With Fourth of July coming up, I could not resist making some red, white, and blue macarons! The classic American buttercream filling makes these guys total crowd pleasers. If you have never made macarons before or have struggled in the past, I encourage you to read my 6 Essential Macaron Rules and give them another go! Macarons are one of the most satisfying pastries to nail down, and I promise you can get there by following those rules and sticking to my recipe!
Ingredients you'll need to make these macarons:
- Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for both the macaron shells and the buttercream.
- Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
- Egg Whites: You’ll need about 3 egg whites. 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!
- 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!
- Vanilla Extract: Optional, but always a great flavor addition for both the macaron shells and the buttercream.
- Red and Blue Food Gel: Americolor is my favorite!
- White Nonpareil Sprinkles: Optional, but they make them so cute!
- Unsalted Butter: For the buttercream, use unsalted room temperature butter.
Other Fourth of July Bakes:
- Mixed Berry Pie with Cardamom Rye Crust
- Fourth of July Red Velvet Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
A few tips to make these macarons:
- Read my 6 Essential Macaron Rules to save yourself from some mistakes, wasting good ingredients, and money!
- 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. You can also make the buttercream the day before and chill overnight, but it will need to warm up at room temp for a few hours before it can be piped.
Happy baking! x
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Fourth of July Macarons with American Buttercream
- Yield: 26 macarons 1x
Description
These macarons are the perfect Fourth of July treat! The classic American buttercream filling makes these guys total crowd pleasers.
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells:
- 130g powdered sugar
- 120g almond flour
- 105g egg whites
- 100g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- red and blue food gel
- white nonpareil sprinkles
For the Buttercream:
- 113g unsalted butter (1 stick) (room temp)
- 250-340g powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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 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 and almond flour, then give them a good whisk to fully combine.
- 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. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whisk until the mixture reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the vanilla.
- Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. The best way to test if they are ready is by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall or move at all, then it is ready.
- Once the meringue is ready, start 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, divide the batter in half into two separate bowls. Add the red food gel to one and the blue food gel to the other. Continue folding until the food gel is fully incorporated and the batter is at the right consistency. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
- Transfer the mixtures to two 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 fill in the circles, piping at a perpindicular angle. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the on counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. Add sprinkles to each macaron shell.
- 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 8-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
For the Buttercream:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter on low for a minute or so until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar slowly and mix until fully combined.
- Then, add the salt and vanilla extract. Add more powdered sugar if necessary.
For Assembly:
- When ready to assemble the macarons, transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with an open star tip or other small piping tip. Pipe the buttercream on one shell and place the other shell on top, pressing down ever so slightly to ensure they stick together.
Notes
*Macarons will last a few days at room temperature and up to one week in the fridge.
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