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Peppermint Mocha Macarons with White Chocolate

Crunchy, gooey French macarons are a perfect match with the peppermint white chocolate and the dark chocolate mocha filling. These peppermint mocha macarons are delicious little Christmas macarons that would also be a great edible gift!

 

Three pink macarons stacked on top of each other.

 

Christmas is all about peppermint. I saw some pink macarons the other day and it made me think of making peppermint macarons for Christmas! These macarons are crunchy on the outside with a gooey, yummy inside with a sweet peppermint and slightly bitter mocha center.

 

More peppermint recipes I hope you will try are these peppermint marshmallows, cozy peppermint mocha, peppermint filled dark chocolates, peppermint patties and peppermint cream cheese filled truffles

 

Pink macarons with white filling and mocha center.

 

What are French macarons?

 

French macarons are a meringue-based cookie sandwich made of almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites and granulated sugar. They are often filled with buttercream, jams, caramel, fruit curds, chocolates or cream cheese filling like in this recipe.

 

The consistency of a perfect French macaron is slightly crunchy with a crispy exterior, but a soft, moist and chewy interior. They are naturally gluten-free and very easily customizable with various fillings. 

 

What is the difference between macarons and macaroons?

 

As mentioned, a macaron is a French meringue-based cookie sandwich, but a macaroon is a coconut-based drop cookie. Some macaroon recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, but the classic Norwegian Christmas macaroons are not - only butter, egg, sugar, coconut, a tiny bit flour (which can be substituted) and salt. Let me know if this is a cookie you would want to see me make!

 

What went wrong with my macarons?

 

I just want to put it out there, macarons are finicky and sometimes you don't know why it didn't work out. I often make a batch and they don't turn out perfectly, but almost always very delicious. So even though you may encounter some of the problems mentioned below, don't fret too much - eat them and learn from your mistakes. 

 

Truth be told, my tastiest macarons ever where ones without ruffled feet! They were so delicate, soft and chewy interior with smooth shiny top. Don't worry too much, although it's super satisfying when you get them just right!

 

  • Un-even grainy top with peaks - dry ingredients weren't sifted well enough or batter is under-mixed.
  • Cracked, hollow top - batter is over-mixed
  • Too crispy interior - the shells are baked for too long
  • Flat shells that spread out too much - batter is over-mixed and/or baked at a too high temperature
  • Browned shells - baked too high temperature
  • Hollow interior - the meringue is over-beaten (it will look dry and lumpy)
  • No ruffled feet - batter is over-mixed, shells didn't rest long enough before baking, baked at low temperature
  • Soft, wrinkly shell - too much liquid in the batter or the meringue is under-beaten
  • Macarons stick to the parchment paper - they haven't baked for long enough or not cooled enough before trying to remove them

 

How to Make French Macarons

 

As seen above, macarons can be a little tricky to get right. The first things you should do is to clean several glass bowls and the bowl of your stand mixer thoroughly. Any trace of fat and you will have a hard time beating the perfect meringue.

 

Separate the egg white from the yolk and make sure there is completely no trace of yolk in your bowl of egg whites. Let the egg whites sit in room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes but a day is better. 'Old' egg whites are easier to whip.

 

The dry ingredients need to be super fine

 

The first step is to make sure there are no lumps in your almond flour and powdered sugar. Mix these in the food processor, you don't need much, around 20-30 seconds. After that, you should sift the dry ingredients into another bowl. Set aside. 

 

Sifting the dry ingredients.

 

The perfect gooey meringue

 

There are several ways of making this meringue, but I prefer to use the French method. The French method is uncooked, and I think it's just easier. In my Lemon Curd Filled Cupcakes, I use a Swiss meringue, in case you want to check it out. In my Summer Berry Pavlova I also state the differences between French, Swiss and Italian meringue.

 

Mix the egg whites on low until frothy in your clean stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add in 1 tablespoon of sugar at the time and gradually increase the speed. Let this beat until you get a shiny and gooey meringue with soft peaks, a pointed beak in the meringue that droops back on itself. Increase speed to medium high and add in the gel food coloring and beat until stiff peaks that does not droop back.  This process takes about 5-6 minutes.

 

Whipped meringue for pavlova recipe

 

What is macaronage?

 

Macaronage is a French pâtisserie technique of mixing the dry ingredients with the meringue to get a smooth, shiny and flowing batter. Using a spatula, you should fold until it looks smooth, shiny and is flowing when you lift your spatula.

 

Fold and drag the almond flour into the meringue while cutting down the center. You may also need to press the batter into the bowl with your spatula to get rid of excess air in the batter. This folding takes approximately 4-5 minutes, but don't look at the clock, look at the batter. 

 

3 macarons on top of each other.

 

A test you can do is to make ribbons or a figure 8 out of the batter, and the ribbons or figure 8 should sink into the batter after about 10 seconds. See this macaronage visual if needed. Once it's ready, add the batter to a piping bag with a round tip.

