Chocolate Bourbon Macaron
Prep. Time:
45 minutes
Baking Time:
14-16 minutes per tray
Total Time:
3-4 hours active (plus 12-24 hours maturing)
Serves:
24 macarons (48 shells)
Zach and Michelle created this dish for MasterChef ™ Season 15. Gordon Ramsay praised the shells as exceptional with top-notch consistency, while Joe Bastianich noted good crunch and nice chew in the middle. The filling has been intensified with 70-75% dark chocolate, generous bourbon, and Joe's suggested bitter lemon zest for brightness and depth.
Chef’s Notes: Addressing the Judges
The “More Opinion” Problem
Joe Bastianich’s critique is one of the most useful in this collection because he didn’t just identify a problem - he prescribed the solution. He wanted “rich dark chocolate, bourbon, some bitter lemon, even some like lemon rind.” This recipe incorporates all of those suggestions. The key insight is that macaron fillings need to punch above their weight because the almond shell is sweet and relatively neutral. A ganache that tastes bold on its own will taste merely adequate inside a macaron. So this recipe pushes every flavour harder than you might expect: 70–75% chocolate (not 50–60%), a full 2 tablespoons of bourbon (not a teaspoon), lemon zest for Joe’s suggested “bitter lemon” brightness, espresso to deepen the chocolate, and salt to amplify everything. The result is a filling with genuine “opinion.”
The Crunchiness Issue
Tiffany noted the chocolate macaron was “a little crunchy.” This could stem from two sources: the shell being slightly overbaked (the cocoa powder makes chocolate shells more prone to drying out than plain shells), or the ganache not being properly emulsified/too firm. This recipe addresses both: bake time is calibrated to the lower end (14 minutes to start, checking at 16), and the ganache includes butter for creaminess and is chilled only to pipeable consistency, not hardness. The 24-hour maturation also helps enormously - it creates the moisture exchange between filling and shell that gives macarons their ideal texture.
Why Macarons Are MasterChef’s Most Feared Challenge
The judges opened this episode by reflecting on how many contestants across seasons have been destroyed by macarons. The reason is that every variable matters simultaneously: egg white age and temperature, meringue stiffness, fold count, resting time, oven temperature, humidity. A perfect macaron requires getting all of these right at once. That Zach and Michelle produced shells good enough for Gordon to call “exceptional” in a 90-minute competition (while also making a second lemon lavender flavour and building a tower) shows genuine skill. Their only weakness was in the area that’s easiest to fix: making the filling bolder.
The Dynamic Duo Dynamic
Macarons are actually an ideal duo challenge because the workload divides naturally: one person can handle the shells while the other makes the filling. Zach and Michelle’s four-year marriage and kitchen coordination - evident from the very first episode - likely helped them produce consistent results under pressure. Michelle’s own comment about the bourbon macaron (“the bourbon one’s for us”) suggests it reflected their personal taste, making Joe’s feedback that it needed more boldness all the more poignant: sometimes the flavours we love at home need amplifying to register on a competition stage.
Troubleshooting Guide
• Shells have peaks that don’t settle: Under-folded. Continue macaronage until the batter flows in ribbons and a figure-eight slowly dissolves. Tap the tray more firmly to help settle any remaining peaks.
• Shells are flat with no feet: Over-folded, deflating too much meringue. The batter should still have body - if it pours freely like pancake batter, it’s gone too far. Also check that shells dried sufficiently before baking (30–60 minutes until not tacky).
• Shells are cracked on top: Either the oven was too hot (reduce by 10°F/5°C), the shells didn’t dry long enough to form a skin, or there were unpopped air bubbles. Tap trays firmly and pop visible bubbles with a toothpick.
• Shells stick to the mat: Underbaked. Return to the oven for 1–2 minutes. Silicone mats release better than parchment for macarons. If using parchment, pipe a little water under the parchment after baking and let steam for 30 seconds to release.
• Ganache is grainy or split: The cream was too hot or the chocolate wasn’t chopped finely enough. Rescue by adding a tablespoon of warm cream and whisking vigorously, or blitz briefly with an immersion blender. The butter must be at room temperature - cold butter causes splitting.
• Ganache is too soft to pipe: Needs more chilling time. Refrigerate in 10-minute intervals, stirring each time, until it holds its shape. Don’t over-chill or it becomes too firm (Tiffany’s “crunchy” note may have been ganache that set too hard).
