Cream Cheese Macaron Filling (6 Ingredients)

It only takes 6 ingredients to enjoy this delicious cream cheese macaron filling. Whip up this easy buttercream recipe in just 8 minutes. 

If you love a classic buttercream filling for your macarons but have been looking for something a little bit unique, this recipe is the one for you.

Try this classic, American-style buttercream made special with the addition of cream cheese. This filling is great as is or layered with other flavors such as cherry compote or peach jam. 

Only requiring 6 ingredients, you’ll be amazed how good of a filling you can make with 8 minutes in the kitchen. With the intricacy of macaron shells, give yourself a nice break with this easy and delicious macaron filling recipe. 

I also have guides for how to bake macaron shells including French method, Swiss method, and Italian method shells. These macaron shells are perfect to pair with cream cheese filling.

• How to achieve a light and airy buttercream texture. 
• Different filling ideas to pair with this cream cheese buttercream to amp up the flavor of your macaron. 
• How to make this filling ahead of time and how to properly store it.

Looking for more macaron-filling recipe ideas? Grab these 15 delicious and easy-to-make macaron filling recipes for free. 

With only a few ingredients, you can enjoy a super unique and delectable cream cheese macaron buttercream.

• Unsalted butter: In this recipe, you are going to want to soften the butter before making the filling. Leave your butter out at room temperature for a little while before using. To check if you have the ideal consistency, see that the butter slightly gives when you push against it but still holds its overall form. Additionally, if you choose to use salted butter instead of unsalted butter, be sure to adjust the amount of added salt.
• Cream cheese: Just like the butter, allow the cream cheese to come up to room temperature before making this recipe. It helps the buttercream form a more cohesive and consistent texture.
• Confectioners' sugar: Make sure you sift the sugar after it's measured. This helps make the buttercream light and fluffy and prevents any large clumps of sugar.
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream is used to thin out the buttercream. You can substitute for half and half or whole milk, if that's all you have on hand.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract gives the buttercream that boost of flavor. You can also use vanilla bean paste if you want to amp up the flavor even more. Just substitute an equal amount. 
• Fine sea salt: It is always important to balance out the sweetness with a little bit of salt. Do not skip this ingredient, or you will find your buttercream will fall flat. Be sure you are measuring out fine sea salt, not Kosher salt for this recipe.

Don't forget you'll also need a few other ingredients for the macaron shells, like egg whites and granulated sugar for the meringue, as well as almond flour and confectioners' sugar. You can find all of that information in my macaron shell post, which covers how to whip meringue to stiff peaks, how to fold the batter, and the best oven temperature to bake the shells.

Buttercream fillings are all about checking for proper consistency. Follow these steps carefully to achieve a perfect cream cheese frosting that pairs perfectly with just about any macaron shell.

1. Combine the room-temperature butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn on the machine to a medium-high speed, and let the two ingredients beat together. 

Keep mixing for about 2 - 3 minutes until you achieve a light and fluffy consistency. If there is buildup on the sides of the bowl, use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed evenly. 

2. Once you have a fluffy consistency, turn the speed down to medium-low and add in the confectioners’ sugar. Allow this to mix until the sugar is combined. 

3. Next, pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and sprinkle in the fine sea salt. Allow all the ingredients to fully combine with the rest of the mixture. 

4. Once everything is fully combined, crank the speed on your mixer up to medium-high and let the buttercream beat for an additional 5 minutes. This is the key step for creating the perfect light and airy texture in your buttercream. 

After the five minutes are up, your buttercream is good to go. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag, and begin to fill your macaron shells. It is always important to pair your macaron shells before filling them with anything. Some shells pair up better than others to achieve the best-looking, symmetrical macarons. Be sure to grab two shells in the batch of macarons that match in shape and size. 

When piping the buttercream, I like to use a ½ inch (12.7 mm) round piping tip. You can line the macarons up on the counter to form an assembly line for filling. I prefer to keep my macarons on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, so they don't move around as I'm piping.

The last step in the macaron process is the maturing stage. After filling the macarons, place them in the refrigerator in an airtight container overnight. This will allow the macarons to soften slightly for a perfect consistency when you bite into them. Additionally, the macaron and filling will develop a deeper flavor as the shell and the filling will marry together.