Chocolate Espresso Vegan Macarons

  Chocolate Espresso Vegan Macarons Recipe

Chocolate, Coffee, and Macarons. These are three of my favourite things, so it only made sense that I would come up with a batch of these Chocolate Espresso Macarons at some point. These delicious little desserts are perfect for afternoon tea, or just for a fancy little dessert to treat yourself (with plenty left over to share with family and friends!) Visit my recipe for Lemon Vegan Macarons for more information and for help troubleshooting your macarons – these little sandwich cookies can be finicky little things, but once you get the hang of it, making macarons is so much fun, and definitely worth the practice!

The Home Baked Vegan’s Chocolate Espresso Vegan Macarons are:

Dairy-free
Egg-free (I make these macarons with aquafaba – the liquid from canned chickpeas – instead of egg whites)
Gluten-Free

Here is the recipe for The Home Baked Vegan’s Chocolate Espresso Vegan Macarons:

Ingredients:
Macaron Shells:
3/4 Cup Aquafaba
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Almond Flour, finely ground
3/4 Cup Icing Sugar
Filling: 
1/2 Cup Vegan Butter 
2 Cups Icing Sugar 
1 Tbsp Boiling Water
1 1/2 tsp Instant Coffee
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Method:
Prepare the Macaron Shells:
Preheat the oven to 235’F
Sift together the almond flour & icing sugar. Set aside. 
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the aquafaba on high. 
Add the cream of tartar when the aquafaba starts to get frothy.
Once the aquafaba reaches soft peaks, add the vanilla extract.
When the meringue reaches stiff peaks, continue whisking on high, and slowly add the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form and all the sugar is incorporated. 
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and sift the almond flour/icing sugar onto the meringue.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together until combined and the batter resembles the consistency of pancake batter (the batter should flow off the spatula in a consistency that looks like ribbons when it’s lifted away from the bowl).
Using a piping bag, pipe the batter into 1″ – 1 1/2” circles, equally spaced out on a silicone lined baking sheet. 
Let the baking sheet sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, and pop any visible air bubbles with a toothpick. 
Bake at 235’ for 30 minutes. Once the macarons are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the macaron shells in the oven with the oven door closed for 20 minutes. 
Remove the shells from the oven after 20 minutes, and let cool at room temperature. 
While the cookies cool, prepare the buttercream icing:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the boiling water and instant coffee.

Add the vegan butter and icing sugar, and use an electric mixer to whip together until creamy.

Remove half of the frosting, and set aside in a piping bag.

In a small bowl, melt together chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave, heating it in 20 second increments. 

Add the melted chocolate into the remaining buttercream, and mix until uniform in color.

Use a piping bag to pipe the espresso frosting in circles onto half of the cookies. Fill the circles with the chocolate espresso frosting, then sandwich them together with the remaining cookies.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!