macarons

In order for sprinkles to adhere to the macaron batter, you need to sprinkle only a few sprinkles onto the macaron batter just after you’ve piped them.

1. Pipe 1.5″ macarons
2. Immediately add sprinkles to piped macarons. Only add a couple of sprinkles. If you add too many, the macarons could potentially not turn out. You can add sprinkles decoratively to an edge, in the center, or in a circle around the edge.
3. Bake your macarons for the exact time required in your recipe.
4. Let cool. Fill macarons with filling.

Decorative sprinkles are an added touch to your macarons. It’s a simple decoration to add, yet it brings out so much in a macaron.

• Rainbow colored sprinkles are perfect to add for a birthday celebration.
• Clear sprinkles add class to macarons
• Colored sprinkles in contrasting or comlimentary colors to macarons to add depth and make them eye catching.

You can also make your macarons with sprinkles theme colored:

• blue + pink sprinkles for a baby shower,
• green sprinkles for a dinosaur birthday
• clear/gold sprinkles for an anniversary/wedding

There are 2 ways to make character macarons.

1. Using a parchment paper tracer
2. Layering macaron batter

See video here.

How to make Character Macarons using a Parchment Paper Tracer

Place a template parchment paper tracer underneath your Silpat mat or Clean parchment paper that you’re going to pipe your macarons onto. You can find templates on Pinterest and Google. To make character macarons print off a template or free hand your own template.

Once you have your template under you surface you’re going to pipe onto, gather all of your materials that you’ll need for your template:

• macaron batter – could be multiple colors
• toothpicks – to make pointy shapes

Now you can start piping onto your template. Begin with the smaller and more delicate details first. For example – wheels on a car, ears, horns, hands, feet. Use a toothpick to pull the batter into a point or fine details like fingers/toes if needed.

After you’ve piped the small details, begin piping your larger details/base of your macaron. This could be a different color of macaron batter. It’s best to trace the outline of the template, then fill in the center with batter. This way you won’t make the macarons too big and overtake the template design.

Let your macarons dry completely – about 30 min.

Bake your macarons for the same amount of time in your recipe.

Let the shells cool to room temperature – about 20 min.

Add any decorations onto them that you like.

You could add melted chocolate, caramel, draw on designs using edible markers, etc.

You can paint on powdered food coloring. Use a bit of almond extract + powdered food coloring + food safe paint brush to paint on your design.

Check out our Unicorn Macarons for some macaron inspiration.

How to make Character Macarons by Layering Macaron batter

Character macarons can be made by layering macaron batter.

1. Place a parchment paper template underneath the surface you are going to pipe your macarons onto.
2. Gather your materials – macaron batter, toothpicks, etc.
3. Start creating the base of your macaron. Tract the lines and fill in the center. You could be using multiple colors for eyes, body, feet, etc.
4. Let your base dry for 15 minutes.
5. Add on your second layer of macaron batter – generally this is a different color. You can add a nose, eyes, mouth, hands, feet, etc. on top of your base color.
6. Let your second layer dry for 15-30 min until a skin forms on the macaron.
7. Bake for your required time according to your recipe.
8. Let cool at room temperature for ~ 20 min.
9. Add more decorations to your macarons – draw on eyes, face, mouth by using an edible marker, add buttercream icing decorations if desired.

The size of a macaron tip you want to use is a ½” tip.

How to use the tip to pipe macarons?

1. Place the ½” tip into a large piping bag. Feed it down the bag until it’s at the end. 
2. Make a mark on the bag where you should be cutting. This will be in the middle of the metal tip. 
3. Put the tip a bit further back into the bag so you can easily cut it.
4. Cut the bag. 
5. Put the tip back to its proper area at the end of the bag. 
6. Twist the bag and fold the tip under. 
7. Then place the bag into a glass so it’s ready for you to put the macaron batter in. By twisting the bag, the batter doesn’t fall through the bag as you’re trying to add the batter to it. 
8. Once you have the batter all in the bag, twist the top of the bag to close it. 
9. Lift the bag up and out of the glass.
10. Use your fingers to gently press the bag and pipe the macarons.
11. Let the macarons dry for 30 min. Bake the macarons for the required time in your recipe.

Macarons are colored by using food coloring, tea, coffee, lavender, roses, or cookie crumbs to color them.

What kind of food coloring do you use to color macarons

• Gel food coloring
• Powdered food coloring

*Do not use any water based food coloring as that will interfere. This is due to the macarons having a very specific liquid to dry ingredient ratio. By adding liquid to the macaronage this will throw off the recipe unfortunately making the macarons not turn out.

See video here.

