Chocolate Baileys Macarons

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Kick up your macarons a notch with these chocolate Baileys macarons. A chocolate macaron shell with a Bailey’s chocolate ganache filling in the middle. These Bailey’s macarons are perfect little boozy French cookie.

baileys macarons stacked next to a Bailey's bottle


 

I wish I had some funny anecdote about macarons for you. Or some witty story of the first time I attempted macarons.

The thing is I don’t.

But here’s the thing when the words Chocolate + Bailey’s + Macarons come together. I think it speaks for itself. I mean do we need a story? No. It’s a Bailey’s ganache sandwiched between a delicate chocolate almond cookie.

‘Nuff said. Drop the mic. Walk away.

Ok don’t walk away yet. We still need to make these macarons.

Are Macarons Really That Hard To Make?

They can be! But I have listed some important tips further in the post that are going to be very helpful.

Above all else remember to use a kitchen scale and allow the shells to dry out before baking them.

After a few more attempts and taking a macaron class, I felt much more confident about these delicate little cookies. Confidence that I want to pass on to you. So I thought I would dream up a fun version of a macaron and thatโ€™s when I dreamt up this chocolate dipped macaron (aka Boston Creme Pie!)โ€ฆ

What Is The Difference Between A Macaroon and a Macaron?

A macaroon and a macaron are entirely two different cookies. A macaroon is a coconut cookie where a macaron is a French sandwich cookie that is made from almond flour and a meringue.

According to Shariโ€™s Berries, the macaroon is the fun American twist on the French macaron.

two baileys macarons stacked on top of each other

How To Make Baileys Macarons

Start by measuring your dry ingredients. And I can’t stress this enough, you need to use a kitchen scale in order for macaron success to occur. Dry measuring cups just won’t cut it. Trust me on this.

Once you have properly measured, combine your almond flour, cocoa powder, and confectioners sugar into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine them. And you then need to sift your dry ingredients together. Again I wish I could say you could skip this step. But you can’t. Sorry. Sifting ensure you will get smooth skinned macarons. And I mean we all want smooth skin don’t we? In life. In macarons. So sift, baby sift.

Then in your stand mixer you want to combine powdered egg white, granulated sugar and add your egg whites and cream of tartar. Make sure there are no egg yolks present in the egg whites so they whip up to full volume. For help on separate your eggs cleanly, read how to separate eggs (6 ways!).

I have read arguments on whether or not you need to age your egg whites. Some say yes. Some say it’s not necessary. I have always aged my egg whites for at least a few hours up to a few days at room temperature. So my recommendation is to age them.

You need to whisk your egg white mixture on medium speed until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peak- about 11 minutes. Basically it’s going to look like a giant cloud of marshmallow fluff. Try not stick your face in it. It’s going to take some serious restraint. Trust me.

Not sure if you have whisked the egg whites enough? Turn the bowl upside down. If the meringue doesn’t slip, then you’re good to go.

Now it’s time to add the sifted dry ingredients. You want to fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue. You actually want the meringue batter to run off your spatula when you hold it up into a ribbon. You want to actually deflate some of the air in the meringue, otherwise you will end up with hollow shells.

If you pick up your spatula, and the batter does not flow off of it. The batter is still too thick, so continue to keep folding.

Another way to test is to see if the batter is at the right consistency, is the figure 8 test. You want to see if you can draw a figure 8 in the batter. If so, you’re good to go. Now you’re ready to pipe!

For more help on baking macarons, then be sure to get my FREE Quick Guide on Baking Perfect Macarons.

Bailey's Macarons with a bite taken out of it

How To Pipe Macaron Shells

To pipe the macaron shells, I used a 1/2-inch round tip like this one. I pipe my shells onto a macaron mat.  This macaron mat has the circle templates, so it makes for easier and more even piping. If you’re new to macaron making, the mat makes things so much faster. If you don’t have a macaron mat, you use a macaron template. I found this template  at Barbara Bakes.

While you are piping, you want to cover the meringue that is still in the bowl with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

After you pipe your shells, you want to firmly slam the baking down on your countertop to remove excess air. If there are any air bubbles, just take a toothpick and pop them.

Once your shells are piped you need to let them dry out. Let the shells rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, until they form a skin. You can tell they are ready, when you touch one and it’s dry.

By letting the shells rest, this will help in developing the feet when they bake. You’ll bake your shells in a 300ยฐF oven for about 12-15 minutes, until the feet of the shell feel firm and the shells just come off the mat. Then let them dry on a cooling rack for about an hour before filling them.

I filled these macaron with a dark chocolate ganache. Normally, I make a ganache with a 1:1 ratio of bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream. I decided to replace half of the heavy cream with Bailey’s Irish cream.

