Chocolate Raspberry Macarons

Fall in love with these heart-shaped macarons filled with dairy-free chocolate ganache and raspberry jam. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion you want to say “I made those!” and, of course, “I <3 you!”

1. The day before you make the macarons, separate the egg whites and place them in an airtight container in the fridge.

2. On baking day, bring the egg whites to room temperature (by leaving them on the counter for 30 minutes).

3. Weigh out and sift your almond flour and powdered sugar. (Do not skip this step!) Whisk them together in a large bowl. Set aside. 

4. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk. When the egg whites become shiny and smooth, add the cane sugar one tbsp at a time to make a meringue. Add in the food coloring with a toothpick when you’ve achieved soft peaks and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. 

5. Using a rubber spatula, fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue. Fold gently but make sure the flour is well incorporated into the meringue. When ready, the batter should flow continuously off your spatula long enough for you to draw a figure 8 with it in the bowl. 

6. Fill the batter into a large piping bag with a round tip and pipe the shells onto a tray lined with parchment paper. If you’d like to make heart shaped macarons, place a template beneath the parchment or silpat and use it as a guide. When finished, tap the tray into the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Set the tray aside for 45 minutes to an hour for the macarons to “dry.” They should lose their shine and feel dry to the touch when ready.

7. Preheat the oven to 300F and remove the heart templates from beneath the parchment paper. Bake one tray at a time for 15-20 minutes. Rotate the tray every 5 minutes to ensure an even bake. The shells are ready when they are solid (not jiggly) to the touch.

8. In the meantime, make the ganache part of the filling. Melt the chocolate and coconut cream—use as much of the solid part at the top of the can as possible—in a small saucepan over medium-low. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk to combine, turn off the heat and transfer the ganache to a bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge for the mixture to set. If it hasn’t set in 30 minutes, stir in more melted chocolate and chill again until it firms up. 

9. When the shells have cooled, fill the ganache into a small piping bag and use a small piping tip to pipe a heart around the inner border of the shell. Fill the center with raspberry jam, then sandwich the macaron using another shell. Repeat until they are all assembled!