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These masala chai macarons made with a white chocolate chai ganache infused with black tea and warm spices for just the right kick of spice.
As the weather gets colder, I find myself reaching for a warm cup of tea. My favorite combination is orange pekoe tea, with a splash of milk and a few sprinkles of cinnamon and cardamom.
Of course this is a shortcut way of making masala chai.
If you find yourself ordering a chai latte this time of year, these masala chai macarons are perfect for you!
What is Masala Chai?
Traditionally, masala chai is made by boiling tea and spices in milk (and water). Every family has their own masala chai recipe. Typically you’ll find cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Sometimes ginger, fennel, or a host of other spices.
Masala chai is a warm and delicious drink enjoyed all year round. It is one of my favorite drinks especially as the weather gets colder!
So of course, I had to find a way to make macarons that taste like masala chai.
How to make Masala Chai Macarons?
These masala chai macarons taste like your chai or tea latte have been infused into the macarons! They have balanced taste – sweet because of the white chocolate, and the tea spices add just the right kick to these chai latte macarons.
STEP #1: Macaron Shells
This recipe uses my basic macaron recipe that I’ve used in many other recipes like these Ras Malai Macarons, and these White Chocolate Peppermint macarons.
Combine the dry ingredients:
Start by sifting the almond flour and icing/powdered sugar together a few times to remove clumps. It helps with making sure that the final shells are as smooth as possible.
Make the meringue:
Next, make the meringue, by beating of egg whites, granulated sugar, and a pinch of cream of tartar.
Macronage:
This is the step where the dry ingredients are folded into the meringue. Stop folding when the batter flows off the spatula in a ribbon.
Pipe the macarons:
Next, pipe the macarons onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat with the macaron template on it.
For these macarons, I sprinkled some ground cinnamon on top.
Rest:
Once the macarons have been piped, they need to rest for at least 30 minutes, until the tops are no longer tacky.
Bake:
Bake the macarons. For my oven, after a lot of testing, I now bake macarons at 300ºF for 12 minutes. Using an oven thermometer is extremely helpful when experimenting with your oven!
STEP #2: Make the Masala Chai White Chocolate Ganache
Infuse the cream:
First, infuse the cream with tea and spices.
Use your favorite brand of black tea. I use Orange Pekoe Tea by Tetley, here in Canada.
For the spices I used cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger. Use your favorite combination, or remove any spices you don’t like.
Masala Chai Ganache:
Once the cream has been infused, then reheat the cream until it is hot enough to melt the white chocolate.
I use a ratio of 3:1 for white chocolate ganache- 3 parts white chocolate for 1 part cream (by weight).
Make the masala chai ganache by combining hot heavy cream with the chopped white chocolate. Keep mixing until it comes together, it might take a little while.
Make sure to use white chocolate, not chocolate chips, as they are not meant to melt the same way.
Cool the Masala Chai Ganache:
Make sure to allow the ganache to cool completely! It should be quite firm to use as a filling. If it is still warm, it’ll start to slide off the macarons.
STEP #3: Fill and Mature the Macarons
Whip the Masala Chai White Chocolate Ganache:
Once the ganache is firm, whip it using a hand mixer until it is light and fluffy. Then transfer to a ziploc bag or piping bag to fill the macarons.
Fill the macaron shells
Fill half the cookies with about a teaspoon of the whipped ganache for each macaron.
Tips for Masala Chai Macarons
Macaron Shells
- Make sure to weigh the ingredients with a scale. This is the scale I have, and it has really helped me perfect my macaron process!
- For smoother shells, sift the almond flour, and icing sugar, multiple times to ensure there are no clumps.
- Rest the piped macaron shells till the top is no longer tacky. That’s when they’re ready to bake.
- Make sure to cool the macaron shells completely before filling them.
- If you need more tips on making the macaron shells, check out my in-depth post on tips to make the perfect macarons.
For the Masala Chai White Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- Combine the heavy cream into the chocolate when the heavy cream is hot.
- Cool the ganache completely, in the fridge, for at least two hours for it to firm up and be used as a filling, if not, the filling will slide off the macarons.
Decorating and Filling:
- When decorating the macarons, if working with melted chocolate, make sure to use the chocolate while still melted. Once you have finished decorating, make sure to allow enough time for the chocolate to set completely.
- Let the macarons mature for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible for the best flavor.
If you need more tips, make sure to check out my video for the full process!
Follow me on Instagram @sprinklesandscribbles for more baking inspiration!
Ready to make some Masala Chai Macarons?
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Masala Chai Ganache
Ingredients
Macaron recipe
- 100 g egg whites
- 135 g almond flour
- 125 g icing sugar
- 88 g granulated sugar
- Pinch cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon optional for sprinkling
Filling
- 2/3 cup white chocolate 100 grams
- 1/4 cup heavy cream 30 grams
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
- 1 bag black tea
Instructions
Macaron shells
- Pre-heat oven to 300°F
- Separate the eggs from the egg whites (if using fresh eggs). Measure out 100 g (about 3 large eggs).
- In a separate bowl, sift the icing sugar and almond flour together
- Repeat the sifting process to ensure there are no clumps. If there are any clumps, discard them.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and a pinch cream of tartar. Beat on high until foamy.
- Once the egg whites are foamy, turn the mixer down to the lowest setting possible, and slowly add in the granulated sugar. Be sure to incorporate all the sugar into the egg whites.
- Turn up the mixer again on high, and keep beating egg whites until peaks form. DO NOT OVER BEAT.
- Once done, pour all the almond flour and icing sugar mixture into the egg whites.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the egg whites, until the paste flows like a ribbon.
- Fit a pastry bag with a #12 round tip, if using, and trim the bottom as appropriate.
- Pour batter into the bag
- Pipe circles onto the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 50-60 circles in total depending on the size of your macarons.
- Once piped, rap the sheet on the counter to release all the air bubbles.
- Sprinkle the tops with ground cinnamon
- Rest for 30 minutes, until the shells have formed a skin, and are no longer tacky to the touch.
- Bake in the oven, at 300°F for 12-13 minutes, until shells no longer wiggle from their feet.
- Cool the shells in the tray.
Masala Chai Ganache Filling
- In the meantime, make the ganache filling.
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until warm.
- Infuse the cream: Add 1 black tea bag, and the ground spices to the cream.
- Set aside for at least 10minutes, remove the tea bag, and strain spices.
- Reheat the cream for 1 minute in the microwave, until hot.
- Whisk the cream into in the white chocolate until melted and smooth
- Store in the fridge to cool/harden a little for about 2 hours
- Whip the ganache to make it light and fluffy.
Assembly
- Remove the cooled macaron shells from the baking tray and pair similar sized shells together to form the cookie sandwiches.
- Add in about a teaspoon of masala chai ganache.
- Carefully sandwich the cookie with its pair.
- Once all the cookies are assembled, store the macarons in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
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