Banana Split Macarons

5 from 1 vote

Everything you love about a banana split packed into a French macaron. Combine banana buttercream with chocolate ganache (and your favorite toppings) for the perfect banana split flavor.

Prep Time1

Cook Time19

Resting Time1

Total Time2 19

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: macarons

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Jessica Mode

Equipment

digital kitchen scale
fine mesh strainer
stand mixer with whisk attachment
light colored baking sheets
silicone mat or parchment paper
macaron template
pastry bag with ½ inch (1.3 cm) round tip
silicone spatula
oven thermometer

Ingredients

Macaron Shells

112 grams egg whites
140 grams super fine almond flour
140 grams confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
126 grams granulated sugar
3 drops pink gel food coloring
3 drops yellow gel food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened to room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Banana Buttercream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 ounces cold cream cheese
¼ large ripe banana roughly chopped into small pieces
1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar measured then sifted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For Macaron Shells

Separate egg whites from yolks, and allow egg whites to come to room temperature.
Measure dry ingredients using a kitchen scale. Double-sift the almond flour and confectioners' sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
Wipe down the mixer bowl and whisk attachment with a little white vinegar on a paper towel to remove any leftover oils.
Print off the macaron template. Place them on a light colored sheet pan underneath a piece of parchment paper.
Prepare your piping bag with a ½ inch (1.3 cm) round tip. Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make pouring the batter easy and clean.
Add room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed until the eggs are very foamy, about 3 minutes. Add a third of the granulated sugar at a time, allowing the mixer to beat in each batch of sugar for about 45 seconds before adding in another batch.
Once all the granulated sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium-high, and allow the egg whites to continue to whip until stiff peaks form, about 10–11 minutes. Once at stiff peaks, you'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk and is glossy. To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out. Make sure not to overbeat the meringue at this stage (this is when the egg whites look dull or curdled).
Pour the sifted almond flour and confectioners' sugar into the meringue mixture, and fold them together using a silicone spatula. Continue until all the meringue is fully incorporated and no dry bits of almond flour remain on the bottom of the bowl.
Evenly, divide the batter into 3 medium-sized mixing bowls. Add pink gel coloring to one bowl, yellow gel coloring to another bowl, and leave the last bowl white. Then, begin working the batter until everything is fully incorporated (this is called the macaronage process). Slowly, spread the mixture along the side of the bowl, then wipe it back down. Be sure to do this gently. Repeat, until the mixtures have reached a smooth, shiny, flowing consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once the batter drops back into the bowl, it should take about 10–15 seconds for the ribbon that formed to "disappear" back into the rest of the batter.
Spoon each color of batter in a straight line on a piece of plastic wrap. Carefully, roll the plastic wrap up so all the colors are enclosed. Cut off the tip of one end of the plastic wrap, and insert it open side down into a prepared piping bag. Hold the bag vertically, and pipe 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) circles. Once you have reached the desired size, release the pressure on the bag, and twist your wrist without lifting up. Continue until no batter remains.
Bang the sheet pan down on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop the air bubbles with a toothpick. Allow the batter to sit on the counter and dry for 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining the macaron. This resting time will vary depending on the humidity (they may take up to 90+ minutes to dry if you live in a humid or rainy environment). While the macarons are drying, place the oven thermometer in the center rack of the oven. Heat oven to 300°F (150°C).
Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 19–23 minutes. You can test that the macarons are done by gently touching the edge and the feet of the macarons. If the shell wiggles, is sticky, or wet, the macarons need to bake longer. Remove macarons from the oven, and allow the pan to rest on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.

For Chocolate Ganache

Place chocolate morsels and butter in a medium-sized heat-safe bowl.
Heat heavy cream in the microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 45–60 seconds until the heavy cream begins to steam (but doesn’t boil over). Immediately, pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Make sure all of the chocolate is submerged under the cream. Allow the mixture to sit, without stirring, for 3 minutes.
Add vanilla extract and fine sea salt to the chocolate. Stir until the mixture is smooth and fully blended. If there are still bits of chocolate or butter after stirring for 60–90 seconds, heat the mixture in the microwave on 50 percent power (medium) for an additional 15 seconds, then stir until the correct consistency forms.
Transfer ganache to a shallow container, and press plastic wrap against the surface of the ganache (to prevent a skin from forming on top). Place the ganache in the fridge, and allow the mixture to cool until it’s firm enough to pipe, about 1–2 hours.

For Banana Buttercream

Beat butter, cream cheese, and banana in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer as needed.
Add confectioners' sugar; mix on medium-low speed until combined.
Add vanilla extract and fine sea salt; mix until fully combined.
Set the mixer to medium-high speed, and allow the buttercream to beat for an additional 30 seconds until light and fluffy. Allow the filling to slightly set in the refrigerator before piping.
Match up macaron shells so that they are paired with a similar size/shaped shell. Pipe the banana buttercream filling along the outer edge of one side of the macaron shell using a ½ inch (1.3 cm) round piping tip. Pipe chocolate ganache on the inside of the banana buttercream. Gently, place the matching shell on top of the filling.
Mature the macarons with the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor.
Store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–5 days. To serve, eat the macarons straight from the refrigerator so they're cold like a banana split.

Notes

Having trouble with your macarons? See the full troubleshooting guide above.

Whipping the meringue to stiff peaks (not over or under) is one of the most crucial steps when making macarons. Both under-whipped and over-whipped meringue can result in cracked shells. This is because the meringue needs to have the proper structure in order to rise in the oven.

In order to achieve stiff peaks, you need to learn the visual cues you can use to know that your meringue has whipped to stiff peaks:

You'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while it's mixing.
Pull the whisk out of the mixer. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip).
You can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
The meringue feels sturdy (not flimsy).

You may need to adjust your oven temperature. If your oven temperature is too low, your macarons will generally be wrinkled. If your oven is too hot, the macarons will be browned or cracked.

If your macarons aren't developing a skin or drying out, it's likely because it's too humid in your kitchen. Many people often run dehumidifiers or air conditioning in the kitchen to help.

Don't cut the resting time short. If your macarons don't dry long enough, they won't properly bake. I prefer to dry my macarons for 60–90 minutes.

Wondering how long to macaronage your batter? There's really not a set time. It all depends on the recipe, your specific ingredients and environment, and even the amount of batter you are making. If you're in doubt while macaronaging, it's better to undermix a little bit. Overmixing causes more detrimental mistakes that are more noticeable (cracking, no feet development, etc.). If your egg whites aren't fully whipped to stiff peaks, this will happen really quickly and become too runny.

Learn more about how to properly store macarons.

Nutrition