 

Finished baking macaron tops on the baking sheet.

 

Pipe and let them rest

 

On a parchment lined baking sheet, pipe the macaron batter into small circles. Let the tip of the piping bag stand straight and just pipe without moving the tip. Continue with the rest of the macarons.

 

Piped pink macarons on a baking sheet.

 

You can draw circles on a parchment paper to keep underneath the parchment paper you are going to use. This way you can see how much to pipe for each macaron shell. This circled parchment paper can be re-used.

 

Take the tray and carefully drop it onto the tabletop to release any air bubbles. You should do this a couple of times. Let the unbaked macarons rest for about 30-60 minutes to get a dry film on top of the macarons. This way they will be forced up and not out and get a crispy shell and those beautiful ruffled feet we want. Pre-heat oven to 302F (150C). 

 

Finger demonstrating the film on the macarons.

 

Bake for about 18 minutes and let them cool completely on the tray. Meanwhile, get your fillings ready. 

 

Peppermint White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

 

That's a handful of a title. But it pretty much sums up why this filling is so great. And it is crazy simple. Melt the white chocolate chunks in the microwave on 30 seconds intervals, stir in between each interval. Then mix with all the other ingredients.

 

Be careful with the peppermint extract as it can be overpowering. Start with just a little, and then work your way up to your desired peppermint level. Pour this into a piping bag with a round tip and leave it in the refrigerator to firm up. 

 

If you love the white chocolate here, I also recommend these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies or peppermint white chocolate sugar cookies!

 

Dark Chocolate Mocha Filling

 

To combat the sweetness, I like to use a slightly bitter mocha filling. Melt the dark chocolate with 1 teaspoon coffee and 1 teaspoon of coffee liqueur and a little cream. Once smooth, add to a piping bag with a round or star tip. Let it cool slightly, about 5 minutes. 

 

Flatlay of pink macarons some covered with another macaron and some open to show the mocha and white chocolate fillings.

 

Same macaron but a slight raspberry difference

 

Another fabulous version of these macarons is by using raspberry! I feel like the macaron is so similar to this one that I can't justify another recipe with this option, so I'm including it here. I like to use homemade raspberry jam instead of the mocha filling. You can also omit the peppermint in the white chocolate and the macarons will be perfect all year round!

 

The raspberry jam recipe I use can be read in either raspberry white chocolates or in this 6 inch chocolate raspberry cake.

 

Open pink macaron with raspberry filling with white chocolate around it.

 

Assemble the Peppermint Mocha Macarons

 

We got our macarons, our peppermint filling and our mocha filling (or raspberry), and it's time to assemble! Take two similar sized macarons, and pipe a tiny bit of mocha filling onto the center of one of them. Take your peppermint filling and pipe around the mocha filling. Press the other macaron on top of the filling to spread it evenly in the macaron. Leave it the refrigerator to blend the flavors together. 

 

Choosing similar sized macaron cookies to pair.

Filled macarons, some with mocha center and some with raspberry jam.

 

Ta-da!

 

You've got yourself Christmas in a French macaron! These Peppermint Mocha Macarons are so delicious, I'm contemplating if it's too soon to make another batch... Scroll down to find a printable recipe card. Enjoy!

 

One half eaten macaron on top of another.

 

Did you like these Peppermint Mocha Macarons? Here's more edible Christmas gifts I think you will like:

 

 

Check out this index for all the Christmas food on my site!

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you’re never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. As a thanks you will receive a free e-cookbook Travels Through the Seasons, with many delicious recipes from around the world that suit different seasons of the year. 

 

 

In order to keep the blog up and running this post may contain affiliate links, it will be at no extra cost to you, please read the disclosure for more information.

 

This recipe was originally published on Dec 13th 2017, but updated on Nov 2nd 2020 for better photos and content.

📖 Recipe

Three pink macarons stacked on top of each other.

Peppermint Mocha Macarons

Yield: 30 macarons
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Peppermint Mocha Macarons for all the peppermint lovers this Christmas! The crunchy, gooey macaron is a perfect match with the peppermint white chocolate filling and the dark chocolate coffee filling.

Ingredients

French Macarons

  • 150 g almond flour*, the finer the better
  • 150 g powdered sugar
  • 120 g egg whites (approx. 3 large egg whites, room temperature)
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • pink gel food coloring

Peppermint Filling

  • 2 oz white chocolate (50g, chopped)
  • ½ cup cream cheese (115g)
  • 1.4 oz butter (40g, room temperature)
  • 1 cup powedered sugar (130g)
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract, or to taste

Mocha Filling

  • 2.7 oz dark chocolate (75g***)
  • 2 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon coffee
  • 1 teaspoon coffee liqueur, e.g. Tía Maria or Kahlúa