Tips For Making Macarons

  • Use A Kitchen Scale: Measure your ingredients with a scale. I canโ€™t stress that enough! Macarons are tricky, but take some of the guesswork out of it- and use a kitchen scale. I love my kitchen scale and use it all the time. And definitely for this recipe.
  • Making the macaronage. When you add your the almond mixture to your egg whites, you want to mix so that it is thick, smooth and flowing like lava from your spatula. This is a super important step called the macaronage. You actually want to get the air OUT of the batter at this point, which might be different than any egg white mixture youโ€™ve made before.  Let the batter ribbon on itself and it should hold itโ€™s shape for about 8 to 10 seconds. Now youโ€™re ready to goโ€ฆ
  • Use a silicone baking mat. The silicone surface will ensure your macarons come off the mat easily as opposed to scraping those expensive little almond shells off a non stick surface and cursing up a storm as you watch all that effort go to waste.
  • Use a piping bag with round pastry tip. I used this one.  This will ensure that you will make even sized macaron circles.
  • Gently tap your cookie sheet. By tapping your cookie sheet  after piping your macarons to get any excess air out. Just pick your cookie sheet a few inches off the counter and let it drop. If you see any air bubbles float to the surface, just use a toothpick to pop them.
  • Let your macarons dry before baking. By letting them  dry out by letting them sit on your counter after piping before baking. Allow them to sit for about 45 minutes before baking. They should be dry to the touch.
  • Make ahead: the chocolate ganache can be made ahead of time. This can be a labor intensive recipe but if you break up the recipe over a few days,even two you will thank yourself.

More Recipes To Try

baileys macarons

Chocolate Baileys Macarons

Chocolate Baileys Macarons – chocolate macaron shell filled with a Bailey’s Irish cream ganache!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Cuisine: dessert
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 macarons
Calories: 198kcal

Ingredients

For the macaron shells

  • 1 packed cup (145) grams almond flour
  • 2/3 packed cup (145) grams confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup 25 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon (5 grams) powdered egg white
  • 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) aged egg whites, about 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon 3 grams cream of tartar

For the filling

Instructions

  • Place the almond flour, confectioners sugar, and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 4 times for 3 seconds each to combine them. Scrape the sides of the bowl in between pulses with a spatula. Sift with fine-mesh strainer onto a sheet of waxed paper. 
  • With a hand whisk, whisk together the powdered egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until the mixture is homogenous.  Set the bowl and whisk attachment on the mixer on medium speed until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 11 minutes. Once the meringue reaches stiff peaks and resembles marshmallow fluff, stop the mixer. Turn the bowl upside down to check that you have reached the right stage, the meringue should not slip in the bowl.
  • With a spatula, quickly fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue. The meringue batter should flow off the spatula when you pick it up out of the bowl like lava in ribbons. If it doesn’t flow off the spatula, keep folding. 
  • Spoon the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Fill the bag halfway, leaving the rest of the meringue in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Pipe the meringue on to a baking sheet with parchment paper, silicone mat, or macaron mat 1 1/2 inches apart from one another. Once they are piped, firmly slam the baking sheet down to remove excess air. Let the shells dry at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour until the tops are dry. Then bake in a 300oF oven for about 12-15 minutes until the feet are firm and the shells are easily removed from the baking sheets. Remove the mat and place onto a cooling rack.  Allow the shells to cool on a cooling rack for about an hour before filling them.
  • To make the ganache. Chop the chocolate and place in a medium bowl. Heat the cream and Bailey’s irish cream in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until very warm to the touch. You can also do this in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until the cream is simmering. Then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes then stir until smooth. Allow the ganache to firm up a bit before piping between the shells. 
  • When ready to fill the macarons, turn them over so that the flat side faces you. Pipe the filling on half the shells, about 1/2-inch high leaving a bit of room on the edges. Place another matching size flat-side down onto the filling to make a sandwich. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

  • Use A Kitchen Scale:ย Measure your ingredients with aย scale. I canโ€™t stress that enough! Macarons are tricky, but take some of the guesswork out of it- and use a kitchen scale. I love my kitchen scale and use it all the time. And definitely for this recipe.
  • Making the macaronage. When you add your the almond mixture to your egg whites, you want to mix so that it is thick, smooth and flowing like lava from your spatula. This is a super important step called the macaronage. You actually want to get the air OUT of the batter at this point, which might be different than any egg white mixture youโ€™ve made before. ย Let the batter ribbon on itself and it should hold itโ€™s shape for about 8 to 10 seconds. Now youโ€™re ready to goโ€ฆ
  • Use aย silicone baking mat.ย The silicone surface will ensure your macarons come off the mat easily as opposed to scraping those expensive little almond shells off a non stick surface and cursing up a storm as you watch all that effort go to waste.
  • Use a piping bag with round pastry tip. I used thisย one.ย  This will ensure that you will make even sized macaron circles.
  • Gently tap your cookie sheet.ย By tapping your cookie sheetย  after piping your macarons to get any excess air out. Just pick your cookie sheet a few inches off the counter and let it drop. If you see any air bubbles float to the surface, just use a toothpick to pop them.
  • Let your macarons dry before baking. By letting themย  dry out by letting them sit on your counter after piping before baking. Allow them to sit for about 45 minutes before baking. They should be dry to the touch.
  • Make ahead: the chocolate ganache can be made ahead of time. This can be a labor intensive recipe but if you break up the recipe over a few days,even two you will thank yourself.

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 37mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @BostonGirlBakes or tag #BostonGirlBakes!


 

6 Comments

  1. Patti Waldrup says:

    5 stars
    I canโ€™t wait to make these again. Somewhat of a process but now that Iโ€™ve made them it will be easier next time. Yummm

    1. So glad you enjoyed them! They do get easier each time. Happy baking! ๐Ÿ˜Š

  2. What brand of chocolate do you recommend?

    1. Hi, Regina, I use Ghirardelli๐Ÿ˜Š

  3. Hilary Hodgman says:

    Can I use parchment instead of a silicone mat?

    1. yes parchment will work just fine

5 from 1 vote

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