Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Mousse

I’m hoping that the title made some of my regular readers squeal with delight – I promised 4 Nutella recipes coming up and we’re on #2 with this one! After my lightbulb moment making Meyer lemon macarons (I realized they are really just cookies with a few basic steps, nothing to be afraid of), I was inspired to try making them again right away.

When I showed up to work with two different types of macarons, my coworker said, “I thought you were never going to make these again.” I didn’t think so either! But here I am making two types in one week. I conquered my fear and I know you can too – don’t let these little cookies intimidate you or stress you out. They’re only cookies after all!

This time, I added a little cocoa powder to the macaron shells and filled them with a lovely Nutella ganache. By chilling and then whipping the ganache, it became fluffy and reminds me of a mousse. If you love macarons and Nutella, these are a must-try!

What macaron flavor should I try making next?

How to make chocolate macarons:

If you use store bought almond meal, sift it and weigh to 110 grams

Put sifted almond meal in food processor with cocoa powder and powdered sugar, process for a minute

Beat egg whites until foamy

Put mixer on low and add granulated sugar to foamy egg whites

Beat egg whites and sugar until it has a stiff peak

 Add dry ingredients from food processor into stiff egg whites

Fold dry ingredients into egg whites until your mixture looks like this

Prep piping bag with large round tip. Place a clip near the tip to stop the batter from flowing out and place it in a tall glass.

Pour batter into bag, take it out of the glass and twist the top. When you’re ready to pipe, remove the clip.

Pipe batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Let batter rest for at least 45 minutes, or until they no longer feel sticky to the touch. Brush your finger against the cookies – if they don’t feel dry, wait and try again in 15 minutes. 

Bake for 12 minutes. Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. 

How to make Nutella mousse:

Pour warm cream over Nutella and chocolate

Whisk until ganache is smooth

Refrigerate ganache for 30-45 minutes, until it thickens

Beat ganache until it lightens in color and becomes more fluffy like a mousse

Pair up macarons of the same size. Pipe or spoon a little Nutella mousse onto one cookie. Place the other cookie on top and press down gently.


Recipe:

Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Mousse

Adapted from Cake and Allie

Makes 20 very small macarons

Chocolate macarons:

  • 110 grams almond meal (you can make your own using blanched slivered almonds)
  • 200 grams minus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 100 grams egg whites (3-3 1/2 large eggs), aged in the fridge for 3-5 days (I only left them overnight; not sure how necessary this step is)
  • 50 gm granulated sugar

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

If you’re using almonds: place in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

If you’re using almond meal: run through a sifter. Place in food processor.

Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder to food processor and pulse a few times until everything is incorporated. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites for a few minutes until they are foamy. Place mixer on low and slowly add the granulated sugar to the foamy egg whites. Continue beating until egg whites have stiff peaks.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and fold them in with a spatula. Fit a large round tip (I used one that is 1 1/2 inches)onto a piping bag and place a clip above it so batter won’t flow out while you fill the bag. Place the bag on a tall glass to hold it up and fill it with the batter. Twist the top shut and remove the clip. Pipe small circles (I made them 1/2-1 inch) onto the prepared baking sheets.

Let batter rest for around 45 minutes, until it feels dry (and not sticky) to the touch. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 300°F.

Bake for 12 minutes. Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension. Remove from oven and let cool completely before adding filling.

Nutella mousse:

  • ½ cup of heavy cream
  • 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 3 Tbsp Nutella
In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over low-medium heat. Meanwhile, place chocolate and Nutella in a medium heat-proof bowl. When heavy cream reaches a simmer, remove from heat and pour over chocolate and Nutella. Let sit for 20 seconds, then whisk until ganache is smooth.
Place ganache in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes, until it has thickened but is still pourable. Beat ganache until it lightens in color and becomes more fluffy like a mousse.
Pair up macarons of the same size. Pipe or spoon a little Nutella mousse onto one cookie. Place the other cookie on top and press down gently.

Store macarons in the refrigerator. Let sit out for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

30 Comments on Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Mousse

  1. Kim Bee
    April 22, 2012 at 7:33 pm (12 years ago)

    These look like perfection. I love these. I’ve never made them but have been dying to try.
    Kim Bee recently posted Pink Lemonade Ice Cream

    Reply
  2. Candice
    April 23, 2012 at 9:13 am (12 years ago)

    I <3 Nutella. These look amazing! I don't have a scale. Are you able to convert the recipe into tsp, tbsp, and cups?

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      April 25, 2012 at 3:33 pm (12 years ago)

      @Candice – macarons usually use weight measurements because they’re more accurate. Here is a recipe from David Lebovitz that lists both cups/tbsp/tsp as well as weight.

