Description
Delight in these festive Peppermint Macarons featuring delicate almond meringue shells, dipped white chocolate tops sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy canes, and a smooth peppermint buttercream filling. Perfect for holiday treats or special occasions, these elegant French-style cookies offer a perfect balance of sweetness and refreshing peppermint flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Macaron Shells
- 140 grams super fine almond flour (about 1 ½ cups)
- 120 grams confectioners’ sugar (about 1 cup)
- 100 grams egg whites (about 3 large egg whites), at room temperature
- 110 grams super fine white sugar (about 1 cup + 2 teaspoons)
- 1-2 teaspoons red gel food coloring
Macaron Tops Decoration
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 3-4 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy canes
Peppermint Buttercream
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line one or two baking sheets with silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and allow even baking of macarons.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Using a fine mesh sieve, sift almond flour and then confectioners’ sugar into a large mixing bowl on a scale. Whisk them together thoroughly to combine and set aside.
- Make Meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whip attachment, beat egg whites starting on low speed until soft peaks form (~2 minutes). Gradually add the superfine white sugar while increasing speed to medium and then high until stiff peaks form (~2 more minutes). Add red gel food coloring and beat until combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift the dry almond flour and sugar mixture over the meringue. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until batter ribbons off the spatula continuously without breaking and passes the figure 8 test.
- Pipe Macarons: Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium to large round tip (approximately ½ inch). Pipe 1 to 1 ½ inch rounds onto prepared baking sheets, holding the bag perpendicular to the surface.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Tap baking sheets firmly against the counter multiple times to eliminate air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any persistent bubbles gently.
- Form Skins: Allow piped macarons to rest at room temperature while preheating oven to 300°F. Let them sit until a skin forms on top—this takes 8 minutes to 1 hour. Test by lightly touching without batter sticking.
- Bake Macarons: Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes, checking at 15 minutes and every minute after if needed. Macarons are done when tops are firm and do not wiggle on their bases. Cool completely on mats before removal.
- Melt White Chocolate: Melt chocolate using a double boiler on the stove by simmering water and placing a bowl with chocolate above it, stirring constantly until smooth. Alternatively, microwave in 30-second bursts stirring in between.
- Decorate Macaron Tops: Dip half of the cooled macarons tops into melted white chocolate, sprinkle immediately with crushed peppermint candy canes, and refrigerate to set.
- Make Peppermint Buttercream: Beat softened butter in a stand mixer on high until doubled in volume and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually add confectioners’ sugar, then mix in peppermint extract until fully incorporated.
- Assemble Macarons: Fill a piping bag with the peppermint buttercream fitted with a large ½ inch round tip. Pipe buttercream onto the undecorated bottom halves of the macarons, then top with the decorated macaron shells.
- Mature Macarons: Place assembled macarons in the fridge overnight to allow flavors to meld and textures to soften for optimal taste and texture.
Notes
- Store macarons at room temperature in an airtight container or sealed bag for up to one week.
- For refrigeration, layer macarons carefully in a single layer in an airtight container to avoid cracking, and consume within six weeks.
- To freeze, fully rest macarons at room temperature for 24 hours, then freeze on parchment paper in a single layer until solid (1-2 hours). Store frozen macarons in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- You can freeze unassembled shells similarly; thaw overnight and then proceed with decorating and filling.
- Be cautious not to overmix the meringue to maintain proper macaron texture; the batter should flow like ribbons when folded.
- If you don’t have gel food coloring, powdered or liquid food coloring can be used but might affect batter consistency slightly.
