Chocolate Pig Macarons (French Method)
Cute, easy pig macarons filled with a smooth chocolate ganache! This design is very easy for beginner character macaron bakers, since the shells are plain circles. Post-bake, the piggies are decorated with dyed white chocolate and edible markers!
Ingredients
For the French macaron shells:
- 50 g egg whites, room temperature
- 40 g granulated sugar
- 60 g almond flour, sifted
- 45 g powdered sugar, sifted
- gel food coloring (pink)
For the chocolate ganache:
- 50 g milk chocolate
- 50 g heavy cream
- pinch of salt
For the decorations:
- 1 tbsp melted white chocolate
- oil-based food coloring, see steps (pink)
- edible markers (black, pink)
Instructions
Preparation:
- Put printed macaron templates on baking trays. Place silicone baking mats or parchment paper on top of templates.
- Set up one large piping bag with a medium round tip. If you do not have a round tip, you can just snip the end of the bag before piping.
For the French macaron shells:
- In a medium bowl, mix the sifted almond flour and powdered sugar.
- Pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Set up a stopwatch to time how long to whip the meringue. (These times are listed to help beginner macaron makers. With practice, you can go by eye.)0:00 - 4:00 minutes: Add your pink food coloring. Mix on medium-low for 4 minutes (Kitchenaid speed 4).4:00 - 9:30 minutes: Turn the mixer to medium speed (Kitchenaid speed 6). Add a third of the granulated sugar. After 30 seconds, add another third. After another 30 seconds, add the last of the granulated sugar. Keep mixing at medium speed until you have reached a total of 9:30 minutes. The meringue should be balled up onto the whisk, very thick, glossy, and have stiff peaks. If not, keep mixing at 30-second intervals at Kitchenaid speed 8 until it is.
- Add all of the powdered sugar, almond flour to the meringue. Gently fold the macaron batter, often scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue folding, adding more pink food coloring as needed
- Fold the batter until it reaches a thick, glossy consistency and flows off the rubber spatula into ribbons. To test if it is ready, allow the batter to flow off the spatula and into the batter. If the ribbons do not melt into the rest of the batter after 30 seconds, continue folding. Be careful not to over mix. When it passes this test, transfer the batter to your piping bag.
- Pipe round shells onto your silicone mats/parchment paper, using the round macaron template as a guide. Tap the trays against the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles. If there are bubbles on the surface, you can use a toothpick or cookie scribe to pop them. Popping the air bubbles helps stop them from cracking when being baked. Remove the templates.
- Allow the macarons to sit out at room temperature to dry for at least one hour. They will be ready to bake once the surface of the macaron is matte and dry to the touch. If it is a really humid day, it can sometimes take 2 hours for them to dry.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Place an empty baking sheet upside-down on the middle rack.
- Place the baking sheet with the macarons on top of the upside-down baking sheet. The upside-down sheet will help the macarons bake more evenly, decreasing the chances of cracking. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway through. To test if they are done baking, gently push the side of one shell. If it wiggles on the sheet, they need to be baked longer.
- Remove the macarons and place them on a wire rack. Bake any remaining macaron shells.
- Allow macarons to fully cool before peeling them off the parchment paper or silicone mats.
For the ganache:
- Add milk chocolate, salt, and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave for 45 seconds, then mix. If the chocolate is not fully melted, microwave at 10-second intervals and mix until it is smooth.
- Place bowl into the fridge and stir it every 10 minutes until the ganache is thick enough to pipe, about 30-45 minutes. Transfer ganache to a piping bag.
Assembly:
- Match the macaron shells, lining up each pair on your work surface.
- Add oil-based food coloring to your melted white chocolate for the snout + ears. If you don't have oil-based coloring, your chocolate will seize and become lumpy. To counter this, add in a tsp of neutral oil (canola, vegetable), and mix until it comes back together.Use a toothpick, cookie scribe, or piping bag to add the nose and ears.
- Use edible food markers to draw on the eyes, nostrils, and blush.
- Pipe a dollop of the chocolate ganache on the bottom shell, then add the matching shell on top.
- Leave macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating. This allows them to mature, making them softer, chewier, and more flavorful. Eat at room temperature.
Notes
Store the macarons in an airtight container. They can last in the fridge for up to 5 days,. You can also freeze them for up to one month! Eat at room temperature.
This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.
Did you try this recipe?Let us know how it was!