Vanilla Nutella Macarons with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling
This simple macaron recipe is great for beginners and includes an easy yet delicious filling!
This recipe began as a copycat of one of my all-time favorite Disneyland treats – the Baymax Macaron from Lucky Fortune Cookery in Disney California Adventure Park and it turned out so great, I had to repurpose the recipe from my Disneyland blog, Magic & Macarons.
The Baymax Macaron includes a vanilla macaron base filled with both buttercream and chocolate-hazelnut spread. I skip a few of the details you’ll find in the original, including the Baymax decoration on the top and the crushed hazelnuts. I love hazelnuts but they are not make or break here and you still get the hazelnut flavor from the chocolate-hazelnut spread.
If you’ve never made macarons, this is a great place to start because I will break down the step-by-step process here with several photos and I welcome any questions!
For this macaron recipe, we’ll use the French method. French macarons are notoriously finicky but, believe it or not, the process is easier than the Italian method and French macarons are lighter and chewier than Italian macarons. So, although I’m proudly part Italian, if you know me and pretty much any of my cookie recipes, you know I’m team chewy all the way!
Yes, making macarons takes a little time and patience, especially if you’re new to the technique. And, yes, you will probably have a few batches that don’t turn out even after you have some experience making macarons. But yes, it’s still worth it! Homemade macarons are better than anything you can buy in the store and even most bakeries! And, don’t come at me but I think homemade macarons are even better than macarons in France!
The biggest thing to note for a beginner macaron baker is to stick to the program. I love creativity in the kitchen and making a recipe my own and I like to write accessible and easily adaptable recipes but, in this case, there just isn’t a ton of wiggle room in the list of ingredients, tools or process. In fact, you’ll notice that the only time I include a list of equipment on a recipe card is for macarons.
I’ve heard the phrase, “it’s not easy but it’s simple” and I think that is a perfect way to describe making French macarons. Just have patience, have fun, and good luck!
Ingredients to Make Nutella Macarons
- Egg Whites
- Powdered Sugar
- Almond Flour
- White Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Cream of Tartar
- Unsalted Butter, Softened
- Salt
- Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread (Nutella or another favorite brand)
Tools to Make Nutella Macarons
- Kitchen Scale
- Food Processor
- Measuring Spoons
- Silicone Spatula
- Piping Bags
- Piping Tips (I prefer Wilton 2B and Wilton 12)
- Baking Sheets
- Mesh Strainers
- Parchment Paper
- Silicone Macaron Liner or Paper Printout Template
- Toothpicks
All About Ingredients for Nutella Macarons
Egg Whites
Egg white vary in size so it’s important to actually measure the egg whites with a kitchen scale for this recipe. Use the yolks for fresh pasta, homemade pudding or add to a breakfast scramble. Also, older egg whites work best so use the oldest eggs in your fridge and separate the whites from the yolk the day before if possible. Before you start your macarons, let the egg whites come to room temperature.
Powdered Sugar
Use your favorite powdered or confectioner’s sugar here. Some of the more natural or organic options can be lumpier because some do not include cornstarch but I use them just fine in this recipe because the powdered sugar goes into the food processor and through a sieve or metal strainer for the macaron batter and through the strainer for the buttercream.
Almond Flour
Be sure to use almond flour for macarons and not almond meal. Almond meal is too coarse and can result in bumpy macarons. Ideally, try to use blanched almond flour. The almond skins have been removed in blanched almond flour so it works better for light color macaron shells. You can also use fine almond flour but I recommend using the food processor either way so any almond flour will work.
White Sugar
You are welcome to use extra fine granulated sugar in this recipe but I use my regular sugar and still wind up with smooth macaron shells so I say use whatever granulated sugar is in your pantry!
Cream of Tartar
This is an optional ingredient but it can help stabilize egg whites and, therefore, strengthen macaron batter when the weather is humid. I think it’s a great idea if you’re a beginner macaron baker because you can expect the most consistent results (pending you’ve also followed the steps) and you’re less likely to throw in the towel on macaron baking if you find some success! I still add it every time because I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest.
How to Make Nutella Macarons
Separate egg whites from yolks. Ideally, do this the day before and store the egg whites in the fridge. Bring egg whites to room temperature before you start making macarons.
