Macarons

Macaron shells can be flavored with many different foods including extracts, dried foods, herbs, and spices. We’ll show you how much to add of each food to flavor your macaron shells.

Extract

Extract can be added to your initial egg whites, before adding your almond flour and icing sugar.

The extract is a liquid ingredient, therefore it will emulsify better with the egg whites.

You can add 1/4 tsp to flavor your macaron shells with extract.

Coffee

Coffee is a dry ingredient, therefore you can add it with your almond flour and mix well prior to adding it to your egg whites.

You can add up to 1 tbsp of coffee grounds to your macaron batter to flavor your macaron shells.

Tea

Tea needs to be emptied out of the tea bag and placed into a mortar and pestle.

Grind up the tea. You don’t need to grind it until it forms a powder.

You still want to be able to see the tea leaves.

By grinding up the tea, this will release the aromatic flavors of the tea into the macaron shells.

You can place the tea into your batter with the almond flour and icing sugar.

This way, it will be evenly distributed in your macaron shells.

You can add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp of ground up tea to your macaron shells.

Cookie Crumbs

Cookie crumbs are a dry ingredient, therefore you can add it with your almond flour and mix well prior to adding it to your egg whites.

You can add up to 1 tbsp of cookie crumbs to your macaron batter to flavor your macaron shells.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder is a dry ingredient, so you can add it in with your almond flour.

Depending on how chocolatey you want your macaron shells, you can add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp of cocoa powder. A little goes a long way.

Nuts

Nuts can be roasted to make the flavor more intense for your macaron shells.

Nuts need to be pulsed in a food processor and dried out a day in advance prior to adding them to your macaron shells.

You can add ~1-2 tbsp of dried nuts to your macaron shells if desired.

Nuts can release their oils and ruin your macarons very easily.

If you wanted to be safe, you could sprinkle a few nuts on the tops of your macaron shells instead of putting them directly into your macarons.

Freeze Dried Fruit

Freeze dried fruit can be put into a mortar and pestle.

Grind it until it forms a powder. By grinding up the freeze dried fruit, this will release the fruit flavors into the macaron shells.

You can place the freeze dried fruit into your batter with the almond flour and icing sugar.

You can add 1 tbsp of freeze dried fruit to your macaron shells.

Dried Spices

Dried spices are a dry ingredient, therefore you can add them in with your almond flour.

You can add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp of dried spices to your macaron batter to flavor your macaron shells.

Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs need to be cut up into fine pieces.

This will release the fresh herb flavors into your macaron shells.

Fresh herbs can contain a bit of water, you can blot it with a bit of paper towel.

Add 1-2 tsp of fresh herbs to your macaron shells to flavor them.

Zest

Lime, lemon, or orange zest can be added to macaron shells for a burst of citrus flavor.

Zest contains quite a bit of liquid, so it should be dried out for a day before using it.

If you don’t have enough time, you can blot it with a paper towel to remove the moisture from the zest.

You can add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp of zest into your macaron shells.

Flavoring Macaron Shells after Piping

You can add a sprinkle of food to the tops of your macaron shells right after piping them.

Any of the above ingredients can be added to the macaron shells to give them more flavor, and an eye catching look to them.

Don’t add too much though, only a little bit in the center.

The food will dry into the macaron shell over the next 30 minutes and will adhere to it.

Once the macarons are baked, the tops of the macaron will look beautiful and be full of flavor.

Flavoring Macaron Shells after Baking

You can add a few extra foods to your macarons after they have baked to give them even more flavor.

Caramel

Caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce can be drizzle on the tops of the macarons for a sweet finish to your macarons.

Melted Chocolate

Melted chocolate can be drizzled on the top of the macaron to give it a chocolatey creamy taste to your macarons.

Icing

Icing can be piped onto the top of the macarons to give your macarons a beautiful look to them.

You can decorate designs like snowflakes, faces, writing, flowers, etc.

The icing will make the macaron have a sweet taste to them.

You can also add a sprinkle of nuts or zest on top of the icing to add more flavor to your macarons if you like.

Macarons can be easily baked in your own home oven, as long as you have the correct temperature needed for your recipe.

To make sure your oven is at the correct temperature, use an oven thermometer to measure the temperature.

If your oven isn’t quite at the right temperature, make the adjustment and wait until it has reached the desired temperature. If the oven is too hot, the macarons will “burn” and have a brown top to them. If the oven is too low in temperature, the macarons will be sticky, and will not come off of the pan.

What temperature to bake Italian method macarons at

Italian method macarons should be baked at 300 degrees F for about 12 minutes.

