Cookies & Cream Macarons

I'm a huge cookies and cream fan, from ice cream to Oreo Cookies and anything else you can think of. When I started making macarons, I knew I needed to try my hand at making a cookie and cream version ASAP.

I love these macarons exactly as they are, but I also enjoy them with my other easy Oreo buttercream frosting that features more of a chocolate flavor (as opposed to more cream, if you know what I mean). Either way, they're delicious and I know you'll love them as much as I do.

🥘 Ingredients

Oreo Macaron Shells

• Almond Flour - Almond flour is the staple ingredient in macarons and can not be substituted. I recommend Bob's Red Mill almond flour.
• Oreo Crumbs - Remove the filling from 4 Oreo cookies and pulse the chocolate wafer cookies in a food processor until they reach a fine consistency.
• Confectioners' Sugar - Also called icing sugar or powdered sugar, another essential part of making great macaron shells.
• Egg Whites - Let your egg whites come to room temperature before getting started. For sturdier meringue, age your egg whites in the fridge by measuring them in a bowl, covering them with plastic wrap with some holes in it, and refrigerating them for 24 hours.
• Cream of Tartar - I always use cream of tartar in my macarons because it stabilizes the egg whites, which makes a stronger meringue, and also adds a great airy texture.
• Sugar - Regular granulated white sugar will also stabilize the egg whites (for a great meringue) and keep the shells airy for a perfect texture.

Oreo Buttercream

• Double Stuff Oreos - You can use the filling from the Oreos that you used for the macaron shells, plus some more. Save the cookies to make Oreo cookie crumbs for the frosting, processed to be fine or chunky depending on your preference.
• Butter - Butter is best for buttercream frosting when it is at room temperature, between 67-70°F (19-21°C).
• Confectioners' Sugar - This adds sweetness and thickens your frosting.

🔪 How To Make Cookies & Cream Macarons

Take your time and read through each step thoroughly, as macarons can be tricky. You will need a stand mixer, some baking sheets, a mixing bowl, a sieve, a food processor, and a kitchen scale.

This recipe yields 22 assembled macarons or approximately 44 macaron shells.

Prepare the Macaron Batter

Add. In your food processor bowl, add 100 grams of almond flour, 30 grams of Oreo cookie crumbs, and 130 grams of confectioners sugar (photo 1).

Blend. Pulse the mixture for about a minute or until everything is a fine powder. Then, sift the mixture into a large mixing bowl and set it aside (photo 2).

Whisk. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 100 grams of egg whites and ⅛ teaspoon of cream of tartar (photo 3). Beat on medium-high speed using the whisk attachment until soft peaks form (photo 4- typically when you can see the tracks from the whisk).

Slowly add sugar. Gradually add 90 grams of sugar while continuing to mix.

Keep mixing. Keep beating the egg whites until they reach stiff peaks (photo 5), being careful not to over or undermix them.

Begin combining. Use a spatula to add ⅓ of the meringue to your dry ingredients (photo 6) and begin to gently fold.

Repeat. Once combined, add the second ⅓, fold again, and then add the final ⅓ portion of the meringue (photo 7).

Fold. Once all of the meringue has been added, continue to slowly fold the mixture by making a 'J' shape, turning the bowl 90°, and repeating the process. Fold until the batter falls off the spatula in ribbons and takes about 10 seconds to sink back into itself.

Pipe & Bake the Shells

Prepare. Add your batter to a piping bag with a Wilton #12 tip or a storage bag with the tip cut off, and line your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Pipe. Hold the piping bag at a 90° angle above your baking sheet (in the center of the circle, if using a template) and firmly squeeze without moving the bag until the batter fills the inner circle of the template. Then, stop squeezing and make a quick C shape to break off the batter. If not using a template, simply make uniform-sized circles. Repeat with all of the remaining batter (photo 8).

Remove air. Lift the baking sheet about 8 inches above the counter and drop it 5-8 times to remove any air bubbles. Then, take a toothpick and pop any that you can still see (it is slightly more difficult to spot the bubbles due to the speckled nature of these shells).

Rest. Leave the macaron shells to rest for 30-60 minutes or until they are no longer tacky to the touch and lose their glossy sheen.

Preheat. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C/Gas Mark 2).

Bake. Bake your shells in the lower/middle rack of your oven for 13-18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway, or until they don't budge on their 'feet' if you give them a gentle nudge.

Cool. Remove the shells from the oven and let them cool on the sheet (photo 9) for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Make the Oreo Buttercream

Add. Add the filling from 12 double-stuffed Oreos and 4 tablespoons of room-temperature butter to your mixing bowl (photo 10).

Mix. Beat, starting on low and slowly increasing to medium-high speed, until smooth and well combined.

Finish. Add the ¼ cup (30 grams) of confectioners sugar and crushed 2 tablespoons of Oreo cookie crumbs (photo 11) and beat again until thoroughly combined (photo 12).

Assemble the Macarons

Transfer. Transfer your buttercream to a piping bag with a large tip or a storage bag with the tip cut off.

Pipe. Take one of your macaron shells and pipe the buttercream into the center (photo 13).

Assemble. Gently press a second macaron shell on top to make the sandwich.

Repeat. Repeat with the remaining shells and buttercream.

Chill. For best results, place your macarons into a sealed container and let them bloom in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• Use your food processor. I recommend crushing your Oreos by pulsing them in your food processor for a few seconds. This will make the mixture finer than it would if you just crushed them in a storage bag (which makes them easier to pass through your sieve). 
• Pop the air bubbles. Look out for any air bubbles lingering below the surface of your macaron shells. The speckled color of the shells makes them harder to spot, but you'll want to try to pop all of them to keep your shells from cracking.
• Weigh your ingredients. I strongly recommend weighing your ingredients for macarons. However, if you want to try your hand at skipping the scale, I measured everything out for you.
  • ¾ cup + 1½ tablespoons almond flour
  • 4 Oreo cookies with no filling, crushed
  • ¾ cup +2½ tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  • 3-4 large egg whites
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup +2½ tablespoons sugar
• Have stiff peaks. Make sure your meringue reaches stiff peaks before incorporating it into your dry ingredients. Over and under mixed meringue can cause issues with your cookies.
• Reach the right consistency. Macaronage (or the process of folding the batter) is crucial to proper shells. See the top tip above in the instructions section.
• Try this buttercream. To make these macarons richer and more chocolate-based, swap this buttercream for my other Oreo buttercream frosting. Of course, you can make any flavor combination you like using one of my other buttercream frosting recipes, too.

🥡 Storing

Place your fully assembled macarons into a sealed container and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months (let them bloom in the fridge for 24 hours before freezing).

Once cooled, you can store your unfilled shells in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

📖 Recipe Card