How to use gel food coloring to color macarons

• Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of food colouring
• Add food colouring to your initial egg whites
• Add in your almond flour and icing sugar
• Mix together until combined into a dark colour

 How to use powdered food colouring to color macarons

• Measure 1/4 teaspoon powdered food colouring
• And food colouring to egg whites
• Mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

How to use coffee, Oreo crumbs or cocoa powder in macarons for adding color and flavour to your macaron shells

• Add anywhere from ¼ tsp to 4 tsp of cocoa powder or coffee grounds to your egg whites
• Mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

How to use tea in macarons

• Place the tea leaves in a mortar and pestle
• Grind up the tea – not too much that it forms a powder. You still want to be able to see the tea leaves, but not for them to be in large pieces
• Place the tea into the egg whites. Mix the leaves with the almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

What other foods can you use to color macaron shells

• Rose petals
• Basil leaves
• Rosemary

When can you add sprinkles or a dusting of coffee or Oreo crumbs to the shells

• Add these items once you’ve piped out your macarons, do not wait to add these decorations. As soon as you’ve piped them, add the decorations. Then let them dry before putting them in the oven. 

What can you use to decorate the macaron shell other than coloring after they’re done baking

• White/milk/dark chocolate streaks across the shell
• Dipped in chocolate
• Dipped in caramel
• Dipped in chocolate and nuts
• Chocolate streaks and then a dusting of sprinkles
• Chocolate and pistachios

How can you use paint to color macarons

Use a powdered food color, for example – gold dust. Add a pinch of it to a tiny bowl. Add a couple drops of a light extract where the flavor will not interfere too much with the macaron. Almond extract is my go to. Next, use a food safe paint brush to paint onto the macaron. Let it dry for 30 min before adding any filling to it.

Are there markers you can use on a macaron?

Use an edible marker to draw on the macaron shell to create your own designs.

You can personalize your macarons by adding text for the person you’re making them for!

“Happy Birthday Abby!”

You can also paint faces of animals on macarons like our Bear Macarons or Unicorn Macarons.

Coloring macarons is fun to do when you have the right tools to do so. Add food coloring by using gel or powder food coloring, tea, coffee, cocoa, Oreo crumbs, or rose petals to the egg whites. Then add the icing sugar and almond flour and mix until the color has fully integrated into the macaron batter. To add color after the shells have cooled, you can add chocolate or caramel in streaks across the shells. Or, dip your macarons and add nuts, pistachios or sprinkles for an added touch of color.

Making bright colored macarons is easy to do with selecting the right type of food coloring. 

What type of food coloring to use for bright colored macarons?

• Gel food coloring
• Powdered food coloring

How to use gel food coloring for bright colored macarons?

• Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of coloring
• Add the coloring to your bowl of egg whites
• Mix the color with the almond flour, icing sugar and egg whites until fully combined

How to use powdered food coloring for bright colored macarons?

• Measure out ¼ tsp of powdered food coloring
• Add the powdered food coloring to the egg whites and mix together
• Add the almond flour and icing sugar and mix until it’s fully combined

You cannot use water based food coloring when making macarons. The liquid interferes with the macarons ratio of dry and liquid ingredients you have measured out. Everything you have weighed, measured, sifted, whipped, etc. will be lost due to the liquid not being accounted for in the recipe. Your macarons will not turn out if you use liquid water based food coloring.

Can you make more than 1 color per recipe when making macarons?

• No

You need to make each color separately with a different batch of macarons. 

If you’re wanting to create an array of bright colored macarons, you need to make multiple batches. Since macarons take a long time to make, consider making a couple batches each day and then freezing them until you have all of the colors made for your upcoming event. 

Another option is to paint the macarons with powdered food coloring. Use an edible paint brush to put the color on. Use a pinch of color, and add almond extract. Paint the color onto the macaron.

Macarons will keep well in the freezer for at least 3-4 weeks when kept in an airtight container. Each batch you make will be about ~40 macarons give or take. This will give you plenty of variety if you make 4-5 batches of macarons.

Making dark colored macarons involves selecting dark colored food coloring. Dark colored macarons would be navy, black, or dark brown. 

What kind of food coloring do you use for dark colored macarons?

• Gel food coloring
• Powdered food coloring

*Do not use any water based food coloring as that will interfere. This is due to the macarons having a very specific liquid to dry ingredient ratio. By adding liquid to the macaronage this will throw off the recipe unfortunately making the macarons not turn out.

How to use gel food coloring for dark colored macarons?

• Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of food coloring
•  add food coloring to your initial egg whites
•  add in your almond flour and icing sugar
•  mix together until combined into a dark color

How to use powdered food coloring?

• Measure 1/4 teaspoon powdered food coloring
• And food coloring to egg whites
• mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

  Flavors of dark colored macarons

• Licorice
• Oreo cookies and cream
• Coffee
• Macchiato
• Chocolate
• Caramel
• Salted caramel
• Red velvet
• Coffee and Bailey’s
• Chocolate hazelnut
• Blueberry
• Blackberry
• Dark chocolate truffle
• S’more 

Being able to create dark colored macarons will give your array of colors some depth to your guests eyes when they see them. They will be eye catching and people will wonder how you got such a dark colored macaron. Add your dark food coloring by using either gel or powdered food coloring to your egg whites. Then add your icing sugar and almond flour. Mix well until it’s fully homogenized color comes through. Creating these dark colored macarons will be a welcomed new addition to your palette of macarons.

The best time to add food coloring to macarons is when you are starting to make the macronage. 

Initially, you are measuring and adding your egg whites to your bowl. Then add the food coloring. Mix the food coloring with the egg whites.