This ensures the “feet” of the macaron will pop out, and give you a beautiful even round macaron when it comes out of the oven.

How long do you bake Italian method macarons at

Italian method macarons need to be baked for about 12 minutes at 300 degrees F. Depending on how big your macarons are, you may need to adjust the time accordingly. Check them after 12 minutes, if they remain sticking to the pan, bake for 1 more minute and check again.

What pan do you use for baking macarons in a conventional oven

The best pan for macarons is using an aluminum baking sheet in a conventional oven.

• Aluminum is the best metal at conducting heat over other baking sheets like stainless steel
• heats up to temperature faster than stainless steel
• resists warping, and are extremely sturdy and durable
• conducts heat evenly throughout the pan

Macarons require the pans be perfectly clean without any oily residue. Using an old stainless steel pan with oily residue can ruin your macarons, even if you made the batter perfectly.

Do you need parchment paper or a silicone mat to bake macarons in a conventional oven

You do need to have a surface that the macarons will be piped onto separating it from the pan.

Silpat pastry mats fit perfectly in a baking sheet. You don’t have to cut it to fit like you do with parchment paper. Silpat silicone pastry mats produce the ideal macaron that is more round and flat; this gives macarons a more professional look to them.

Parchment paper works well to pipe macarons onto. Parchment paper needs to be trimmed in order to fit on the baking pan you’re using.

When removing the air bubbles of your macarons, parchment paper tends to shift around, unlike using a silicone baking mat. Silicone mats will stay in place.

Hold onto your parchment paper while you bang your pan so your macarons do not move around.

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Savory macarons are a unique set of macarons that involve cheese, smoked salmon, or salty flavors to them.

The filling of savory macarons typically has a spreadable cheese base to them such as cream cheese or ricotta cheese.

Herbs and spices are added to the filling to create savory macarons.

What are savory macarons

Savory macarons have a salty or spicy flavor to them instead of the typical sweet macaron.

What can you top savory macaron shells with

• poppy seeds
• sea salt
• dried chives
• dried dill
• pepper

What can savory macarons be filled with

Savory macarons can be filled with with:

• ricotta
• goat cheese
• cream cheese
• herbs – sage leaf, basil leaf
• spices
• smoked salmon
• bacon

Typically a cheese that is spreadable works well for filling savory macarons because it will hold its shape after its been piped.

Spreadable cheeses like ricotta and cream cheese and it can easily be mixed with other herbs and spices to create delicious savory macarons.

6 Savory Macaron Recipe Ideas

Smoked Salmon Savory Macarons

Smoked salmon savory macarons are made with chives or dill on the tops of the macaron shells.

The filling of the smoked salmon savory macarons has a base of Boursin cheese, smoked salmon, lemon juice, chives, dill, and pepper to taste.

The filling is quite thick, therefore you can use the star piping tip to pipe the filling into a fancy design for your savory macarons.

Tomato Basil Feta Savory Macarons

Tomato basil savory macarons are made by making macaron shells, followed by a cream cheese filling.

The filling is made by creaming together cream cheese, feta cheese, basil leaves, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Diced tomatoes are folded into the cream cheese savory macaron filling.

The macarons are assembled by placing 1 macaron shell, then adding a basil leaf, the cream cheese filling, and another macaron shell to sandwich the savory macaron together.

Smoked Salmon and Wasabi Savory Macarons

Smoked salmon and wasabi savory macarons are made with a cream cheese based filling.

The wasabi powder is mixed with a small amount of water to emulsify it.

Next, the cream cheese is beaten until fluffy, and then the wasabi paste mixture is added to it.

Soy sauce, milk, and green onions are added to the cream cheese base to make this savory macaron filling.

To assemble the smoked salmon and wasabi savory macarons, the cream cheese filling is piped onto the macaron shell, and then is topped with a strip of folded smoked salmon. A small amount of cream cheese macaron filling is piped on to of the smoked salmon for the other macaron shell to hold it closed.

These macarons are not able to be frozen, and it is recommended you assemble them right before serving.

Goat Cheese Savory Macarons

Goat cheese savory macarons are made with a fig compote. The figs are chopped, heated, and then cooled.

The filling is made with mascarpone cheese, goat cheese, and black sesame seeds creamed together.

To assemble the goat cheese savory macarons, pipe a ring of the creamy goat cheese mixture around the edge of the macaron shell. Add the fig compote to the center of the macaron. Top with the other macaron shell and sandwich together.