• Macarons taste flat despite recipe quantities: Joe’s core observation: sweet shells dilute filling flavour. Increase bourbon to 3 tablespoons, use 80% chocolate, or add more lemon zest. Also ensure the maturation time (12–24 hours) is observed - flavours meld and intensify overnight.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
• Unfilled shells: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to
3 months. Layer with parchment between rows.
• Ganache: Make up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature and stir until pipeable before filling.
• Assembled macarons: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They actually improve over the first 24–48 hours as the shells absorb moisture from the filling.
• Frozen assembled macarons: Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving.
• Tower assembly: If building a tower for presentation, assemble no more than 2 hours before serving. Use a cone-shaped styrofoam or cardboard form and attach macarons with small dots of ganache or royal icing.
Variations & Substitutions
• Zach & Michelle’s Lemon Lavender companion: For their second flavour, omit cocoa from the shells, add 1 tsp dried culinary lavender (ground fine) to the dry mix. Fill with lemon curd lightened with mascarpone. A beautiful pairing served alongside the bourbon chocolate.
• Bourbon alternatives: Rye whiskey works beautifully for a spicier edge. Dark rum creates a deeper, molasses-like warmth. Brandy or cognac for French elegance. For alcohol-free, use 1 tsp bourbon extract plus 2 tbsp cream.
• Milk chocolate version: Use milk chocolate (40%) if you prefer sweetness, but increase bourbon to 3 tbsp to compensate for the reduced cocoa intensity. Joe would likely still want “more opinion” with milk chocolate.
• Salted bourbon caramel filling: Replace the ganache with a bourbon-spiked salted caramel buttercream for an American twist.
• Mexican chocolate: Add 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to the ganache for a warming, spicy-chocolate-bourbon combination.
• Joe’s dream version: Follow this recipe exactly but add a thin disc of candied lemon peel inside each macaron on top of the ganache. This delivers the “bitter lemon” and “lemon rind” flavour he specifically requested as the finishing touch.
Ingredients
Instructions
PREPARE THE DRY INGREDIENTS:
1. Weigh almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder precisely. Combine in a food processor and pulse 10-15 times to create a very fine, homogeneous mixture.
2. Sift through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding any large almond pieces that don't pass through. Set aside.
MAKE THE MERINGUE:
3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until foamy, then increase to medium-high.
4. Add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream while whisking. Continue whipping until you reach stiff, glossy peaks that hold their shape firmly when the whisk is lifted. This takes 5-8 minutes.
5. Add a tiny drop of brown gel food colouring if desired for a deeper chocolate colour.
MACARONAGE:
6. Add all sifted dry ingredients to the meringue at once. Using a flexible spatula, fold firmly, pressing the batter against the side of the bowl, scraping up from the bottom, and folding over.
7. Continue folding until the batter flows off the spatula in a thick, lava-like ribbon and a figure-eight drawn with the batter holds its shape for about 10 seconds before slowly sinking back. Typically 40-60 deliberate folds are needed, but trust the visual cues over counting.
PIPE THE SHELLS:
8. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (1 cm) round tip. Pipe circles approximately 1.5 inches (3.5 cm) in diameter onto lined baking trays, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each.
9. Tap each tray firmly against the counter 3-4 times to release air bubbles. Pop any visible surface bubbles with a toothpick.
10. Let piped shells rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until they develop a dry skin that does not stick to your finger when lightly touched.
BAKE THE SHELLS:
11. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Bake one tray at a time in the centre of the oven for 14-16 minutes.
12. Shells are done when they feel firm on top and don't wobble on their feet when gently nudged. A shell should lift cleanly from the mat without sticking. Cool completely on trays before removing.
MAKE THE INTENSIFIED DARK CHOCOLATE BOURBON GANACHE:
13. Place finely chopped dark chocolate, espresso powder, lemon zest, and sea salt in a heatproof bowl.
14. Heat cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer with small bubbles around the edges. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.
15. Stir gently from the centre outward in small circles until completely smooth and glossy. Add softened butter and stir until incorporated. Add bourbon and stir until combined.
16. Let ganache cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30-45 minutes until it reaches a thick, pipeable consistency.
FILL AND ASSEMBLE:
17. Match shells into pairs of similar size. Transfer ganache to a piping bag and pipe a generous mound onto the flat side of one shell from each pair, leaving a small border.
18. Gently press the second shell on top until the filling just reaches the edges. The filling should be visible as a thick layer between the shells.
MATURE THE MACARONS:
19. Place assembled macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, ideally 24 hours. This maturation creates the signature chewy centre while the outside stays crisp.
20. Bring to room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving for the best flavour and texture.
