Delicious strawberry macarons that are easy to make and kid-friendly. The perfect crunchy cookie filled with strawberry buttercream. My fave French dessert
Strawberry Macarons
Last week, we went strawberry picking and since we had so much fun, we accidentally picked up 10 lbs of strawberries. When we came home, my husband instantly wanted to freeze them for his morning smoothies. My daughters protested and he agreed to let us have a couple of pounds. Now their lunchboxes have been filled with strawberries every day.
So with those, I got to make strawberry macarons. These delicate macarons are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and filled with a creamy strawberry buttercream in the center. I made it less sweet to accentuate the berry flavor.
Did you know that these cookies are gluten-free? That’s right! they contain almond flour instead of regular wheat flour.
Ever since I started baking, french patisserie has always been my favorite thing to make. Granted, they are 100000x times more complicated than regular desserts but they are definitely worth it. These strawberry macarons are very easy to make. Don’t worry, below are a few tricks to ensure your macaron success.
Now that Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, take them to work, and school and place them in a nice box for your valentine. My husband already ate half of them so I guess I’ll need to find a new gift for him. The rest I will give it to my daughter’s teachers (if my husband doesn’t finish them by Friday).
These Strawberry Macarons are perfect to make with kids. My 8-year-old piped the cookies and then frosted them. She had so much fun that the next weekend she asked to make them again. I’ll think of new flavors to fill them with.
I hope you can try these delicious Strawberry Macarons at home. If you do, please upload a pic on Instagram and tag me @Livingsweetmoments or use the hashtag #LivingSweet. I promise to repost it.
Strawberry Macarons
Ingredients
For Macarons
- 3 Large Egg Whites at room temperature*
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2-3 Drops of gel red food coloring optional
For Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 3/4 cups confectioners sugar more if needed
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of fresh strawberry puree strained
Instructions
- Line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper
- Sift almond meal and confectioners sugar together. Discard the bigger bits of almond leftover on the strainer
- On the bowl of a mixer, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Mix using the whisk attachment on medium speed for 5 minutes or until soft peaks form
- Slowly add the granulated sugar and the food coloring. Mix on high speed until hard peaks form
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the egg whites with a spatula. Make sure batter is completely incorporated but do not OVERMIX
- Place batter into the piping bag and spoon equal mounds of batter that resemble a circular shape
- Let the macarons rest UNBAKED for 30-40 minutes
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit
- Bang the cookie sheets 3-4 times against the counter. This will release the air bubbles inside the cookies
- After the macarons have rested, bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are solid
- Remove from oven and let them cool
- For Strawberry Buttercream
- Mix the butter and confectioners sugar together until creamy
- Add the strawberry juice and mix until combined and creamy. Test for flavor, if sweetness is needed, add 1-2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar
- Assembly
- Place buttercream in a piping bag
- Spoon mounds of cream into the center of half of the cookies
- Sandwich the other cookie halves into the cookies with the cream
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Notes
- Eggs absolutely have to be at room temperature
- Macarons can discolor slightly during the baking process, so add 1-2 extra drops of food coloring
- Let the macarons rest for a minimum of 30-40 minutes BEFORE baking
- It's important no to overmix the batter
Nutrition
You may also like:
Vegan Meringue Cookies
French Financiers
My shells did not grow a “skin”, I think. They’re really soft, did not grow feet and floated. This is my third time making macarons, but I’m not sure how long I should mix in the det ingredients.
Hi Felicia, 2 things may have happened:
– Did you wait an hour before putting them in the oven? That’s the secret for the skin to dry up
– When adding the egg whites, did you overmix the batter? The egg whites may have deflated
I just discovered what was the mistake in my macaron recipe. I didn’t let rest unbaked the macaron before cook. My macarons were like a melted monster.
Macarons can be very temperamental and iffy. It took me a few tries to get them right. Hope you nail them the next time!
I added 3/4 C puree & 3 Tbsp of white sugar to buttercream frosting on top of what the recipe calls for. They taste marvelous!! Feet and all!! Nice chewy bite after you take the 1st bite!! 1st time I have ever made these. Thank You so much for this easy and detailed recipe! I also baked them in half intervals, turning the pan halfway through.
Glad you liked them Michelle! Thanks for the feedback
Opening the oven to rotate them didnt deflate them?
It may Maryann.
Can these last in the freezer?
Yes, in an airtight container Katelyn