Add your sifted, weighed and measured almond flour and icing sugar to the bowl with the egg whites that have the food coloring.

At this point, you need to mix them all together until you obtain a uniform coloring for your macaronage (macaron batter). 

When you are adding your food coloring, try to make the color much more intense than you initially planned for.

Your color is going to be stretched much further than the initial color.

You still have to add all of the meringue to your bowl, which will dilute out the color you have put into your bowl.

What kind of food coloring to use for macarons

• Powdered food coloring
• Gel food coloring

You cannot use your usual water based colors. The liquid interferes with the macarons. Everything you have weighed, measured, sifted, whipped, etc. will be lost due to the liquid not being accounted for in the recipe. Your macarons will not turn out if you use liquid water based food coloring.

How to use gel food coloring for macarons

• Use a toothpick to obtain a small amount of coloring
• Add the coloring to your bowl of egg whites
• Mix the color with the almond flour, icing sugar and egg whites until fully combined

How to use powdered food coloring for macarons

• Measure out ¼ tsp of powdered food coloring
• Add the powdered food coloring to the egg whites and mix together
•  Add the almond flour and icing sugar and mix until it’s fully combined

How to use coffee, Oreo crumbs or cocoa powder in macarons for adding color and flavor to your macaron shells

• Add anywhere from ¼ tsp to 4 tsp of cocoa powder or coffee grounds to your egg whites
• Mix with almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

How to use tea in macarons

• Place the tea leaves in a mortar and pestle
• Grind up the tea – not too much that it forms a powder. You still want to be able to see the tea leaves, but not for them to be in large pieces
• Place the tea into the egg whites. Mix the leaves with the almond flour and icing sugar until fully combined

Adding food coloring to macarons makes them desirable and eye catching.

Try out making your own colored macarons at home using either powdered or gel food coloring after adding your initial egg whites.

Mix the colored egg whites with your almond flour and icing sugar until it’s fully combined. 

To sift almond flour faster, use a medium mesh strainer or colander instead of a sifter.

A regular sifter has fine mesh which makes the clumps of almonds difficult to separate into the fine, light almond flour that you need to make macarons.

See video here.

What is the best sifter to use for macarons

ExcelSteel Heavy Mesh Colander

• Medium sized mesh for easily sifting almond flour
• Handles on both sides – easy to hold steady while sifting
• Ergonomically friendly
• Made so it can rest on the top of a bowl
• Stainless steel – strong, resists wear and tear, dishwasher safe

If your almond flour is quite clumped together, you can use a food processor to grind up your almond flour to more of a fine powder. Then sift your almond flour after it’s a bit finer of a grind.

Macarons have a smooth texture, and melt in your mouth when you eat them. Sifting almond flour and icing sugar together give you that velvety texture you are trying to achieve.

How does a sifter work

A sifter works separating clumps of food through a mesh.

It falls through the mesh by gravity.

Give the sifter a light tap to make the food fall through to your bowl below.

Sifting almond flour of icing sugar for macarons creates air and increases the surface area. This makes the dry ingredients easily incorporate with the wet ingredients giving it an even distribution. 

After you’re done sifting your almond flour measure the amount on a scale to get an accurate reading. Always measure your sifted ingredients after you’ve sifted them. 

What’s the best almond flour to use for macarons

The best almond flour to use for macarons is one that has been sifted already.

Blue Diamond Almond Flour comes already sifted so you know you’re getting a fine ground.

Be sure to sift the almond flour again when you’re using it to make macarons.

How to sift almond flour and icing sugar for macarons

1. Place almond flour into a mesh strainer or sifter. It should be about ⅓-½ full. Don’t overfill the sifter because it will be impossible to use! It’s better to sift in small batches. 
2. Tap the edge of the strainer until all of the almond flour has passed through that can.
3. Excess almond flour that wont pass through-discard this portion.
4. Weigh almond flour out to the proper measurement.
5. Place almond flour into your mixing bowl.
6. Sift icing sugar into a separate bowl. Discard any balls of icing sugar that won’t pass through the sifter-either that or use the excess for macaron filling later on.
7. Weigh icing sugar out to the proper measurement.
8. Place icing sugar into your mixing bowl with almond flour.

Do you need to sift almond flour for macarons

Yes! If you do not sift your almond flour before weighing out your recipe, you are actually packing more into the recipe. This is because the almond flour packs onto itself after it’s been sitting for a while. That’s why you see it clumping in the bag. 

Icing sugar is the same way, it ends up in little balls instead of staying like a powder.  

When you sift your ingredients and take the time to weigh out your measurements, this is your chance of success when baking macarons.  

How to make your own almond flour for macarons

Making almond flour for macarons is quite easy with the right tools.

Obtain a large amount of blanched almonds.

The skins must be removed. This is because there is quite a bit of oil in the skins, which will make the almonds more like a paste instead of a flour.

With your blanched almonds, grind them into a fine powder using a food processor on high power.

Pulse and blend them until you’re happy with the powdered consistency.

Sift and measure out your almond flour for your macarons.