Chocolate & Sweet Red Cherry Macarons

These light and airy French style chocolate macarons are filled with cherry buttercream and compote. In this simplified recipe, I will share my method to create an approachable way to perfect these tricky treats and create a classic flavor combination that we all know and love.

Ingredients

Macarons:

100 grams egg whites (aged overnight and brought to room temperature)
¼ tsp. cream of tarter
60 grams of granulated white sugar
110 grams of superfine almond flour
190 grams of powdered sugar
10 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
75 grams dark melting chocolate (for chocolate drizzle)

Cherry Compote:

70 grams of fresh red sweet cherries, pitted and quartered
2 tsp. granulated white sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch

Cherry Frosting:

113 grams of butter (1 stick, room temperature)
180 grams of powdered sugar
1 tbsp. cherry compote (cooled)

Directions

Measure out your egg whites. Place in a small container or bowl and let rest overnight in the fridge. You can also make the compote the night before, but it is not necessary if you allow yourself enough time for it to cool completely.
To make the compote, add all the compote ingredients to a small saucepan, plus a couple tablespoons of water and cook on low for 15-20 minutes. When the time has elapsed, set aside to cool completely.
Add almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder to a bowl and mix with a whisk until it is incorporated and most of the lumps have been broken up. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, add the egg whites (after they have been brought up to room temperature) to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they begin to get foamy. At this stage add in the cream of tartar, increase the speed to high and add in the granulated white sugar in slowly until stiff peaks form.
With a flat spatula, gently fold in half of the dry almond flour mixture until combined, then add the rest of the dry mixture and fold in until completely incorporated and you can make an “S” pattern with the batter without it breaking. At this stage, stop mixing so that you do not overmix the batter.
Line a cookie sheet with a macaron guide or parchment paper with circles drawn on it. Fill a piping bag fitted with a circle tip with the batter and fill the rounds (about 1-inch).
Gently slam the cookie sheet onto your counter a few times to release any bubbles that may be trapped in the batter. You can also use a toothpick to pop any stubborn bubbles to smooth out the surface.
Let the macarons rest at room temperature for 45 minutes so that a skin forms on the surface.
Preheat your oven to 300°F and move the rack in your oven to the center position. Bake only one sheet of macaron shells at a time for 14 to 16 minutes. Let the shells cool completely on the lined cookie sheet. They will peel off easily when allowed to fully cool.
When the shells have cooled, peel them off the mat, and drizzle chocolate over half of them, created the “tops”. Let the chocolate solidify.
While the chocolate solidifies, make the buttercream frosting. In a medium bowl, add the room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and tablespoon of cherry compote. If you would like it even more pink, add two or three drops of red food coloring but this is not necessary. Beat the ingredients on high speed with a hand mixer until super light and fluffy.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the frosting on the other half of the macaron shells leaving a hole in the center. Fill the hole with the cooled cherry compote, top with a chocolate drizzled shell and you’re done!