Spiced Macarons with Gingerbread German Buttercream

These spiced macarons with gingerbread german buttercream are essentially the fancy version of Christmas gingerbread cookies. 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!

Ingredients you'll need to make these macarons:

• 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. 

How to make gingerbread german buttercream:

German buttercream is made from a base of pastry cream with butter beat into it. The classic gingerbread flavor is achieved by adding dark brown sugar, molasses, and spices in the pastry cream. 

1. Start with the pastry cream – heat the milk in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer or about 200 degrees F.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, cornstarch, and spices together for 2-3 minutes until fully combined.
3. Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour half into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking at the same time to temper the eggs. 
4. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. After a few minutes, it will begin to thicken.
5. Once it has thickened and large bubbles come to the surface, continue whisking for one more minute, then remove from heat.
6. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly up against the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill overnight. Alternatively, you could place the bowl of pastry cream over a water bath and whisk constantly until it cools down to 70 degrees F - you can immediately turn it into buttercream at this point. 
7. If the pastry cream was chilled overnight, make the buttercream by beating the pastry cream for about 10 minutes on low speed until it warms up to about 70 degrees. 
8. Add the vanilla and butter, a few cubes at a time, and beat on medium speed. If it looks curdled at all, continue beating on low speed until smooth.

A few tips to make these spiced macarons with gingerbread german buttercream:

• 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! 

Happy baking! x

Spiced Macarons with Gingerbread German Buttercream

• Author: Sloane
• Yield: 25 macarons 1x

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Description

Made with dark brown sugar, molasses, and spices, these macarons taste just like gingerbread!

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Ingredients

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For the Macaron Shells:

• 130g powdered sugar
• 120g almond flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 105g egg whites (about 3)
• 100g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

For the Buttercream:

• 2 egg yolks
• 106g dark brown sugar
• 15g molasses
• 12g cornstarch
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 170g whole milk
• 170g unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

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Instructions

For the Macaron Shells:

1. 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.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and spices twice.
3. 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.
4. 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 paste.
5. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. The best way to test if it is ready is by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall or move at all, then it is ready.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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. 
9. 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:

1. Start with the pastry cream – heat the milk in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer or about 200 degrees F.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, cornstarch, and spices together for 2-3 minutes until fully combined.
3. Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour half into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking at the same time to temper the eggs. 
4. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly. After a few minutes, it will begin to thicken.
5. Once it has thickened and large bubbles come to the surface, continue whisking for one more minute, then remove from heat.
6. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly up against the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill overnight. Alternatively, you could place the bowl of pastry cream over a water bath and whisk constantly until it cools down to 70 degrees F - you can immediately turn it into buttercream at this point. 
7. If the pastry cream was chilled overnight, make the buttercream by beating the pastry cream for about 10 minutes on low speed until it warms up to about 70 degrees. 
8. Add the vanilla and butter, a few cubes at a time, and beat on medium speed. If it looks curdled at all, continue beating on low speed until smooth.

For Assembly:

1. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip (I used Ateco #864).
2. 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. 

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