Pimento Cheese Savory Macarons

Pimento cheese savory macarons are made with a mixing pimento cheese with heavy cream in a food processor until fully combined. You can even make your own pimento cheese at home for a more intense flavor for your savory macarons.

Bacon Savory Macarons

Bacon savory macarons are made with a buttercream based filling. Butter is creamed with powdered sugar, and then a hint of maple syrup and vanilla extract are added. Mix in chopped pieces of bacon to create your savory macaron filling. Pipe inside your macaron shells and sandwich together for a savory bacon macaron.

Macarons can be filled with many different flavor combinations. Macarons can be filled with sweet, savory, chocolate, fruit or dessert fillings.

You can add your own extracts, herbs, and spices to create your own macaron fillings to fit your tasting needs once you have the base of the macaron filling decided upon.

What are macarons traditionally filled with

Macarons are traditionally filled with chocolate ganache, buttercream based fillings or jam fillings.

What type of filling is best for macarons

The best type of filling for macarons is buttercream icing.

Buttercream icing holds its shape well, and can easily be flavored with spices, extracts, zest, or cocoa powder to create flavorful fillings for macarons.

Buttercream icing will not fall down the sides of the macarons and can be thickened by adding a little more powdered sugar.

Buttercream can also be infused with tea by heating heavy cream, and then steeping tea to infuse its flavor. The steeped heavy cream is then added to butter and powdered sugar to create tea infused buttercream icings for macarons.

What’s the filling in macarons

Macarons can be filled with a variety of fillings including caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, buttercream icing, jam, cream cheese, ricotta cheese (savory macarons), goat cheese.

What are the best macaron filling flavors

The best macaron filling flavors are:

• vanilla bean macarons
• salted caramel macarons
• cookies and cream macarons
• lemon macarons
• raspberry macarons

Fruit Macaron Filling Ideas

Fruit macaron fillings are typically citrus flavors or berry flavors. Jam, zest, or freeze dried fruits are added to a buttercream based filling to create fruit macaron fillings.

• caramel apple macarons
• raspberry macarons
• lemon macarons
• key lime macarons
• strawberry macarons
• passionfruit macarons

Chocolate Macaron Filling Ideas

Chocolate macaron fillings are made by adding cocoa powder to a buttercream base, or by making a chocolate ganache. Chocolate ganache can have zest and extracts added to it to create more flavors of chocolate macarons.

• dark chocolate raspberry macarons
• hot chocolate macarons
• peanut butter and chocolate macarons
• mint chocolate macarons
• black tea with guava and tarragon white chocolate macarons
• Thai milk tea white chocolate macarons

Tea Macaron Filling Ideas

Tea macarons are made with fillings that have steeped tea that has been infused into heavy cream. The heavy cream steeped tea is placed into a buttercream based icing to create tea macaron fillings.

• earl grey macarons
• chai tea macarons
• lavender macarons
• matcha macarons
• green tea macarons

Dessert Macaron Filling Ideas

Dessert macaron fillings are made with a buttercream base or caramel sauce. Some of them include marshmallows in the center of the macaron, or crushed candies to create a flavorful dessert macaron filling.

• creme brulee macarons
• pistachio macarons
• vanilla bean macarons
• espresso macarons
• salted caramel macarons
• candy cane macarons
• dulce de leche macarons
• hazelnut macarons
• apricot walnut macarons
• chocolate hazelnut macarons
• S’more macarons
• eggnog macarons
• champagne macarons
• tiramisu macarons
• cotton candy macarons

Savory Macaron Filling Ideas

Savory macarons are filled with a cheese or butter base to them.

Many savory macarons are made with a ricotta, goat cheese or cream cheese base to them, with herbs and spices added to them.

Typically a cheese that is spreadable works well for filling savory macarons because it will hold its shape after its been piped, and it can easily be mixed with other herbs and spices to create delicious savory macarons.

• smoked salmon macarons
• fig and sesame goat cheese macarons
• tomato, basil, and ricotta cheese macarons
• pimento cheese macarons
• bacon macarons
• blue cheese and pear macarons

How to fill macarons

Macarons are filled by fitting a piping bag with a piping tip of at least 1/4″ in thickness.

If you want the macaron filling to have a fancy edge to it, select the star tip or closed star nozzle. They will create a beautiful edging to your macaron fillings.

Fill the piping bag with macaron filling.

Twist the end of the bag while holding the tip to the ceiling. Cut the tip of the piping bag and push the nozzle to the end. Twist the bag until filling starts coming to the edge of the nozzle.

Squeeze the top of the piping bag with your fingers to evenly distribute the macaron filling on the macaron shells.

If you’re using 2 fillings, pipe the ring around the macaron edge first (usually buttercream icing).

Next fill the center of the macaron filling inside the ring you just piped. The center filling could be caramel sauce, jam, etc. The ring of more solid icing will hold the runnier filling inside the macaron, and will not leak out.

If you’re filling the macaron with only 1 filling, pipe the outside ring first, and end in the center of the macaron. Make you use test to see how full you are filling your macarons. Add the other shell on top to see how much filling is showing. If you want more filling showing, add another layer of macaron filling.

Can you fill Macarons the next day

You can store unfilled macaron shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

You can fill macarons anytime in the next 5 days after baking the shells.

Once you have filled your macarons, place them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you’re wanting your macarons to last longer, place them in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer.

How to make buttercream macaron filling

Classic buttercream macaron filling is made with 1 cup of butter, 4-5 cups of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of heavy cream or milk, pinch of salt, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

This makes a large batch of buttercream macaron filling. You can split it up into 3 different flavorings.

By having the base of macaron buttercream filling, you can add different flavorings to change it from vanilla buttercream into the flavoring you want.

You can add:

• 2 tbsp of jam filling
• 1-2 tsp of spices
• 1 tbsp of zest
• 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp of espresso or coffee (you’ll need to add more powdered sugar to thicken the icing back up again)
• crushed cookies (1/4 cup)
• 1-2 tbsps cookie crumbs
• 1-2 tsp of extract

Create your own buttercream macaron filling using these modifiers for your own favorite macaron filling.

Fall macaron flavors come in different tastes from sweet to savory. Fall macaron flavors are made with pumpkin spice, cream cheese, apples, caramel, cinnamon and chai tea.

Fall macarons can be made with a flavored outer shell, such as adding cinnamon, freeze dried apples, or vanilla beans.

A few of the autumn macaron flavors include 2 center fillings to give them a burst of flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Pumpkin spice macarons are made with a flavored outer shell. The outer shell has all-spice, cloves, and nutmeg mixed into the almond batter to give the macarons the “spiced” part of pumpkin spice.

The pumpkin spice macaron filling is made with a butter cream base. Pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg are added to the buttercream filling.

When assembling the macarons, the filling is a ring of pumpkin spice macaron filling, and then the center is a small amount of caramel sauce.

These pumpkin spice macarons have a little bit of a sweet finish with the caramel sauce center.

Caramel Apple Macarons

Caramel apple macarons are made with an apple flavored outer shell.

Granny smith apples are freeze dried, and then blended in a food processor to get a fine apple flavored powder.

The powder is places into the almond flour base and mixed into the macaron shell. Once the batter has been made and piped, a sprinkle of apple powder is dusted on the tops of the macarons to let them dry into the macaron shells.

The center filling is made with making a caramel sauce. There is an option of making the caramel sauce into a salted caramel sauce if desired.

Apple Pie Macarons

Apple pie macarons are made with an apple sauce filling and a cream cheese icing.

The apple sauce filling is made with apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. The sauce is thickened and cooled prior to piping.

The cream cheese icing is vanilla flavored. The cream cheese icing is piped around the edges of the macaron to make a ring.

The apple sauce is placed in the center of the macaron. These macarons have a spiced apple and cream cheese flavor, creating apple pie tasting macarons.

Pumpkin Macarons

Pumpkin macarons are made with a flavored pumpkin outer shell. The outer shell is flavored with pumpkin spice bakery emulsion.

An emulsion is similar to an extract in that it gives the flavor to the baked good. The filling is made with a buttercream flavored with pumpkin puree and cinnamon for the perfect fall macaron treat.

Chai Tea Macarons

Chai tea macarons are made with a hint of cinnamon in their outer shells.

The filling of the chai tea macarons is made by heating heavy cream with chai tea. The tea is left to steep for 30 minutes to infuse the chai flavors into the heavy cream. The cream is strained, and then poured into a stand mixer with butter and powdered sugar.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla extract, and ginger are added to create the chai buttercream filling for these chai tea macarons.

Cinnamon Roll Macarons

Cinnamon roll macarons are made with cinnamon and nutmeg in their outer shells.

The center filling is made with a cream cheese buttercream icing. To add a little bit more sweetness, there is a caramel sauce filling to the center filling as well.

Orange and Dark Chocolate Macarons

Orange and dark chocolate macarons are made with a vanilla bean outer shell. The center filling is a orange zest infused dark chocolate ganache.