  3. Lynn
    April 23, 2012 at 10:38 am (12 years ago)

    Love these, almost perfect circles! I drew circles on a white sheet I put under parchment then removed before baking. Nice trick for the first few times 😉

    Reply
  4. Rebecca
    April 23, 2012 at 3:11 pm (12 years ago)

    Gorgeious macarons! I love the step-by-step photos too. Makes me want to make them again too!
    Rebecca recently posted Crazy for Chocolate

    Reply
  5. monica adriana
    April 26, 2012 at 6:23 am (12 years ago)

    ah, this looks so lovely! 🙂 your blog is beautiful and filled with wonderful baked goodies.. nice to know you stephanie..
    monica adriana recently posted french apple tart

    Reply
  6. Bonnycate
    August 25, 2012 at 9:12 am (12 years ago)

    A dear friend of mine wants me to attempt to make these for her wedding day cookie table. In order for this to happen, I’d have to transport them — it’s a 3 1/2 hour plane ride. I’ve seen that macarons freeze well. Do you have any suggestions for how to pack them to minimize destruction?
    Bonnycate recently posted C is for Macaron*

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      August 25, 2012 at 9:35 am (12 years ago)

      @Bonnycate – that’s a tough one. Macarons are pretty delicate. I’d say lots and lots of padding but I honestly don’t have much experience transporting them, especially on a plane.

      I did a quick Google search and found that someone asked a similar question and BraveTart said: “You can definitely do this. I would suggest baking the macarons a few days before your trip and refrigerating them for 24-36 hours before your departure. This will a) let the macarons mature, which makes them taste better, but b) also make the buttercream quite firm and the macarons less fragile.

      Make a nest of tissue paper in a box, add the macarons, making sure each is nestled into the paper enough to not jostle its neighbor, and then fill the box with more tissue paper. Just don’t stack the macarons on top of each other. I’ve taken macarons to and from LA safely.

      If your sister has any macaron difficulties, tell her to send me a tweet; I’ve done a lot of macaron handholding via twitter, and am glad to help. Good luck!”

  7. Bonnycate
    August 25, 2012 at 9:43 am (12 years ago)

    Stephanie, you rock! You’re the best virtual macaron mentor EVAR! I’ve got to practice the technique more before making a cookie-table-worthy batch. I loved your Meyer lemon recipe, and I think I’m going to make those lemon cookies but with a rich strawberry buttercream.

    Thanks for all your help!
    Bonnycate recently posted C is for Macaron*

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      August 25, 2012 at 1:26 pm (12 years ago)

      @Bonnycate – aww thank you! 🙂 I’m happy to help. Lemon with strawberry sounds delicious. Good luck!

  8. Bonnycate
    November 6, 2012 at 3:47 pm (11 years ago)

    Stephanie:

    IT WORKED! I got four dozen (frozen) Nutella macarons 1,500 miles with not a squish or a break!

    Thank you so much for your ideas and your awesome recipes!

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      November 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm (11 years ago)

      Bonnycate, that’s awesome! I’m so glad it all worked out for you! 🙂

  9. Averi
    January 6, 2013 at 12:08 am (11 years ago)

    Looks good. Im gonna try it.

    Reply
  10. Maryam
    January 31, 2013 at 10:46 pm (11 years ago)

    Hi, thx for the recipe. Just wondering what is your tray/tray liner called? The first and only time I made these they stuck on the first tray 🙁 so then the second tray I put a little non-stick spray, a big NO-NO. So what is the best kind of tray to use?

    Maryam

    Reply
  11. ryan
    April 10, 2013 at 4:42 am (11 years ago)

    Wow they look so good! Thanks for the recipe, i may have to make these for my sons bday just for me lol!

    Reply
  12. Dany
    October 2, 2013 at 3:01 pm (10 years ago)

    Bonsoir
    Je recherchais une ganache au nutella. J’avais une idée précise de ce que je voulais mais je n’avais pas les proportions. Votre ganache me parait parfaite, une belle couleur et elle se tient très bien. J’ai une commande de macarons pistache, caramel au beurre salé et une avec ganache au nutella. Je vais vous emprunter cette recette de ganache et je reviendrai vous dire ce que j’en pense. Désolée je ne parle pas votre langue, j’espère que de votre côté vous arriverez à traduire ce texte.
    Message de Paris
    Dany

    Reply
  13. ruhab
    October 23, 2013 at 12:37 pm (10 years ago)

    can we put the frosting on cake?

    Reply
  14. Gaia
    September 18, 2016 at 1:46 pm (8 years ago)

    I followed the recipe very carefully but the batter was too thick and the “mousse” was very liquid. I don’t understand, what did I do wrong?

    Reply
  15. Rosemary Souza
    October 10, 2016 at 10:42 am (7 years ago)

    I finally got up the nerve to attempt these macarons and they turned out wonderful. I followed your recipe exactly and I had no problems (could be just luck) Thank you so much for sharing

    Reply
  16. Cynthia
    February 15, 2020 at 10:10 pm (4 years ago)

    I’m not sure what I did wrong, but they didn’t even from a skin and I let them rest for about 45+ minutes. Thus they didn’t form the foot at all 🙁
    I’m going to give them a try one more try, hopefully I can make them right next time.

    Reply

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