French Meringue Buttercream Macaron Filling
Looking for a simple yet delicious filling for your macarons that's not too sugary? Try this French meringue buttercream filling made with egg yolks.
Servings: 30 macarons
Calories: 124kcal
Equipment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- light colored baking sheets
- silicone mat or parchment paper
- pastry bag with ½ inch (1.3 cm) round tip
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
- purple gel food coloring (optional)
French Meringue Buttercream
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup cold but slightly soft unsalted butter cut into 1 tablespoon (14 grams) pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
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 mixing 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. 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 gently 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.
- Optionally, add a dot of purple food coloring using a toothpick. A very small amount of purple food coloring can help the macaron shells look more white. 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 mixture has 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. Don't over macaronage the batter or the macarons will not properly bake in the oven.
- Pour the batter into the 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 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. If you notice the macarons are browning or dulling in the oven, once the macarons have formed feet and a solid top (this usually takes at least 10 minutes), place a piece of aluminum foil over the macarons for the remaining cooking time. 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 French Meringue Buttercream
- Mix egg yolks with an electric hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed until the eggs are thick and slightly foamy, about 1–2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add granulated sugar and water to a small saucepan. Heat the saucepan over medium high heat, without stirring, until the sugar has fully dissolved and reaches 240°F (115°C) on a digital thermometer.
- Once the sugar has reached temperature, turn the mixer speed to medium-high, and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl. Be sure the sugar runs down the bowl and doesn’t hit the whisk attachment, or it will splatter on the side of the mixer bowl. Continue to whip up on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and slightly thicker, about 2–3 minutes. Once the mixture is done whipping, the outside of the mixing bowl will be cool to the touch.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add vanilla extract and salt and mix to combine. Add in butter 1 tablespoon (14 grams) at a time. Allow each piece of butter to fully beat in before adding in a new piece. Scrape down the side of the mixing bowl as needed. Mix on medium high speed for an additional 30 seconds once all of the butter has been added to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
- Match up macaron shells with a similar size/shaped plain shell. Pipe buttercream on one side of the macaron shell using a ½ inch (3.8 cm) round piping tip. Gently, place the matching macaron on top of the buttercream.
- Place the macarons in an airtight container, and mature with the filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor.
- The macarons will last for 5–7 days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
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).
Nutrition
Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.3mg
