French Macarons with Buttercream Filling

If you’ve got one hour and the right tools, these sweet and festive French macarons are fun to make — and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Careful sifting, mixing, and baking will ensure a crunchy top and chewy interior for these classic macarons. Mix in a few drops of color for a beautifully custom bite-sized dessert! 

Time + Yield

• Prep Time: 55 minutes
• Bake Time: 9-11 minutes
• Yield: 30 one-inch macarons

Ingredients

Macarons

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 egg whites at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• food coloring

Buttercream Filling

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• food coloring

Materials

• baking sheets (2)
• parchment paper
• sifter or sieve
• stand or hand mixer and whisk
• piping bags* (2)
• round piping tips* (large and  medium)

*If you don’t have piping bags or decorating tips, you can use large zip-close bags instead. Trim off the corner to allow your batter or filling to flow easily (without squeezing too hard).

Directions

Macaron Shells

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar with a sifter (cleaner) or fine-mesh sieve (easier) into a mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form (about two minutes). Add granulated sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks* form (about two minutes). Add vanilla extract and beat on high speed another thirty seconds.
4. Fold in dry ingredients to combine.* Add food coloring if desired, and gently mix until food coloring is smoothly incorporated and you achieve a lava-like consistency. Do not stir excessively. More mixing = runnier batter = flatter macarons.
5. Transfer macaron mixture into a large piping bag with a large round piping tip. Pipe batter* into circles that are 3/4-inch across (diameter) and 1 inch apart. Tap baking sheets on a hard surface to remove air bubbles. Set aside (at room temperature) until the shells form a skin (20-30 minutes).*
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and skip ahead to preparing the filling (see Buttercream Filling directions below).
6. Once a skin has formed on the shells, bake for 9-11 minutes at 325 degrees F, rotating the baking sheets halfway (and swapping sheets from top to bottom rack if applicable). Check at 9 minutes by lifting a shell from each baking sheet. When shells are ready, they should lift easily from parchment, and the bottoms should NOT be brown. (If the bottoms are beginning to brown, remove from oven immediately and transfer macarons off the hot pan.)
7. Remove shells from pan and match them up in pairs while they are cooling.

Buttercream Filling

1. In a mixing bowl, whip butter* on medium to high speed until creamy (2-4 minutes, depending on temperature).
2. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add food coloring if desired, and beat until mixed.*
3. Transfer filling into a small piping bag with a medium round piping tip.*
   Return to complete the Macaron Shells directions above.

Assembling the Macarons

1. When shells have cooled, pipe buttercream filling in a circle on one shell of each pair.*
2. Sandwich the macaron cookies together.