Strawberry Macarons

I have been on such a huge macaron-making kick lately and I've been loving every minute of it. As soon as you get over the fear of possibly making a mistake, making macarons becomes so much fun.

These strawberry macarons are the perfect mix of fruity and sweet. I enjoy having a jam filling in the center, but the cream cheese frosting makes a great standalone filling, too.

🥘 Ingredients

Vanilla Macaron Shells (above, left)

• Almond Flour - You can't make macarons without almond flour. I recommend using a brand that is finely ground (such as Bob's Red Mill).
• Confectioners' Sugar - Or powdered sugar, is another key ingredient in macarons.
• Egg Whites - Use room temperature egg whites, making sure that they are clear of any yolk.
• Vanilla - Pure vanilla extract will always give you the best results.
• Cream of Tartar - A small amount of cream of tartar helps to stabilize the meringue.
• Sugar - Some regular granulated sugar for the meringue. Finely ground sugar, such as caster sugar, is best.
• Food Coloring - Red or pink gel food coloring makes these cookies extra fun with a recognizable strawberry color.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (above, right)

• Freeze-Dried Strawberries - I have always had success finding freeze-dried fruits at Target and Wal-Mart, but I'm sure other grocery stores sell them as well. Of course, you can buy a freeze dryer for long-term food storage (I love mine)!
• Butter - Let your butter soften to room temperature.
• Cream Cheese - You can use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese at room temperature.
• Confectioners' Sugar - Powdered sugar both sweetens and thickens your frosting.
• Vanilla - Some vanilla extract adds an extra layer of flavor.
• Strawberry Jam (optional) - I like to add some jam to the center of my macarons, but you can use only the frosting if you prefer.
• White Nonpareils (optional) - These make for a fun decoration but use whatever you like.

🔪 How To Make Strawberry Macarons

Learning how to perfect macarons takes practice, but even the ones that don't turn out wonderfully still taste amazing. You will need a sieve, a food processor, a stand mixer, some baking sheets, a kitchen scale, and your macaron mats.

This recipe will make 20 assembled macarons.

Make the Macaron Batter

Step 1: Pulse the dry ingredients. Add 125 grams of almond flour and 125 grams of confectioners sugar to the bowl of your food processor (photo 1) and then pulse it several times until you have a fine flour mixture.

Step 2: Sift. Sift the mixture into a large mixing bowl (photo 2) and then set it aside.

Step 3: Begin making the meringue. Pour 100 grams of egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer (photo 3) and beat it using the whisk attachment at medium speed until foamy (photo 4).

Step 4: Keep mixing. Add ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar and then continue mixing until you have soft peaks (photo 5) and can see track marks left by the whisk.

Step 5: Add sugar. Very slowly add 80 grams of sugar into the meringue in small increments, giving the mixer time to incorporate it between each addition.

Step 6: Add vanilla. Once all the sugar has been added, add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and red or pink gel food coloring (photo 6).

Step 7: Mix. Continue mixing at medium-high speed until you have very stiff peaks (photo 7).

Step 8: Start folding. Scoop ⅓ of the meringue into the bowl with your flour (photo 8) and use a silicone spatula to gently fold them together.

Step 9: Repeat. Repeat this process two more times with the remaining ⅔ of the meringue (photos 9, 10).

Step 10: Finish. After all of the meringue has been added, keep folding the batter until it reaches a consistency that is similar to lava and just barely falls off the spatula in ribbons.

Pipe, Rest, & Bake

Step 11: Prepare. Transfer the macaron batter to a large piping bag with a round tip (photo 11 - or a storage bag with the tip cut off) and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Step 12: Pipe. Hold your piping bag about ¼-inch above the mat at a 90° angle and firmly squeeze until the batter forms a circle of your desired size (photo 12). Stop squeezing and quickly make a C shape to break the batter. Finish piping the remaining macarons.

Step 13: Pop the air bubbles. Lift the baking sheet about 5 inches above the counter and repeatedly drop it to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Then, use a toothpick to pop any lingering bubbles.

Step 14: Add sprinkles. If desired, sprinkle the optional white nonpareils over the top (photo 13).

Step 15: Rest. Leave the macarons to rest for 30-60 minutes or until they have formed a skin and are no longer sticky to the touch.

Step 16: Preheat. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 300°F (140°C/Gas Mark 2).

Step 17: Bake. Once they are done resting, bake the macarons for 15-18 minutes or until they don't move on their feet when nudged.

Step 18: Cool. Remove them from the oven (photo 14) and let them cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.

Make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

Step 19: Crush the strawberries. Place ½ ounce (14 grams) of freeze-dried strawberries into a storage bag and roll over it with a rolling pin to crush the berries (photo 15). Set it aside.

Step 20: Beat the butter and cream cheese. Place ½ cup (113.5 grams) of butter and 4 ounces (113.5 grams) of cream cheese into the bowl of your stand mixer (photo 16) and use the paddle attachment to beat it at medium speed for a few minutes until it is light in color and smooth (photo 17).

Step 21: Add. Add 1 cup (120 grams) of confectioner's sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and continue to mix until well combined (photo 18).

Step 22: Mix in the strawberries. Add the crushed freeze-dried strawberries and continue to mix, scraping down the bowl as needed, until thoroughly combined (photo 19).

Step 23: Finish. Pour in the remaining confectioner's sugar and keep mixing until combined, then turn the speed to medium-high and mix for another minute or so (photo 20).

Step 24: Transfer. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with your preferred tip.

Assemble

Step 25: Match. Match your macaron shells based on size, and then flip one over (photo 21).

Step 26: Pipe the frosting. Pipe a ring of the strawberry frosting around the outside of the shell (photo 22).

Step 27: Add jam. Fill the center cavity with some of your ¼ cup (85 grams) of strawberry jam (photo 23).

Step 28: Store. Press the matching shell on top and then transfer your macarons to a storage container in the fridge for 24 hours for the flavors to bloom.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes

• Save your leftover frosting. This recipe will make enough strawberry cream cheese frosting to generously fill all of your macarons. If you use the jam in the center, you will have some frosting left over. 
• Use stiff meringue. You'll know your meringue has reached stiff peaks when it begins to gather inside the whisk. Once you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the meringue should stick straight up and not droop down. 
• Keep an eye on the food coloring. If you are new to making macarons, go light-handed on the food coloring (or leave it out altogether). Too much coloring can add extra moisture that can interfere with your macarons.
• Try out a template. Using a macaron template is an easy way to get consistent sizing with your shells. You can buy silicone macaron mats or parchment paper with the template printed on it, or just print out a template online and slide it under your parchment paper while you are piping.

🥡 Storing

Keep baked macaron shells stored in a sealed container for up to 6 days.

After you have added your filling, macarons should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3-6 months.

Freezing

If freezing them, they still need to chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours before moving them into the freezer. Then, they can be frozen for up to 3 months.

📖 Recipe Card