Prepare two baking trays. Flip each baking sheet upside down and bake macarons on what would normally be the bottom of the sheet pan. This allows more air to circulate since humidity is the enemy of French macarons. Line each tray with a silicone mat printed with circles for macarons or a printed macaron template and a layer of parchment paper on top. You can find silicone macaron mats online, or at home stores, big box retailers, and arts and crafts stores. For a paper template, just search online for one to print at home. If you’re using silicone mats, you can skip the parchment paper but I find it so much easier to peel macaron shells from the paper and so much easier to clean if a batch doesn’t turn out. And if you’re using a paper template, you can remove it before baking or just leave it on the tray while baking.
Prepare one large piping bag for macarons. Drop a large round tip (Wilton 1B or similar) into the bottom of the piping bag and use scissors to cut around the middle of the piping tip then simply pull off the tip of plastic. Make sure the piping tip is secure in the bag then twist the bag a few times to block anything from leaking while filling. Set aside.
Place powdered sugar and almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the almond flour mixture is a fine powder. Now sift the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture 3 times through a sieve or metal mesh strainer. I like to do this into a large bowl, then onto a large piece of parchment paper and then back into the large bowl.
Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on medium speed.
When the beaten egg whites start to look foamy, lower the mixer speed and slowly add the granulated white sugar while the mixer is still running. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high.
When the meringue (the egg mixture) turns white, lower the mixer speed and add vanilla extract. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and mix for approximately 6-8 minutes until stiff peaks form. To test this, remove the whisk attachment, swirl it in the bottom of the mixer a few times and turn it over. If you have a glossy peak that sticks straight up, the meringue is ready. Soft peaks will flop over at the top. If this happens, mix for a few more minutes and try again.
When meringue is ready, it’s time to macaronage or to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. The first couple times I did this, I was so nervous to overmix the batter that I actually undermixed and ended up with bumps on my macaron shells. To get a smooth macaron shell, you need to mix enough but to avoid piped batter from spreading, you need to be sure to not overmix. Here are some tips.
Macaronage Tips:
- Add the almond flour mixture in 3 batches.
- Fold the opposite of typical baking recipes. Scrape the side of the bowl then cut through the middle.
- When you lift the spatula a few inches from the batter, you should have a smooth ribbon that holds its shape for a few seconds and the ribbon should not break until the spatula is several inches above the batter.
When the macaron batter is ready, add to the prepared large piping bag. You can use a cup as a stand or just hold the piping bag with your hand.
To pipe macarons, hold the piping bag straight above each circle, not at an angle. Use your bottom hand to guide the piping process and the top hand only to squeeze batter from the bag. Pipe until your template circle is filled (or until your desired size). Stop squeezing the piping bag and flick your wrists to separate the piped macaron from the piping bag without creating a peak.
If piped batter is spreading beyond the circle, you overmixed the batter but they could still turn out! Just leave space between each macaron as you pipe.
Now take each cookie sheet, lift it approximately one foot from the table and drop it. This seems wild but will help flatten out the macaron shells. Don’t worry, this won’t result in flat macarons, it will just help prevent too-round macarons.
Optional: Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles on the tops of the macarons and swirl to smooth out the batter.
Let macarons sit to dry for 20-40 minutes and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Macarons will dry faster on a warm, dry day and slower on a cold, humid day. Macaron shells are dry and ready to bake when you tap the side of a macaron and you don’t feel any wet batter or leave a mark.
Make the buttercream and prepare the chocolate-hazelnut filling while the macarons dry, bake, cool, or all of the above. See filing instructions below.
Bake one tray of macaron shells at a time for 12-14 minutes, rotating trays halfway through. To test doneness, place your finger on the top of one of the macaron shells and wiggle. If the top feels like it wiggles separate from the bottom (or the “feet” of the macaron), keep baking.
Macarons should be done before shells start to brown. If the shells are browning but still wiggling under your finger, your oven temperature is too high. If macarons have baked for the recommended amount of time and the middles look raw or under-baked, they need to bake at a higher temperature. An oven thermometer is a great tool for baking but, honestly, every oven is a bit different so there is some trial and error here.
Let macarons cool on trays and then flip over the parchment paper and peel the parchment off of the macarons rather than peeling the macarons off of the parchment.
