Talia Bunting

Gather. Cook. Eat. Repeat.

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Essentials
  • Investing

Celebrating Love with Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

June 5, 2014 by Talia Bunting 7 Comments

Joe took me to the city of love and lights this year (in case you haven’t heard). We had so many romantic moments – walks along the Seine, picnicking under the Eiffel Tower and sitting in local cafes. It was a dream and I wouldn’t trade our time in Paris for anything in the world. While we were there, trying macarons from different patisseries was a favorite pastime. Pierre Herme was the clear winner.

Because it’s our anniversary today, I’m reprising the macarons we had in Paris. My chocolate bourbon macaron recipe won’t hold a candle to Pierre’s magnificent creations, but I’m hoping they’ll be reminiscent of sweet moments for you as they are for me.

Celebrating Three Years Today

Four years ago I was alone crying in my dad’s office because all I wanted was to share my life with someone. Six months later Joe asked me to coffee and three years ago today we said yes to life forever. It has been the best three years of my life. As cliche as it sounds, I don’t know how I got such an amazing man to love me forever. I am blessed.

To celebrate tonight we’re having  few friends over that were at our wedding celebration three years ago. We’ll play corn hole, eat pulled pork with pickled onions, drink some kind of  whiskey lemonade I have yet to come up with and for dessert I’m doing a take on a chocolate macron recipe – Chocolate Bourbon Macarons.

 

chocolate bourbon macarons

*You can tell from this picture that I didn’t rap the macarons properly on all of the cookie sheets, so some of them are lumpy, have pointed tips and a little curvy around the edges. I’ll upload better pictures later after the second batch of cookies.

Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

Macaron Cookie Pre-Assembly

I adapted the recipe from The Sweet Life in Paris – David Lebovitz is the king of all Parisian pastries. He also has one of three blogs I read religiously, and if you like chocolate and haven’t signed up for his blog yet, I recommend you do so immediately.

Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

My Notes on Chocolate Bourbon Macarons

Macarons should not be confused with macaroons. One is made with coconut (macaroon) and one is delicious and not made with coconut. Also, another fabulous thing about macarons is they are gluten free because they are made with almond flour!

Ingredients

Macaron Cookie
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 cup of Almond Flour
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large egg whites
5 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Bourbon Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons of light corn syrup
4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of cold butter (cut into pieces)
2 tablespoons of bourbon
1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In standing mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites into a frenzy until they start to stiffen and hold peaks. Continue to beat and add in granulated sugar. Beat a couple minutes longer.
  2. Mix almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder in separate bowl and working in batches, fold into egg whites. If your almond flour was a little lumpy, the batter may appear gritty. It shouldn’t affect the outcome of the cookie though.
  3. When all trace of white is gone, put into pastry bag with a 1/2 inch tip.
  4. Pipe the batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets into one inch circles. Rap pan firmly against counter to help smooth and flatten out cookie.
  5. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes in oven. Be careful to remove them before they dry out. If they start cracking they are past done, still useable, but past done.  Cool and remove from baking sheet.

Meanwhile…

  1. Heat the cream on medium high heat in a small sauce pan with the corn syrup. When cream begins to boil (make sure to catch it before it gets to a full on boil) remove from heat.
  2. Add in chocolate chips and espresso powder. Let sit for a minute or so and then stir together. While stirring, pour in bourbon. Once smooth, add in butter and stir until melted. Let cool completely before assembling macarons.

Finally…

  1. Take a small amount of the ganache and smear onto cookie, top with another cookie.
  2. For best results let stand one day before eating.

What brings back memories for? How do you like to celebrate?

Filed Under: All Recipes, Desserts

« Cuban Black Beans and Rice — Dinner on the Fly
Summer Solstice: a Whiskey and Lemonade Summer Cocktail for a Crowd »

Comments

  1. Frieda says

    June 6, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Also not to be confused with the macarena.

    Reply
  2. Hope M. says

    June 6, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    those were so delish! (can’t wait to see what your 4th wedding anniversary brings :))

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:13 am

    I could eat the ganache with a spoon! Wait, I DID eat the ganache with a spoon!

    They were superb.

    Reply
  4. Riya says

    December 4, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Hi! An amateur’s question – How many macarons can I make using the quantity of ingredients mentioned in this recipe?:)

    Reply
    • Talia Bunting says

      March 29, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      Hi Riya – prob a couple dozen or so. Just depends on the size you go for!

      Reply
  5. Riya says

    March 3, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    Hi Talia!
    I made these macarons and they were delicious!!! However, if I wanted to make them as vanilla flavor with the chocolate filling, what adjustments should I make?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Summer Solstice: a Whiskey and Lemonade Summer Cocktail for a Crowd says:
    June 9, 2014 at 10:09 am

    […] different cities is the lack of community). When friends came over the other night, we were eating pulled pork with pickled onions and slaw. Since it was barbecue I knew I wanted to do something with […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi! I'm Talia. I like learning. Right now I'm learning about investing and wine. Join along here!

About Talia Bunting >>

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join My Investing Team

Subscribe to be the first to know about my latest investment ideas, what I'm learning, and my journey to becoming an investor.

Categories

Homemade Tomato Soup Using Canned Tomatoes

How to Become an Investor: Day 2 - How do you analyze a stock?

How Do You Analyze a Stock? No really, how?

Atlanta Dining Guide

Atlanta Dining Guide

Archives

Connect

You don't need a culinary degree to make​ ​sophisticated food. I want to​ ​improve your food education.​ Sometimes I travel ​and wear new clothes, and I'll tell you about that, too.
Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
How to Become an Investor: Day 2 - How do you analyze a stock?
Atlanta Dining Guide
Lamb Tacos with Preserved Lemons and Fenugreek Aioli
Five Last Minutes Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Double Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress