strawberry macarons

These adorable little heart-shaped strawberry macarons are infused with strawberry flavor in every layer (no artificial flavoring)! So good, you wouldn’t want to share!

Strawberry Macarons

½ cup 10 gramsr freeze-dried strawberries

almond flour

g sugar

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

gcup sugar

Red gel food coloring

(40 grams) unsalted butter, softened

(100 grams) powdered sugar

heavy whipping cream

strawberry jam (plus additional 2-3 tablespoons for the filling)

vanilla extract

coarse kosher salt

To make macaron shells, place the freeze-dried strawberries between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, crush the strawberries into a fine powder. (TIP: Do this step right before you begin making macarons, because the strawberry powder draws in moisture and affects the texture of the batter.)

In a medium bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and powdered strawberries twice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the meringue until hard peaks form. Add couple drops of red food coloring. Beat on medium speed for one more minute. (Watch this meringue video for more information.)

Sift the almond flour mixture over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to over mix it though. Every so often test the batter to see if it reached the right consistency. To test the batter, drop a small amount of the batter and count to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within about ten seconds, then the batter is ready. I repeat, do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter couple more times and test again. This step is so crucial, so please make sure to test often to ensure not to over mix the batter.

Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. (I used this Wilton #12 plain round tip.)

Place the template with hearts under the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pipe the batter as if you’re drawing two hooks facing each other, tracing the template. You’ll get about 58 single shells on 2 baking sheets.

Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don’t release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the beautiful macarons shells. If needed, use a toothpick to pop stubborn air bubbles and smooth out the shells.

Let the macarons rest and dry for at least 15-30 minutes. On a humid day, it might take an hour or so. To see if it’s ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn’t stick to your finger, then it’s ready.

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Bake the macarons for 18-20 minutes. To check the doneness, remove one macaron. If the bottom does not stick, they are done.

Transfer to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, and then carefully remove from the baking sheets.

To make buttercream filling, while macarons are drying, prepare the strawberry buttercream. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, strawberry jam, vanilla extract and salt and beat until well combined. Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag.

To assemble the macarons, pair the shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack, or a baking sheet. Turn half of the shells upside and pipe the buttercream filling around the edges, leaving a small hole in the middle. Using a small spoon, drop a small amount of strawberry jam in the hole, or place strawberry jam in a piping bag and pipe the jam in the middle of the filling. Cover with the other shell and done!

To mature the macarons, place the filled macarons in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving. It's ok to indulge right away, if you're impatient like me!

Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 3 months.

These strawberry macarons are filled with a super simple cream cheese frosting and homemade strawberry jam!

strawberries (fresh

sugar

cornstarch

lemon juice

lemon zest (optional)

egg whites (room temperature)

cream of tartar

granulated sugar

almond flour (sifted)

powdered sugar (sifted)

vanilla bean paste (optional)

pink gel food coloring

white nonpareils (for topping)

unsalted butter (room temperature)

cream cheese (room temperature)

powdered sugar

kosher salt

I recommend making the jam the night before you want to make the macarons so that it has time to fully cool.

Add all of the strawberry jam ingredients to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the jam to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. Transfer the jam to a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature.

Strawberry Jam

Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.

Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar (make sure to add the sugar in very slowly so that the meringue doesn’t deflate).

Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk until soft peaks form. Add in the vanilla bean paste and 1-2 drops of pink gel food coloring and continue to whisk on high until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.

Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.

Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.

If desired, lightly sprinkle nonpareils on top of the piped macarons.

Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.

While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F degrees.

Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.

Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.

Macarons

In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

Add in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until fully combined.

Add in the vanilla and salt and mix until smooth.

Match up your shells before piping, and then turn one side over. Pipe the cream cheese filling in a circle around the edge of the shell. Then spoon a little bit of strawberry jam into the center and top with the matching shell.

Put the assembled strawberry macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they&#39;re perfectly soft and tender!]

Cream Cheese Filling

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Strawberry Macarons

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The most viewed strawberry macarons recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Strawberry Macarons

Strawberry Macarons

The most viewed strawberry macarons recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine