Mint Shamrock Macaron with Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache—For St. Patrick’s Day

Obviously, I’m not Irish.  I’ve never been so excited about St. Patrick’s Day, until this year, really!  Why am I so excited?  Food, of course.  I created these Mint Shamrock Macarons with Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache and couldn’t wait to share them with you.  I know, shaped macarons are not new, if you remember these or these from a while ago.  But it’s the flavor and how fun these are that won me over.



Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on the 17th of March, the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death.  This day is supposed to commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  Why the Shamrock always associated with St. Patrick’s Day, you might ask?  Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. That was why. 



Are you still with me?  Okay, just checking.  I’m known to be amongst the first few who always falls asleep the fastest in History classes.  So, just want to make sure I didn't lose you with the last paragraph.  Let’s move on to the fun stuff.  How about we talk more on food, recipe and how-to’s instead?  Yeah? Come take a closer look on the shamrock macaron below.



If you've made macarons before, you know the macaron batter is filled into a pastry bag and piped onto baking sheets before going into the oven.  So, I'm sorry to tell you that there’s no cookie cutter you can use to make these shamrock macarons.  However, don’t be despaired, they are pretty easy to pipe.   Basically, they are a combination of 3 mini heart shapes and a trapezoid as shown in the picture below.  After piping numerous heart shaped macarons for the Valentine’s Day, I probably can pipe a heart shape macaron blind-folded (nah…I wished!)  So, these are not hard to do at all, just need a few practice and you’ll be all fine.



Here’s how they look before going into the oven.



With these macarons, I added about 10 fresh mint leaves and grind them all up along with the almonds and powdered sugar to make the shells.



The scent of fresh mint is amazing. 



Along with the Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache filling, these shamrock macarons are so refreshing and totally rock!  (Hey, that rhymes.)  They totally reminded me of the thin mint Girl Scout Cookies and the After Eight Chocolate Thin Mints, if you have tried those before.  Amazing stuffs.



I say, they are even better than a pot of gold!  Just sayin’!



If you’re looking for a fun and festive treat to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, give these Mint Shamrock Macaron with Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache a try.  I know you’re going to love them!

I found this at my local craft store, or click here to see a similar product online.

Last but not least, may each petal of the 4 leaf clover (Wait! Why 4 and not 3?  I’m totally returning this dish!) bring you good health, good luck, love, and happiness!  Thank you for reading and I hope you’ll enjoy today’s recipe.  Until next time….









Mint Shamrock Macaron with Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache:
Makes: 22 to 24 filled macarons
(Printable Recipe)

For the macaron shells:90 grams egg whites (about 3) preferably aged 3-5 days in the fridge
pinch of kosher salt
30 grams granulated sugar
200 grams powdered sugar
110 grams almonds
10  fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
A pinch of green powdered/gel food coloring (optional)

Prepare the macarons:
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt on high, gradually add the sugar until stiff peak forms. Place the almonds, powdered sugar, mint leaves and food coloring (if using) in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue.

Fold the mixtures carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. The entire process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate; if the tops flatten on its own, the batter is ready. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple more turns.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain round tip with the batter and pipe batter in 3 small heart shapes and a trapezoid as shown in the picture (around 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets.

Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, depending on their size.  Rotating the baking pans once half way through baking.


For the Dark Chocolate Mint Ganache:

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon mint extract

Place chocolate in a heat proofed bowl.  In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream until simmer.  Pour hot cream into the bowl of chocolate and stir until smooth and shinny then stir in mint extract.  Let cool slightly before use.

To Assemble:

With a small teaspoon, fill 1 macaron shell with a teaspoon of cooled dark chocolate mint ganache and top with another shell.  Fill the rest of the macaron shells.  Place filled macarons in room temperature until chocolate ganache completely harden.