French Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream

Today while grocery store I was greeted by the most lovely raspberries. Inspired, I thought it would be fun to share my recipe for my French Macarons filled with a Raspberry Buttercream. They are perfect for special celebrations and to gift to lovely friends and family.

The fun comes from achieving the perfect batter constancy. Once you pick this up, the recipe will become very personal to you. It will become “yours.” Like making biscuits or a homemade pie crust, you will just know when it is right and you will do it without thinking. Follow my tips and work with patience. YOU CAN DO THIS!

PS Looking for another special recipe for special occasions? How about Sparkling Charm Royal Iced Sugar Cookies Personalized with Rice Paper Photos.

French Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream

Ingredients

3 egg whites, room temperature
¼ cup white sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
pinch of salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries, to extract 3 tablespoons of juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Beat “room temperature” egg whites until foamy.

2. Add the salt, cream of tartar, a few drops of food coloring gel, and the sugar into the foamy egg whites and continue to mix on high speed until the egg white form stiff peaks.

Tip One: The french macarons will bake a few shades lighter than the color of the egg white mixture. Adjust the gel food coloring accordingly to your desire.

3. Sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar together.

Tip Two. Discard any large almond remains after sifting. The lighter the flour and powdered the lighter the french macaron will be.

4. THIS IS THE STEP THAT BECOMES PERSONAL! Fold the flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.

Tip Three. This is the tricky step. Macaron batter is all about the consistency. (It should be light and flow from spoon like lava.) If under mixed the French Macron shell will crack. If over mixed the French Macaron shell will flatten and will not get the “feet” around the edge which are a mark of a well made macaron. As I said above, this is just one of those recipes that is fun to learn. Be patient and prepared to try a couple of times to perfect the perfect batter consistency.

5. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag.

6. Pipe 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and gently give the pan a few taps to remove air bubbles.

7. Let the macaron batter set for 60 minutes in a cool dry place. This allows them to begin to dry.

Tip Four. Avoid skipping step 7. If you do, your cookies will spread and not gain those perfect feet.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven, place them on a baking rack and let them completely cool.

Tip Five. You know your oven best. Cooking time can vary. Be careful not to remove before they are cooked through.

9. For the raspberry buttercream filling, whip the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.

10. Slowly add in the sugar and continue to mix until combined.

11. Place a sieve on top of a bowl the same size and press the raspberries through the sieve with a spatula for 3 tablespoons of juice. Discard remains.

12. Add the raspberry juice to the buttercream and whip until combined.

13. Flip the macaron shells flat side and pipe a mound of the raspberry buttercream on top.

14. Top with a second Macaron shell.

French Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream

Author: Gwyn

French Macarons filled with a Raspberry Buttercream are perfect for special celebrations and to gift to lovely friends and family.

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
1. Beat “room temperature” egg whites until foamy.
2. Add the salt, cream of tartar, a few drops of food coloring gel, and the sugar into the foamy egg whites and continue to mix on high speed until the egg white form stiff peaks.
Tip One: The french macarons will bake a few shades lighter than the color of the egg white mixture. Adjust the gel food coloring accordingly to your desire.
3. Sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar together.
Tip Two. Discard any large almond remains after sifting. The lighter the flour and powdered the lighter the french macaron will be.
4. THIS IS THE STEP THAT BECOMES PERSONAL! Fold the flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.
Tip Three. This is the tricky step. Macaron batter is all about the consistency. (It should be light and flow from spoon like lava.) If under mixed the French Macron shell will crack. If over mixed the French Macaron shell will flatten and will not get the "feet" around the edge which are a mark of a well made macaron. As I said above, this is just one of those recipes that is fun to learn. Be patient and prepared to try a couple of times to perfect the perfect batter consistency.
5. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag.
6. Pipe 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and gently give the pan a few taps to remove air bubbles.
7. Let the macaron batter set for 60 minutes in a cool dry place. This allows them to begin to dry.
Tip Four. Avoid skipping step 7. If you do, your cookies will spread and not gain those perfect feet.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven, place them on a baking rack and let them completely cool.
Tip Five. You know your oven best. Cooking time can vary. Be careful not to remove before they are cooked through.
9. For the raspberry buttercream filling, whip the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
10. Slowly add in the sugar and continue to mix until combined.
11. Place a sieve on top of a bowl the same size and press the raspberries through the sieve with a spatula for 3 tablespoons of juice. Discard remains.
12. Add the raspberry juice to the buttercream and whip until combined.
13. Flip the macaron shells flat side and pipe a mound of the raspberry buttercream on top.
14. Top with a second Macaron shell.