Here is a show stopping chocolate and orange macaron recipe. These macarons fuse French sophistication with the zestiness of the classic British flavour pairings.
Originating in 8th-century Italy, macarons found their way to France in 1533, evolving from “priest’s bellybuttons” to the exquisite almond meringue discs we adore today. During the French Revolution, Carmelite nuns in Nancy elevated macarons to fame, and by the 1930s, they became a symbol of French pastry-making.
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Recipe Card
Chocolate & orange macarons
Here is a show stopping chocolate and orange macaron recipe. A delicious French twist on a British classic.
Servings: 12 People
Ingredients
- 125 g ground almonds
- 250 g icing sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 8 g sachet dried egg white powder
- 25 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp dark cocoa powder
- 1 small orange zest finely grated
- Orange gel food colouring
For the filling
- 4 tbsp Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
- 2 tbsp Bonne Maman
- Bitter Orange Marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°c (fan oven 170°c), gas mark 5. Line 2-3 baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.
- Place the ground almonds and icing sugar together in the bowl of a food processor or blender and whizz together for about 5 seconds.
- Put the egg whites and dried egg white powder into a large, clean bowl and whisk together until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar until the mixture is very thick and shiny.
- With a large metal spoon, quickly fold the almond and icing sugar into the meringue until evenly blended.
- Divide the mixture into two. Fold the cocoa powder into one half. Fold the orange zest and a drop of the gel food colouring into the other half.
- Using one flavour at a time, spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ inch) nozzle. Pipe rounds about 3.5 cm (1 ½ inch) in diameter onto the lined baking sheets, leaving the same amount of space between each one. You should get at least 15 rounds with each flavour. Set them aside for 15 minutes to allow the macarons to form a crust on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes or until the base has set. Then, using a palette knife, gently ease the macarons off the paper and flip them over to bake the underside. Bake for a further 5 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Spread the chocolate macarons with the Hazelnut Chocolate Spread. Spread the orange macarons with the marmalade and sandwich the two together. Eat within 2 hours.
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