Orange dark chocolate macarons have a rich and citrus flavor.

The outer shell is colored with orange gel food coloring or powdered food coloring to give it the vibrant orange color against the dark chocolate filling color.

Painting macarons gold is easy and simple to do with a bit of gold dust and almond extract.

Gold macarons are one of the most fancy macarons you can serve to your guests.

They are easy to make once you have the macarons filled and ready to be painted.

If you are wanting to paint the entire macaron gold, use the biggest food safe paintbrush you have to save yourself time.

Gold macarons will store well in the freezer for up to 1 month, or up to 3 days in the fridge.

How to paint macarons gold

Tools and Ingredients

• gold powdered food coloring
• almond extract or vanilla extract (vanilla extract will make the gold color much darker)
• food safe paint brush
• macarons

1. Place a pinch of gold powdered food coloring in a small jar to “make” your paint in.
2. Add a couple of drops of almond extract to your jar.
3. Mix the jar of almond extract and gold powdered food coloring together. Now you’ve made your paint for your gold macarons. If your gold paint dries out while you’re working with it, add a few more drops of almond extract.
4. Using a food safe paint brush, dip your paint brush into your newly made gold paint.
5. Hold your macaron on a steady surface, and paint your gold paint on top of your macaron where desired. You can even paint the entire macaron in gold paint if you want to. Avoid the icing portion of the macaron, and only paint the shell to make the icing stand out on the macaron. Don’t push too hard on the surface of the macaron shell as it is quite delicate to work with.
6. Let the macarons dries fully for about 10 minutes.
7. Store the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days after baking them.

You can even make unicorn macarons by painting the horn and ears of the macaron gold.

You can paint gold onto animal shaped macarons, or heart shaped macarons using printable templates.

What can you use gold macarons for

Gold macarons can be used at:

• a new year’s party
• baby shower
• bridal shower
• bachelorette party
• cocktail hour
• dessert bar

Almond flour needs to be sifted and very fine before using it for macarons. You can see how grainy the almond flour is before it’s been sifted.

You can see the difference in the texture of the almond flour after it has been sifted. The texture is much finer and lighter. Almond flour needs to be crumbly and easily be rubbed with your finger tips.

There is a difference in how fine your almond flour is depending on which one you’re using for your recipe. You can find almond flour that specifically indicates it’s superfine. It’s best to use an almond flour that is already fine to begin with. Then you don’t have to grind the almond flour any smaller using a food processor.

To remove any clumps in your almond flour before using them for macarons, sift the almond flour right before using it. It’s easier to sift almond flour using a colander with a medium mesh, over a sifter with a fine mesh. Learn how to sift almond flour faster. See video here.

A colander can remove the large clumps that form in almond flour. You don’t need to use a fine mesh sieve in order to the the almond flour thin enough. A colander works well and is much faster than using a sifter.

Undercooked Macarons

Your macarons will stick to the silicone mat if they are undercooked.

Bake your macarons for 1-2 minutes longer than when using parchment paper for the macarons to be easily peeled from the silicone baking mat.

Macarons are not fully cooled

Macarons will stick to the silicone baking mat if haven’t fully cooled before trying to remove them. Let them cool for at least 20 minutes before trying to remove the macarons. Usually it’s easier to leave the macarons on the baking sheet and let the macarons cool on the silicone baking mat for at least 20 minutes. Then peel the macarons off of the silicone baking mat and fill them.

Silicone baking mat is oily

Silicone baking mats cannot have any oily residue, or particulate present on the baking mat when using them for macarons. The macarons will absorb the oil while baking, making the macarons very difficult to get off of the silicone baking mat.

To remove oily residue from the silicone baking mat, wash it with soap and water and rinse to let dry.

If the oily residue is still present, pour boiling water on the silicone baking mat and it will clean the baking mat perfectly to use for your macarons.

Baking pan is old

Macarons need fresh aluminum baking pans to cook well. If your baking pan is old, unfortunately the macarons will stick to silicone and even parchment paper. Macarons need the conductivity of aluminum to cook evenly and for the temperature to be evenly distributed while baking. Use a new aluminum baking pan for cooking macarons if your pans are quite well used.

Baking pan is oily

Macarons will absorb any oil that’s present on the baking pan through the silicone or parchment paper. Remove any oily residue from the pan by washing it with soap and water.

If the baking pan will not become clean after using soap and water, pour boiling water on the baking pan. The boiling water will clean the baking pan to remove any oil that is present and make it freshly clean to use for baking macarons on.