These blue speckled robin's egg macarons with a rich chocolate french buttercream are the perfect Easter treat!
Jump to Recipe
These cute little robin egg macarons with chocolate french buttercream are the perfect Easter treat! They are a bit of a process to make, but I promise you they are SO worth it. They are filled with a rich, swoon worthy chocolate french buttercream that is surprisingly easy to make! One of the things I love most about pairing this macaron recipe with this buttercream recipe is that no egg yolks will go to waste! In total, these recipes use three full eggs, so need to waste or repurpose leftover yolks. If you have never made macarons before, I can assure you that all of my tips below will help you make them with success!
For more macaron recipes, try Lemon Macarons, Apple Butter Macarons, Salted Caramel Macarons, and Chocolate & Vanilla Swirled Macarons.
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!
- 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!
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added to the egg whites when making the Swiss meringue for the shells. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully! You’ll also need ¼ cup of sugar for the frosting.
- Vanilla Paste: Add a touch of vanilla paste to amplify the flavor!
- Food Gel: Use food gel rather than food coloring to avoid adding to much liquid to the meringue.
- Egg Yolks: You'll need 3 egg yolks for the french buttercream - the perfect match for my macaron recipe, which calls for 3 egg whites!
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature for the buttercream.
- Chocolate: Use semi-sweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate for the french 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 robin's egg macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the macarons. Make the macaron batter by sifting dry ingredients together, then making the separate egg white mixture over a double boiler and whipping into a meringue until stiff peaks form. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in three batches, mixing the batter until it deflates slightly. Transfer batter to a piping bag, pipe macaron circles onto a prepared baking tray and let rest for 30-40 minutes. If creating a speckled look, mix a small amount of black food gel with water and use a clean paint brush to flick black dots all over the shells. Allow to dry for a couple minutes before baking for 8-12 minutes.
STEP 2: Make frosting and assemble. Whip the egg yolks into a thick foam, then add the heated water and sugar mixture. Beat in the butter slowly, then add chocolate, vanilla, and salt. To assemble, pipe a small amount of frosting onto one macaron shell, then top with another and press down slightly to sandwich together.
My 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 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 stabilizes 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 spring recipes you'll love
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
📖 Recipe
Robin's Egg Macarons
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells:
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 120 g almond flour
- 105 g egg whites, about 3 egg whites, room temp
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- blue and black food gel, optional
For the Chocolate French Buttercream:
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon water
- 3 egg yolks, room temp
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
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. You can use an egg shaped template.
- In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice.
- Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has completely 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 mixture reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add food gel and vanilla.
- Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. The best way to test if they are ready is by turing 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 rubber spatula by scraping the sides of bowl, then through the middle of the mixture. 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 gently spreading the mixture on 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 a figure eight without breaking.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round pipping tip (I used Ateco 802). With the egg macaron template placed under the parchment paper on the baking sheet, pipe at a perpendicular angle to fill in the egg outlines. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the 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 mintues, 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.
- If creating a speckled look, mix a small amount of black food gel with water and use a clean paint brush to flick black dots all over the shells. Allow to dry for a couple minutes before baking.
- Bake the macarons for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
For the Chocolate French Buttercream:
- Place the egg yolks in medium bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until thick and foamy while you heat the sugar and water.
- Heat the granulated sugar and water in a small frying pan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F. Do not let it get any hotter.
- While the egg yolks are still whisking, slowly add the sugar syrup into the bowl. Continue beating until the mixture has cooled down to room temperature.
- Add the butter to the mixture one cube at a time, allowing each piece to fully incorporate before adding another.
- Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating until the buttercream is completely smooth.
For Assembly:
- When ready to assemble the macarons, transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a small pipping 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.
Caroline says
It took me a couple of tries to make these right, but they were so worth it once I figured it out. I over-beat the egg whites when making the meringue for my first batch. I read through all of Sloane's tips carefully before trying again, and the second time around they were perfect! Thank you for a great recipe!
Lizzie says
These macarons are heavenly!!! Great recipe, thank you!