Spiced Macarons with Gingerbread German Buttercream

Made with dark brown sugar, molasses, and spices, these macarons taste just like gingerbread! If you have never made macarons before or need some extra guidance, read my 6 Essential Macaron Rules in this post!

For more gingerbread recipes, try Gingerbread Blondies, Gingerbread Bundt Cake, Soft Gingerbread Cutout Cookies, and Gingerbread Molasses Cranberry Pie with Swiss Meringue.

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!
• Spices: For both the macaron shells and the german buttercream, I used a combination of spices for a traditional gingerbread flavor: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. 
• 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 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! You’ll also need ½ cup of sugar for the chocolate caramel ganache. 
• Vanilla Paste: Add a touch of vanilla paste to both the macaron shells and the german buttercream to amplify the flavor!
• Egg Yolks: You'll need two egg yolks (30-35g) for the pastry cream.
• Brown Sugar: Rather than using granulated sugar in the pastry cream, use dark brown sugar for a rich molasses flavor. 
• Unsulphured Molasses: For a stunning, undeniable gingerbread flavor, add 15g of molasses to the pastry cream. 
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch aids in thickening the pastry cream.
• Whole Milk: Always use whole milk for the best flavor in baked goods.
• Unsalted Butter: You'll need 1 ½ sticks of room temperature unsalted butter for the german 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 spiced macaron with gingerbread German buttercream recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the macarons. Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and spices twice in a medium bowl, then heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl and whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. Add the vanilla paste and whisk until stiff peaks form. Start the macaronage by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients carefully until mostly combined. Fold in the remainder of the dry ingredients until combined, then begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly until you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking. Pipe the batter into circles on your baking sheet, rest for 30-40 minutes, then bake for 8-12 minutes.

STEP 2: Make the buttercream. Start with the pastry cream – simmer the milk in a saucepan, then in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, cornstarch, and spices together for 2-3 minutes until fully combined. Pour half of the simmering milk into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking at the same time to temper the eggs. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens. Whisk for one more minutes, then remove from heat. Chill overnight, then beat pastry cream for 10 minutes on low speed, adding vanilla and butter slowly until buttercream is smooth.

STEP 3: Assemble. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip (I used Ateco #864). Pair the macaron shells up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.

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.  
• 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.
• If you liked this recipe, check out my other macaron recipes! 

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