Instructions

French Macarons

  1. Prepare: Begin with getting your egg whites to room temperature for a day**. Also, use a glass or metallic bowl, because the meringue cannot mix with fat, and there's often a greasy layer on plastic bowls.
  2. Dry ingredients: Next, mix almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor for a few seconds, sift this into a new bowl.
  3. Make merignue: In a stand mixer or a hand mixer, whip the egg whites (in a glass or metallic bowl) until frothy, then gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at the time, until you get a gooey meringue with soft peaks. Mix in gel food coloring of choice, in this case, pink. Then beat until stiff peaks.
  4. Macaronage: Fold the egg white mixture with the almond flour mixture using a spatula until it's smooth, shiny and flowing, known as macaronage. The batter should be runny and shiny, and flowing slowly off the spatula. Test the batter by making ribbons in the batter and the ribbons should sink into the batter after 10 seconds or so.
  5. Pipe it: Prepare a piping bag with a round tip. Add the batter. On parchment lined baking sheet, pipe macarons by keeping the tip still and just pipe in a still motion. I made circles on a parchment paper to keep as a reference underneath.
  6. Let them rest: Take the tray and carefully drop it onto the tabletop to release any air bubbles. You should do this a couple of times. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes before baking. This will give them a film that will make a crunchy top and forces the macarons to rise up instead of out during baking and will give the macaron its 'feet'.
  7. Bake: Pre-heat oven to 300F (150C). Bake for about 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Peppermint Filling

  1. Melt white chocolate in the microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, stir in slightly cooled melted chocolate and powdered sugar. Add peppermint extract. Peppermint can be overpowering, so start out with just a little. Once it's smooth, get it into a piping bag with a round tip and place in the refrigerator until completely cold.  

Mocha Filling

  1. Melt the dark chocolate with 1 teaspoon coffee and 1 teaspoon of coffee liqueur and a little cream. Once smooth, add to a piping bag with a round or star tip. Let cool a little.

Assemble

  1. Take two similar sized macarons, and pipe a tiny bit of mocha filling onto the center of one of them. Take your peppermint filling and pipe around the mocha filling. Press the other macaron on top of the filling to spread it evenly in the macaron.
  2. Keep macarons in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

Notes

* Do not use fat reduced almond flour. Macarons are finicky and I will therefore not include cup measurements, we need to be very accurate so a kitchen scale is necessary.

** I have updated the recipe because I often struggled to perfect the original recipe for 60 macarons, however sometimes it turns out great so I'm still including it here: 280g almond flour, 370g powdered sugar, 230g egg whites, 125g granulated sugar, pink food coloring. This recipe is from a French pastry chef, Pascal Dupuy.

*** Raspberry Macarons: These macarons are also super delicious without the mocha filling and instead using homemade raspberry jam in the center and omitting the peppermint in the cream cheese filling. You're welcome!

Nutrition: Calories: 117 | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Protein: 1.8g |  Carbohydrate: 15.2g |  Fiber 0.5g |  Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 28mg | Vitamin D: 1mcg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0mg | Potassium: 27mg. Estimate for informational purposes only.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 117Total Fat: 5.7gSaturated Fat: 2.7gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 28mgCarbohydrates: 15.2gFiber: 0.5gProtein: 1.8g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

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Julie

Saturday 28th of November 2020

Silly question, did you mix the coffee grounds in with the cream and chocolate or do you have to make coffee and then mix it. I'm sorry for all the questions, I just want to make it perfect like yours.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 30th of November 2020

No worries! I mix a little instant coffee granules with a tiny bit of warm water just to dissolve it. As long as it's instant coffee you can mix it directly into the cream. If it's regular coffee grounds, I would make a cup of coffee and save 1 tsp for this filling. Enjoy and don't hesitate to ask again!

Julie

Sunday 22nd of November 2020

Hi, I would love to try this recipe with Christmas coming up. I was wondering is it necessary to use the coffee liquer? Is there a substitute? Would it still be flavorful and have the coffee flavor if I only used just the coffee grounds? Thanks.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 23rd of November 2020

Hi Julie, yes that is no problem at all! You don't have to substitute anything, but you can of course add more coffee as per your taste. Please enjoy :)

Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious

Wednesday 11th of November 2020

I'm not a huge macaron fan, but you've sold me with the peppermint mocha flavor and the gorgeous, vibrant pink hue! These cookies look phenomenal!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Saturday 14th of November 2020

Thank you so much! I honestly didn't like them as much before trying to make my own either, but now I love them!

Chef Dennis

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

this was my first time making macarons and your recipe came out perfectly!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Saturday 14th of November 2020

Thank you so much!

Jacqueline Debono

Monday 9th of November 2020

These macarons look so so good. I'm not sure I have the courage to make them myself. I'm not much of a baker and hopeless with meringues! Can I order some from you?

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 9th of November 2020

You're so sweet, Jacqueline. With a little practice, everyone can make it (as long as they use a kitchen scale!). Have you ever tried a French meringue? That's what I'm using here. I think that is much less intimidating than the Italian meringue!

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