Filling
Prepare the remaining two piping bags and fit with Wilton 12 piping tips (or similar). Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the butter. Sift powdered sugar and add in a few batches. When this mixture is smooth, add salt and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high for a few minutes until the buttercream lightens in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Fill one piping bag with buttercream and one with chocolate hazelnut spread. No need to make a Nutella ganache here. Even though chocolate hazelnut spread can be runny, a boarder of buttercream will keep the Nutella in the center of each macaron.
Pair up macarons and flip half of the shells over. Pipe an open circle of buttercream along the outer edge of each of the flipped shells then fill the open circle with chocolate-hazelnut spread. Place the remaining half of the shells on top of the filled shells and gently press and slightly twist to secure the top of the macaron in place.
Nutella Macarons with Nutella & Buttercream Filling
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Separate egg whites from yolks. Ideally, do this the day before and store the egg whites in the fridge. Bring egg whites to room temperature before you start making macarons. *(see note)
- Prepare two baking trays. Flip each baking sheet upside down and bake macarons on what would normally be the bottom of the sheet pan. Line each tray with a silicone macaron mat or paper macaron template and a layer of parchment paper on top. **(see note)
- Prepare one large piping bag for macarons. Drop a large round tip (Wilton 1B or similar) into the bottom of the piping bag and use scissors to cut around the middle of the piping tip then simply pull off the tip of plastic. Make sure the piping tip is secure in the bag then twist the bag a few times to block anything from leaking while filling. Set aside.
- Place powdered sugar and almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the almond flour mixture is a fine powder. Now sift the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture 3 times through a sieve or metal mesh strainer.
- Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on medium speed.
- When the beaten egg whites start to look foamy, lower the mixer speed and slowly add the granulated white sugar while the mixer is still running. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high.
- When the meringue (the egg mixture) turns white, lower the mixer speed and add vanilla extract. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and mix for approximately 6-8 minutes until stiff peaks form. To test this, remove the whisk attachment, swirl it in the bottom of the mixer a few times and turn it over. If you have a glossy peak that sticks straight up, the meringue is ready. Soft peaks will flop over at the top. If this happens, mix for a few more minutes and try again.
- When the meringue is ready, it's time to macaronage: – Add the almond flour mixture to the meringue in 3 batches.– Fold the opposite of typical baking recipes. Scrape the side of the bowl then cut through the middle. Do not over-mix.– When you lift the spatula a few inches from the batter, you should have a smooth ribbon that holds its shape for a few seconds and the ribbon should not break until the spatula is several inches above the batter.
- When the macaron batter is ready, add to the prepared large piping bag.
- To pipe macarons, hold the piping bag straight above each circle, not at an angle. Use your bottom hand to guide the piping process and the top hand only to squeeze batter from the bag. Pipe until your template circle is filled (or until your desired size). Stop squeezing the piping bag and flick your wrists to separate the piped macaron from the piping bag without creating a peak.
- Lift each cookie sheet approximately one foot from the table and drop it three times.
- Optional: Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles on the tops of the macarons and swirl to smooth out the batter.
- Let macarons sit to dry for 20-40 minutes and preheat the oven to 325℉. ***(see note)
- Make the buttercream and prepare the chocolate-hazelnut filling while the macarons dry, bake, and/or cool.
- Bake one tray of macaron shells at a time for 12-14 minutes, rotating trays halfway through.
- To test doneness, place your finger on the top of one of the macaron shells and wiggle. If the top feels like it wiggles separate from the bottom (or the “feet” of the macaron), keep baking. Macarons should be done before shells start to brown.
- Let macarons cool on trays and then flip over the parchment paper and peel the parchment off of the macarons rather than peeling the macarons off of the parchment.
- Prepare the remaining two piping bags and fit with Wilton 12 piping tips (or similar). Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the butter. Sift powdered sugar and add in a few batches. When this mixture is smooth, add salt and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high for a few minutes until the buttercream is fluffy and lightens in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Fill one piping bag with buttercream and one with chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Pair up macarons and flip half of the shells over. Pipe an open circle of buttercream along the outer edge of each of the flipped shells then fill the open circle with chocolate-hazelnut spread. Place the remaining half of the shells on top of the filled shells and gently press and twist very slightly to secure the top of the macaron in place.
