Chocolate Pistachio Macarons

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Chocolate pistachio macarons pair pistachio macaron shells with a rich chocolate ganache and pistachio creme mousseline filling. Drizzle the filled macs with extra chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios for a beautiful and delicious cookie.

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Recipe Inspiration

I made these chocolate pistachio macarons almost completely because I had leftover pistachios and pistachio creme mousseline from when I made the pistachio, rose, and strawberry tartlets. Since chocolate and pistachios are a dynamic duo, that was the direction I needed to go in.

I’ve been vibin’ with macarons a lot this year, so I decided to use the pistachios in the mac shells and the creme mousseline as a filling. To keep that filling contained, I opted for a rich chocolate ganache.

Top Tips for Macarons

• Pulse your dry ingredients in a food processor and sift out any large chunks.  
• Whip your meringue to stiff peaks.  It’s best to whip at a medium speed for longer.  Keep an eye on it!
• Fold/ macaronage just until the batter flows like lava.  It is best to slightly under mix if you are in doubt.
• If you don’t have a macaron template yet, grab a free one from the Resource Library so that you pipe evenly sized shells.
• Use a toothpick to smooth any nipples and remove any air bubbles on your piped macarons.
• Bake one pan at a time and adjust the temperature and baking time if necessary.

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Pistachio Macaron Shells

I did not have a ton of pistachios on hand, but it was just enough to add that delicious buttery pistachio flavor to my macaron shells. Fora stronger flavor, you could absolutely swap out more of the almond flour for pistachio flour.

Make sure to process the pistachios on their own in the food processor, then sift out the chunks and just use the fine pistachio flour. Then you can process it again with the rest of the dry ingredients.

Macaron Resources

• 5 Steps to Prep for Perfect Macarons
• All About Meringue: Covering the Basics
• Fun Ways to Fill Macarons
• Macawrong Brownies or 4 Yolk Challah (delicious ways to use up extra yolks)
• Basic Tools You Need to Make Macarons
• Macaron Templates + Macaron Prep Checklist (available to subscribers only)
• Easy Ways to Decorate Macarons

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Pistachio Creme Mousseline

If you’ve never made a creme mousseline before, we basically make a thick custard base, then beat it into some creamy butter. For this variety, there’s also some pistachio paste for flavor and color. It has a very creamy, buttery flavor that works well with pistachio.

I suggest making the custard base a day in advance. This will give it plenty of time to cool down. Bring the custard back to room temperature before adding it into the butter. Leaving it on the counter for thirty minutes to an hour should do it.

Related Reading: Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Ganache

I almost always make my macaron fillings in advance so that I can whip up the shells and fill them with little fuss. After I make the ganache, I chill it in the fridge to set up. When it’s macaron making day, I take the ganache out first thing in the morning.

By the time my macarons are ready to be filled, my ganache is typically soft enough. If it isn’t, you can always pop the ganache in the microwave for 3- 5 seconds, then give it a stir. Ideally, you want it to be the consistency of peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Chocolate pistachio macarons pair the flavors of rich chocolate and buttery pistachios all in one elegant cookie. The pistachio macaron shells are filled with silky chocolate ganache and pistachio creme mousseline.

If you need more guidance on making macarons, you should check out my macaron playlist on the Bakes & Blunders YouTube channel. You’ll find yummy recipes and helpful tips.  Happy Baking!

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Chocolate Pistachio Macarons

Pistachio Macaron shells filled with chocolate ganache and pistachio creme mousseline.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword almond, Chocolate, Cookies, Custard, Ganache, Gluten Free, Macarons, Nuts, Pistachio

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 28 macarons

Calories 124kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Pistachio Creme Mousseline

• 250 g whole milk
• 75 g sugar
• 16 g cornstarch
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 113 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 75 g pistachio paste

Chocolate Ganache

• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• 3 oz heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp corn syrup

Pistachio Macaron Shells

• 115 g powdered sugar
• 100 g almond flour
• 15 g pistachio flour
• 115 g sugar
• 115 g egg whites room temperature
• 3 drops green gel color
• 2 drops yellow gel color
• 1 drop ivory gel color

Toppings

• Melted chocolate
• Crushed pistachios

Instructions

Pistachio Creme Mousseline

• Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a heat proof bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch until well combined. When the milk is nearly at a boil, add the egg and egg yolks to the sugar mixture. Whisk until well combined.
• Pour the hot milk into the sugar and egg mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Once all of the milk has been added and well combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Cook the custard over a medium- low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and it hits 175℉ - 180℉.
• Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla, then press cling wrap onto the surface of the custard. Cool to room temperature, then cover and place in the fridge until set (or overnight).
• Take the set custard out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before continuing the recipe.
• Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on a medium- speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
• Add the custard to the stand mixer and beat until well combined. Scrape the bowl down.
• Add the pistachio paste to the mixture and beat until smooth and well combined. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
• Pour the pistachio creme mousseline into a bowl, cover, and chill until needed.

Chocolate Ganache

• Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the heavy cream on the stove top or in the microwave until steaming.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl for 1- 2 minutes. Then stir until well combined and there are no lumps. If necessary, pop the bowl in the microwave for 5 sec bursts if there are lumps than won't melt.
• Add the corn syrup to the ganache and stir until well combined.
• Press cling wrap onto the surface of the ganache and cool to room temperature. If not using the same, day you can cover and place in the fridge. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature before using.

Pistachio Macaron Shells

• Prepare 2 baking sheets with silicone mats, teflon, or templates and parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a round piping tip. Set aside. Preheat oven to 290°F.
• Pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pistachio flour in a food processor and sift into a bowl. Discard any large chunks. Whisk the dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a clean stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar and the egg whites. Whisk to combine and place bowl over a double boiler. Heat, whisking regularly, until the sugar dissolves, about 90 seconds. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and carefully dry off the bottom.
• Place the bowl in the stand mixer and whisk on a medium speed (KitchenAid 4) until you have stiff peaks, about 10- 15 minutes. Once you reach medium peaks, you can add your gel colors.

  (I like to do 5 minutes on speed 6, check my peaks, then speed 4, but I stop to check the peaks every minute. This method takes me about 6- 10 minutes total.)
• Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and begin folding the ingredients together. Once everything is combined, continue folding until the batter flows slowly like lava.
• Pipe macaron shells onto prepared baking sheets. Let the macarons dry until you can lightly brush the tops with your finger (30 mins for me). Bake for 22- 24 minutes, rotating halfway through. Gently poke shell, if it is firm, remove from the oven to cool. If they wiggle, add another minute or two.
• Let the macaron shells cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Assemble

• Pair up the macaron shells. Fill a piping bag with ganache and a smaller bag with pistachio creme mousseline. Pipe a ring of ganache onto one shell, then fill in the ring with the creme mousseline. Top with the other shell. Repeat with the remaining macaron shells. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.
• Place in an air tight container in the fridge overnight to let them mature. Remove 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

• I was able to pipe 57 shells, which made 28 macarons. You could have a few more or a few less depending on how large you pipe your shells.
• Feel free to sub in more pistachio flour for almond flour for a stronger pistachio flavor.
• Creme mousseline needs to be stored in the fridge and is not safe to be out at room temperature for more than 4 hours.
• This recipe makes way more pistachio creme mousseline than you need. You can store extra in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge before using.