These chai macarons are made with comforting, warm fall spices and filled with a silky smooth cardamom swiss meringue buttercream.
These chai macarons are so perfect for fall! They're made with a homemade combination of fall spices to create a powerful chai flavor in the shells and pure cardamom flavor in the swiss meringue buttercream. So so good 🙂
For more macaron recipes, try Salted Caramel Macarons, Vanilla Macarons, Birthday Cake Macarons, and Lemon Macarons.
Jump to Recipe
Why you'll love these chai macarons
- Chai Spices: Cozy fall spices in every bite!
- Silky Buttercream: The BEST swiss meringue buttercream flavored with cardamom.
- Swiss Method: Both the shells and the buttercream are made with a base of sturdy swiss meringue, making them nearly foolproof.
Ingredient Notes
- White Vinegar: To ensure that your meringue remains stable, clean and wipe down all appliances with white vinegar.
- 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!
- Chai Spices: I used a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. You can use any combination of spices, but I recommend not going over 15g in total. For the buttercream, I only wanted the cardamom to shine through, but you can absolutely add more spices.
- Egg Whites: You’ll need about 3 egg whites for the shells. Don’t worry about bringing them to room temperature because you’ll just heat them up over a double boiler to make a swiss meringue! You'll also need 2 egg more egg whites for the buttercream.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added into the egg whites when making the swiss meringue for both the shells and the buttercream. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully!
- Vanilla Extract: Add a touch of vanilla to the meringue before folding in the dry ingredients.
- Unsalted Butter: You'll need about 1 ½ sticks of room temperature unsalted butter for the swiss meringue buttercream.
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 chai macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Start the macaron batter. For the macaron shells, start by making the meringue. Heat the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler and bring to 120 degrees F. Then, whisk until stiff peaks form.
STEP 2: Mix dry ingredients to wet. Add a third of the sifted dry ingredients to the meringue, and mix with the macaronage technique. Once it's mostly combined, add the rest of the dry ingredients and continue mixing until the batter flows off the spatula and you can draw several figure eights in a row.
STEP 3: Pipe and rest. Place the macaron template under a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pipe the batter perpendicular to fill in the circles. Tap the baking sheet on the counter to release air bubbles, and allow the macarons to rest for about 30-40 minutes.
STEP 4: Bake. Bake the macarons at 300 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before peeling them off of the parchment paper.
STEP 5: Buttercream. Make the cardamom swiss meringue buttercream. For more detailed step by step instructions on SMBC, read this post.
STEP 6: Assemble. Pair up the macaron shells and pipe the buttercream between them. Chill and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- 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.
- 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.
- For the buttercream - DO NOT add the butter to the swiss meringue until it has cooled down to below 85 degrees F. I have made the mistake of adding it too soon, and the meringue ended up melting the butter and turned the whole thing into a soupy mess. If your meringue has reached stiff peaks before it is cool enough, turn the mixer down to low speed and keep it there until it reaches the right temperature.
6 Essential Macaron Rules
- Wipe down all bowls and appliances with white vinegar. This will ensure that everything is spotlessly clean and nothing will hinder the stability of the meringue.
- Beat the meringue until STIFF peaks form. The best way to test this is to turn the bowl upside down to make sure that the meringue is stable enough and does not move at all.
- SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice to get those smooth macaron shells!
- Mix the batter with a silicone spatula by circling around and straight through the middle. 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.
- Test the consistency of the batter frequently by drawing a figure eight with the silicone spatula. You should be able to draw a figure eight a few times in a row without the batter breaking. This is how you know the batter is ready to be piped onto a baking sheet.
- 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!
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!
Macarons require a low temperature for baking. I recommend baking them at 300 degrees F for about 12 minutes.
Macarons will last for a few days 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 macaron recipes you'll love
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📖 Recipe
Chai Macarons
Ingredients
For the Chai Macaron Shells:
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 120 g almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 105 g egg whites, about 3
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
For the Cardamom Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 72 g egg whites, about 2
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, 1 ½ sticks, room temp but on the cooler side
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
For the Chai 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 a 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 powdered sugar, almond flour, and spices 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, you can add the vanilla.
- 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 aroung 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. I find that this mixing method ensures that the shells do not bake up hollow.
- 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.
- Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no batter comes away when you touch them.
- Toward the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake the macarons for about 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
For the Cardamom Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Over a small saucepan of simmering water, heat the egg whites, sugar, and salt, whisking frequently until it reaches 160 degrees F or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites do not feel grainy.
- Transfer the egg white mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and wait until the meringue cools down to at least 85 degrees F.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add to the meringue one piece at a time, allowing each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is added, it will likely look curdled, but keep beating for a few more minutes and it will come together.
- Once the buttercream has mostly come together, change the whisk attachment to the paddle and keep mixing on low speed until homogenous and smooth.
- Add the vanilla and cardamom and mix on low speed about 1-2 minutes until fully incorporated.
For Assembly:
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip (I used Ateco 863).
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- For the buttercream - DO NOT add the butter to the swiss meringue until it has cooled down to below 85 degrees F. I have made the mistake of adding it too soon, and the meringue ended up melting the butter and turned the whole thing into a soupy mess. If your meringue has reached stiff peaks before it is cool enough, turn the mixer down to low speed and keep it there until it reaches the right temperature.
Anna says
Loved this recipe so much! The step by step photos are so helpful and the chai flavors were delicious!