. Honestly, it's my favorite, whether I'm writing a sponsored post or not :)
Oh, and PS – click here for a coupon!
Ingredients
Chocolate macaron shells
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill super-fine almond flour
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
Peppermint hot chocolate buttercream
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 cups marshmallow fluff
Optional
- Crushed candy canes in a shallow bowl
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Prepare two piping bags and a baking sheet lined with silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Lower the mixer's speed to medium and add the sugar. Increase the mixer's speed back to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Take the bowl off the mixer and add almond flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, aggressively fold in dry ingredients until the batter starts to loosen and becomes a little bit runny. To test if the batter is ready, lift a small amount of batter from the bowl and drop it back into the batter. If it does nothing, keep mixing. If it slowly melts back into the batter after 20-30 seconds, it's ready to go!
- Pour the batter into the prepared piping bag and pipe 1 1/2" circles on prepared baking sheet. Firmly rap the bottom of the tray to flatten the batter and get any air bubbles out.
- Let the macarons rest for 30-45 minutes, until they form a skin.
- While the macaron shells are resting, prepare the filling by creaming the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer on medium until it's light and fluffy. Add in peppermint extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until it's incorporated. Fold in marshmallow fluff. Pour the buttercream into the second prepared piping bag.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the macarons are just set. Let cool completely.
- Pipe the buttercream between two shells, gently sandwiching together. Roll the edges in crushed candy canes.
Eat right away, or store in your fridge for 3 – 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a month (just let them come to room temperature before eating – if you can wait that long!).
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
