These chocolate & vanilla swirled macarons are for all the swirled soft serve lovers out there! These swirled shells are filled with an incredible chocolate & vanilla swirled swiss meringue buttercream.
I promise, it's much easier to achieve that perfect swirled look than you think! Read all of my essential macaron rules along with lots of step by step process photos below!
For more macaron recipes, try Pumpkin Macarons, Lemon Macarons, Almond Chocolate Coconut Macarons, and Robin's Egg Macarons.
Jump to Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- 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!
- Cocoa Powder: Add just 8g of cocoa powder to half of the batter to make it chocolate flavored.
- 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! You'll also need 2 for the swiss meringue buttercream.
- 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! You’ll also need ¼ cup of sugar for the frosting.
- Vanilla Paste: Add a touch of vanilla paste to amplify the flavor!
- Unsalted Butter: You'll need 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature for the buttercream.
- Chocolate: Use semi-sweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate for the chocolate buttercream.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this chocolate & vanilla swirled macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the meringue. 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. 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 vanilla paste. 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.
STEP 2: Divide meringue. Weigh your meringue, then divide in two separate bowls. You should get about 100g of meringue per flavor.
STEP 3: Make vanilla batter. Start the macaronage by folding in ⅓ of the vanilla 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.
STEP 4: Fold. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
STEP 5: Make the chocolate batter. Follow the same steps with the corresponding chocolate batter ingredients.
STEP 6: Pipe and rest. Transfer the mixtures to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802). Start with the vanilla flavor and spread it on one side of the piping bag, then spread the chocolate on the other side. Try to spread the batters as evenly as you can, careful to not let one flavor slide to the bottom as you add in the other. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no batter comes away when touched. Toward the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
STEP 7: Bake. Bake the macarons for about 8-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
STEP 8: Assemble. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip (I used Ateco 863). Spread the vanilla one side first, then the chocolate on the other side. Pair the macaron shells up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.
Expert Baking Tips
- 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.
6 Essential Macaron Rules
- 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.
- 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.
- SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour to get those smooth macaron shells!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Recipe FAQs
The swiss meringue method is my preferred method for making macarons, as it is the simplest and most stable meringue, in my opinion. The egg whites and sugar are combined in one bowl and heated over a double boiler with simmering water until it reaches 120 degrees F. Slightly heating the egg whites stablizes the meringue, which will increase your chances of achieving the correct consistency of macaron batter.
The key is to make sure the batter is mixed properly and the meringue is deflated enough. 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.
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!
Macarons require a low temperature for baking. I recommend baking them at 300 degrees F for about 12 minutes.
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. With this mascarpone frosting, they should be kept in the fridge.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
More macaron recipes you'll love
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate & Vanilla Swirled Macarons
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells:
- 65 g + 65g powdered sugar
- 60 g + 60g almond flour
- 8 g cocoa powder
- 105 g egg whites, about 3
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 72 g egg whites, about 2
- 150 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 80 g chocolate, melted & cooled
Instructions
For the Macaron Shells:
- 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 apart on one sheet of parchment paper. You will place this under another piece of parchment paper when ready to pipe the macaron shells.
- In one medium bowl, sift 65g of powdered sugar and 60g of almond flour twice. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, sift 65g of powdered sugar, 60g of almond flour, and 8g of cocoa powder twice. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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 vanilla paste.
- 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.
- Weigh your meringue, then divide in two separate bowls. You should get about 100g of meringue per flavor.
- For each flavor: 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.
- 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.
- Transfer the mixtures to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802). Start with the vanilla flavor and spread it on one side of the piping bag, then spread the chocolate on the other side. Try to spread the batters as evenly as you can, careful to not let one flavor slide to the bottom as you add in the other.
- 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.
- 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 Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- In a double boiler, heat the egg whites, sugar, and salt, whisking frequently until it reaches 160 degrees F or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites do not feel grainy.
- Transfer the egg white mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and wait until the meringue cools down to at least 85 degrees F.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add to the meringue one piece at a time, allowing each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is added, it will likely look curdled, but keep beating for a few more minutes and it will come together.
- Once the buttercream has mostly come together, change the whisk attachment to the paddle and keep mixing on low speed until homogenous and smooth.
- Add the vanilla paste, then weigh the buttercream and take out half.
- Add the melted & cooled chocolate to remaining half of the buttercream and mix until fully combined.
For Assembly:
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip (I used Ateco 863). Spread the vanilla one side first, then the chocolate on the other side.
- Pair the macaron shells up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.
Celia says
should the egg whites be aged?
Sloane says
You can use aged egg whites, but it's not necessary!