These apple butter macarons consist of chewy cinnamon shells and a creamy apple butter French buttercream. The warm spices married with the slow cooked apple butter make these delicate cookies the epitome of fall!
The chilly weather and changing leaves of autumn have arrived, and these apple butter macarons capture all the cozy, comforting feelings of fall in every bite! My rich stovetop apple butter recipe mixed into silky French buttercream is sandwiched between warm, chewy cinnamon cookies to create a delicate yet so satisfying treat. Plate them up to enjoy as a pretty dessert, grab a few as a snack, or wrap them in a gift box and share with loved ones–it is the season of giving, after all!
For more macaron recipes, try Pumpkin Macarons, Chai Macarons, Lemon Macarons, and Spiced Macarons with Gingerbread German Buttercream.
Jump to Recipe
Why you'll love these apple butter macarons
- Warm Cinnamon Apple Combo: Nothing says autumn like apples and cinnamon–you'll get a cozy taste of fall in every bite!
- Use Your Leftovers: Made a big batch of my stovetop apple butter? Use some to make these yummy fall macarons!
- Swiss Method: The macaron shells are made with a base of sturdy swiss meringue, making them nearly foolproof!
Ingredient Notes
- Powdered Sugar: You'll need powdered sugar for the macaron shells.
- Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
- Eggs: You'll need about 3 egg whites for the macaron shells, and 3 egg yolks for the French buttercream. No extra yolks lying around in your fridge!
- Apple Butter: Use leftovers from my Easy Stovetop Apple Butter recipe!
- Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: This is going to be added into the egg whites when making the swiss meringue. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so watch carefully!
- Cinnamon: Use a high quality ground cinnamon to get that warm autumn flavor.
- Vanilla: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this apple butter macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Start the meringue. Heat the egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pot of boiling water and bring to 120 degrees F.
STEP 2: Whisk. Move mixture to the bowl of a standard mixer and whip until stiff peaks form, then add vanilla bean paste.
STEP 3: Sift. In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour, powdered confectioners' sugar, and 3 teaspoon cinnamon twice.
STEP 4: Macaronage. Fold in ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the meringue. Mix carefully with a silicone spatula by scraping around the sides of the bowl, then through the middle of the batter. Do this a few times until it is mostly combined. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. Continue scraping around the sides of the bowl and through the middle. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
STEP 5: Pipe. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802). Place your macaron template under another piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and pipe perpendicular to fill in each circle. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the on counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand.
STEP 6: Top and rest. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of each, if desired. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no longer sticky when you touch them. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
STEP 7: Bake and cool. Bake the macarons for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
STEP 8: Make the buttercream. Whisk egg yolks on high speed in stand mixer until thick and foamy (about 3 minutes) while you heat the sugar and water. Heat the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F. Slowly add the sugar syrup into egg yolks while mixing and continue mixing until it reaches room temperature. Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Lastly, add the apple butter and vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract). Continue mixing on low speed until the buttercream is completely smooth.
STEP 9: Assemble. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I used Ateco 803). Pair the macarons up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell. Place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Wipe down appliances with vinegar. Before making the macaron shells, wipe all appliances down with white vinegar to ensure they're clean and nothing with hinder the egg whites from wiping up.
- Freeze the shells after baking. If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily.
- Chill the macarons. The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day.
Recipe FAQs
The swiss meringue method is my preferred method for making macarons, as it is the simplest and most stable meringue, in my opinion. The egg whites and sugar are combined in one bowl and heated over a double boiler with simmering water until it reaches 120 degrees F. Slightly heating the egg whites stablizes the meringue, which will increase your chances of achieving the correct consistency of macaron batter.
The key is to make sure the batter is mixed properly and the meringue is deflated enough. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will ensure that the shells do not come out hollow.
Allow the macarons to rest long enough before going into the oven. I would recommend 30-40 minutes of rest time before baking. As they rest, a skin forms on the surface, which is what forces the macarons to bake upwards and grow feet!
I have found that cracked macaron shells typically result from uneven heating or too high of a temperature. If you do not already have one, I highly recommend an internal oven thermometer. This will allow to ensure that your oven is exactly at 300 degrees F!
Macarons will last for a few days stored in an airtight container at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge. I prefer to store them in the fridge not only so they will last longer, but also because I find that they taste even better cold.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other fall recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Apple Butter Macarons
Ingredients
For the macaron shells:
- 130 g almond flour
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 6 g (1 tablespoon) cinnamon
- 105 g egg whites
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the apple butter french buttercream:
- 3 (about 3) egg yolks
- 12 g + 50 g granulated sugar, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoon water
- 227 g unsalted butter
- 170 g apple butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
For the macaron shells:
- Prepare a macaron template by using a large piping tip or small round cookie cutter of about 1 ½″ in size to trace circles about 2 inches apart on one sheet of parchment paper. You will place this under another piece of parchment paper when ready to pipe the macaron shells.
- In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cinnamon twice.
- Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved or until the temperature is about 120 degrees F.
- Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. At this point, add the vanilla bean paste.
- Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form.
- Start the macaronage by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix carefully with a silicone spatula by scraping around the sides of the bowl, then through the middle of the batter. Do this a few times until it is mostly combined.
- Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. Continue scraping around the sides of the bowl and through the middle. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802).
- Place your macaron template under another piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and pipe perpendicular to fill in each circle.
- Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the on counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top of each, if desired. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no longer sticky when you touch them.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake the macarons for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
For the apple butter french buttercream:
- Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until thick and foamy (about 3 minutes) while you heat the sugar and water.
- Heat the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan or frying pan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F.
- While the egg yolks are whisking on medium speed, slowly add the sugar syrup into the bowl. Continue mixing until the mixture has cooled down to room temperature.
- Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more.
- Lastly, add the apple butter and vanilla bean paste. Continue mixing on low speed until the buttercream is completely smooth.
For assembly:
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I used Ateco 803).
- Pair the macarons up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell.
- Place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.
- Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- Wipe down appliances with vinegar. Before making the macaron shells, wipe all appliances down with white vinegar to ensure they're clean and nothing with hinder the egg whites from wiping up.
- Freeze the shells after baking. If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily.
- Chill the macarons. The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day.
Janet says
The recipe calls for sugar divided for the apple butter filling, but I don’t see two additions of sugar in the recipe instructions. What am I missing?
Stephanie says
This was my first time making macarons and the recipe worked great! Amazing cinnamon apple flavor! My only issue was that the filling was a little lumpy—the apple butter didn’t seem to fully integrate with the filling. But the taste was 10/10, and the few I piped decently looked pretty good!