How to make cocoa nib macarons: An experiment. In progress.

cocoa nib macaron with a peanut butter ganache

Yes it’s true, I am becoming a little braver. After cracking the secret to nearly no-fail macarons (thanks to Stella, aka The Brave Tart), I branched out with some peanut shells last month.  I wasn’t able to master the 100% peanut shell and ended up using some almond flour as well but I was pretty happy with the results.  Then a couple of weeks ago, I received a message from my friend Shulie at Food Wanderings, wondering if I might like to try my hand at some tree nut-free macarons.  There’s an allergy in her family to tree-nuts (I had to look this up…) and she’s on the hunt for macaron recipes sans almonds. Ok then. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I retrieved my giant bag of cocoa nibs and got to work. And finally a number of batches later, I managed to produce some semblance of macaron

But don’t be fooled – for the complete story, head on over to Shulie’s to read how these just about did my head in…

And even though these are not “fruit” themed, I am submitting them to this month’s Mactweets because you know, the cocoa pod IS the fruit of the cocoa bean tree, right?

*Don’t forget to enter my Peko Peko Charity Cookbook giveaway! Details here.

59 thoughts on “How to make cocoa nib macarons: An experiment. In progress.”

  1. Good Morning Mardi, Thanks for going on the tree nut free macaron journey and being my fab guest! Your cocoa nib macarons are spectacular I wish I could have some!! Loved the entertaining way you documented your tireless work in all stages! & yeah def a fruit! 🙂

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  2. Ah, Shulie asks me this too and I have to read what you did! It is kind of scary. But I love these cocoa peanut shells and is that peanut butter filling? Wow delicious! And Mardi your shells are perfect!

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  3. Alas, a great experiment but a substandard result, it has to be said. Outer shell cracks and crumbles in a most disappointing fashion; the ganache is nice, though.

    But let’s be clear: my macaron expecations are mighty high, after the 93 batches our home has had to endure these last two years. 😉

    Wash this down – and you’ll need to – with a nice dessert wine. Personally, I’d veer slightly off the norm and go for an Olorosso Sherry with this – ever-so-slightly chilled.

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  4. I am always looking for ways to use cacao nibs, and this sounds perfect! Your macaroons are lovely, and they sound like they taste even better!

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  5. Saw your post over at Shulie’s blog and got excited to see “cocoa nibs” in the recipe because I have a BIG packet I got from BlogHer Food 🙂
    Only wish I was an expert at making macarons!

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  6. As someone who tried these cocoa nib macarons at Mardi’s, I have to admit that while it looks like a macarons, as Mr. Neil says, it doesn’t taste like one. It is very chocolatey and the peanut butter ganache is decadent (2 wonderful things), but it’s tough to overlook the fact that you either have to pop the whole thing in your mouth or have to deal with your spare hand under your mouth to catch the broken pieces as you bite into it.

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    • Geez, thanks for the votes of confidence, guys 😉 If you go to Shulie’s blog and read the entire story, you will see that I have not called these proper French macarons at all. And they are, indeed, a work in progress. The sugar and sweetness in the nibs will always make them a little crunchier than a regular macaron and in fact you guys were eating them quite a number of days after they had been made when they are not at their prime. Oh well, at least the flavour was there, right?

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  7. Mardi, these may not be the ‘perfect’ French macarons, but your photos are amazing! It seems like you and your camera have reached a new level of comfort with each other, and it shows in your photos 🙂

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  8. Your macarons look so pretty! I’ve tried making them once and my kitchen ended up in a mess. I’ve been wanting to try again but I’m not looking forward to cleaning up. lol

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  9. Gorgeous Mardi…just ever so gorgeous. Shulies inspired to to try my hand at some too, and I did fnd some success. Yet to post though. Love how beautifully yours have turned out. Thanks for joining us at MacTweets!

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  10. Yeah, why can’t cocoa count as fruit for this month’s MacTweets theme? 😉 Interesting to learn about your experiment. They do look like the regular almond macarons. And I bet they are just as yummy.

    Reply

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