Almond Chocolate Coconut Macarons

These almond chocolate coconut macarons are reminiscent of Almond Joys, but are clearly much fancier and wayyyy better. The delicate shell is flavored with almond extract, then sandwiched with a chocolate coconut ganache, and finally topped with a drizzle of chocolate and toasted coconut. Of course, the shells always require quite a bit of time and effort, but luckily the ganache filling is incredibly simple and quick to make. Read my 6 Essential Macaron Rules below for my best tips, and never hesitate to reach out with any questions! Trust me, you're going to want to ditch the halloween candy this year and make these insanely delicious almond chocolate coconut macs instead! 

Ingredients you’ll need to make these almond chocolate coconut macarons:

• White Vinegar: To ensure that your meringue remains stable, clean and wipe down all appliances with white vinegar.
• Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for the macaron shells.
• Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
• Egg Whites: You’ll need about 3 egg whites for the shells. Don’t worry about bringing them to room temperature because you’ll just heat them up over a double boiler to make a swiss meringue! 
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added to the egg whites when making the swiss meringue for the shells. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully!
• Almond Extract: Add a touch of almond extract to the meringue before folding in the dry ingredients. Remember, a little goes a long way!
• Chocolate: You'll need chocolate for both the ganache and to drizzle on top.
• Coconut Milk: You'll need about ¼ cup of coconut milk for the ganache filling. Alternatively, you could use heavy cream and simply add ¼ teaspoon of coconut extract to the ganache. 
• Neutral Oil: Add about a ½ teaspoon of neutral oil to the chocolate for drizzling so it does not look chalky as it dries.
• Coconut Flakes: I added toasted coconut flakes on top of the drizzled chocolate. If you'd like more coconut, you could mix some in with the ganache. 

How to make macarons with my 6 Essential Macaron Rules:

1. Wipe down all bowls and appliances with white vinegar. This will ensure that everything is spotlessly clean and nothing will hinder the stability of the meringue. 
2. Beat the meringue until STIFF peaks form. The best way to test this is to turn the bowl upside down to make sure that the meringue is stable enough and does not move at all. 
3. SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour to get those smooth macaron shells!
4. Mix the batter with a silicone spatula by circling around and straight through the middle. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will ensure that the shells do not come out hollow.
5. Test the consistency of the batter frequently by drawing a figure eight with the silicone spatula. You should be able to draw a figure eight a few times in a row without the batter breaking. This is how you know the batter is ready to be piped onto a baking sheet. 
6. Allow the macarons to rest long enough before going into the oven. I would recommend 30-40 minutes of rest time before baking. As they rest, a skin forms on the surface, which is what forces the macarons to bake upwards and grow feet!

A few other tips to make these almond chocolate coconut macarons:

• The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day. 
• If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily. 
• Macarons will last for a few days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge. I prefer to store them in the fridge not only so they will last longer, but also because I find that they taste even better cold.  

Happy baking! x

Almond Chocolate Coconut Macarons

• Author: Sloane
• Yield: 26 macarons 1x

Print Recipe

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

---

Description

For these macarons, the delicate shell is flavored with almond extract, then sandwiched with a chocolate coconut ganache, and finally topped with a drizzle of chocolate and toasted coconut.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Macaron Shells:

• 130g powdered sugar
• 120g almond flour
• 105g egg whites (about 3)
• 100g granulated sugar
• ½ tsp almond extract

For the Chocolate Coconut Ganache Filling:

• 56g canned coconut milk (or heavy cream)
• 142g chocolate
• ¼ tsp coconut extract (if desired)

For the Chocolate Drizzle:

• 50g chocolate
• ½ tsp neutral oil
• toasted coconut 

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For the Macaron Shells:

1. Prepare a macaron template by using a large piping tip or small round cookie cutter of about 1 ½″ in size to trace circles about 2 inches a apart on one sheet of parchment paper. You will place this under another piece of parchment paper when ready to pipe the macaron shells.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour, then give them a good whisk to fully combine.
3. Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved or until the temperature is about 120 degrees F.
4. Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the almond extract.
5. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. The best way to test if it is ready is by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall or move at all, then it is ready.
6. Start the macaronage by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix carefully with a silicone spatula by scraping aroung the sides of the bowl, then through the middle of the batter. Do this a few times until it is mostly combined.
7. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. I find that this mixing method ensures that the shells do not bake up hollow. Continue scraping around the sides of the bowl and through the middle. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
8. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802). Place your macaron template under another piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and pipe perpendicular to fill in each circle. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the on counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand. 
9. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no batter comes away when you touch them. Toward the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the macarons for about 8-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.

For the Chocolate Coconut Ganache Filling:

1. Heat the coconut milk in the microwave for about 15 seconds or so. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for a few seconds.
2. Stir the coconut milk and chocolate together. If there are still solid pieces of chocolate, melt in the microwave in 10 second intervals until completely smooth. Be careful of over heating the chocolate, this will make your ganache split.
3. Place in the fridge until cool and viscous, but not too thick that you can't pipe it.

For the Chocolate Drizzle:

1. Melt the chocolate and oil together in the microwave in 20 second intervals until fully melted and smooth.
2. Transfer to a small piping bag.

For Assembly:

1. Pair the macarons up and pipe the chocolate drizzle on one macaron shell for each shell. Immediately top with toasted coconut flakes. Allow to set for a couple minutes in the fridge or freezer before filling with ganache. 
2. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe the ganache on the bottom shell and place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together. 

---