Churro Macarons have a classic french macaron shell rolled in cinnamon-sugar and filled with dulce de leche.

Macarons are one of my favorite things to make, but they are definitely tricky. They have a mind of their own and one wrong step in the recipe can totally change the end result. BUT they are also so fun to make, a major win when you get them right, and delicious no matter how they end up looking.
That being said, it is so possible to master macarons. I compiled a Step-by-Step Macaron post with all of my best tips and tricks for making the best macarons possible. It has all of the steps and tools that I use every time I make macarons and I can promise you it will get you closer to being a macaron master!
Ingredients for Churro Macarons:
Ingredients for french macaron shell:
- Almond Flour. Be sure that you are using almond flour and not almond meal.
- Powdered Sugar. This will aid in the flavor and structure of the finished macarons.
- Egg Whites. Having your egg whites at room temperature will make it easier to whip them.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar will give structure to the beaten egg whites.
- Ground Cinnamon. We will mix this will extra sugar to coat the french macaron shells.
Ingredients for dulce de leche:
- Sweetened Condensed Milk. This will be heated up until thick caramel forms.
Macaron Tips
- If possible, make your macarons on a less humid day. You will need to rest the macarons for longer and they might not turn out as well on a humid day.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. You only need to macaronage until you can make a figure 8 with the batter. If you over-mix the macarons will spread too much.
- Wipe the bowl down with vinegar before adding the egg whites to whip. Even a speck of leftover dish soap or fat (egg yolk, butter, etc.) will inhibit the egg whites from whipping up properly.
- Let the macarons rest before eating. Macarons are best when they have matured for 12 or so hours. So after you fill the macarons, let them rest overnight for the best flavor.
How to make french macarons
STEP 1: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
STEP 2: In a food processor add the powdered sugar and almond flour and pulse until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Add one drop of food coloring at this point, if desired. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
STEP 4: Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
STEP 5: Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
STEP 6: Let the french macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger.
STEP 7: Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven, but you may need to play around with the temperature.
STEP 8: Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes, and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total.
STEP 9: Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. They should peel off the mat easily.
STEP 10: When the macarons are cooled peel them off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.
CINNAMON SUGAR TOPPING
STEP 1: In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
DULCE DE LECHE
There are several ways to make dulce de leche. I used a “shortcut” method where you just heat up sweetened condensed milk in the instant pot. I will link all of the ways that you can make it below.
- Make dulce de leche from scratch.
- Dulce de leche with sweetened condensed milk on the stovetop.
- Make dulce de leche in the oven.
- Dulce de leche in the instant pot. This is the method I used.
- Make dulce de leche in the crockpot.
How to assemble a Churro Macaron
Step 1: Brush a small amount of water over the top of a macaron shell. Use very little, as you just want to make the topping stick and not make the shell soggy.
Step 2: Dip the top of the macaron shell into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Tap off any excess.
Step 3: Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
STEP 4: Pipe your desired amount of frosting on the inside of one macaron shell. Place another macaron shell on top.
STEP 5: Repeat with remaining churro macarons.
Can I make french macarons ahead of time?
For sure! I make macarons ahead of time pretty often and they always still taste amazing. If I am making macarons more than a day before I want to serve them I freeze them. They will freeze well for about two weeks. Just pull them out of the freezer about an hour before you are ready to serve them and these churro macarons will thaw out perfectly.
More macaron recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Macarons- a classic french macaron shell sprinkled with cinnamon and filled with swirled cream cheese and brown sugar cinnamon buttercream.
- Creme Brûlée Macarons- a classic french macaron shell that has been brushed with sugar and nicely brûléed for a crunchy top. The filling is a vanilla bean American buttercream.
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Macarons- The shell is flavored with cinnamon toast crunch cereal and the filling is a cinnamon-sugar buttercream.
- Eggnog Macarons- These macarons taste just like the holiday drink!
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Recipe
Churro Macarons
Ingredients
For Macaron Shells:
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour
- 3 large (100 grams) egg whites
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
For Topping:
- water as needed
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnmaon
For Filling:
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
For Macaron Shells:
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat (my favorite baking sheet for macarons and favorite silicone mats for macarons). I highly recommend a silicone mat of some kind, but if you don’t have one then you can also use parchment paper.
- In a food processor add the powdered sugar and almond flour and pulse until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. You can use a stand mixer for this, but I prefer a hand mixer for a batch this small. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. If you add the sugar too fast you will deflate the meringue. Beat until stiff peaks form. This is when you pull the beater out and the meringue stands up with a slight curve. It should not fall or jiggle too much if you move the beater. If you want to add food coloring, do it now, but add it sparingly or you will make the meringue too liquidy.
- Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. A good way to test if the batter is ready is to place a very small amount in your piping bag and pipe it onto your mat. If the batter is stiff and does not spread at all, then it is not ready. If the batter immediately runs out, then you have over folded. The batter should spread slightly and the tops should even out (there shouldn’t be any little tips sticking out), but it should not spread out too much.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (this is my favorite for macarons). Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
- Let the macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger. If it is really humid outside this process will likely take longer.
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven, but you may need to play around with the temperature.
- Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total. The macarons should not have any color to them, and they should peel off of the mat easily.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Peel each macaron shell off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.
For Topping:
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
For Filling:
- Use whatever method you prefer for making dulce de leche. I listed all of them in the post above. I used the instant pot method
For Assembly:
- Brush a small amount of water over the top of a macaron shell. Use very little, as you just want to make the topping stick and not make the shell soggy.
- Dip the top of the macaron shell into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Tap off any excess.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
- Pipe your desired amount of frosting on the inside of one macaron shell. Place another macaron shell on top.
- Repeat with remaining churro macarons.
Maria says
Tried these for just my 3rd and 4th ever batch of Macs. They were the star of Taco Tuesday! I learned so much making this recipe. My baking time was just a bit longer for the shells. I didn't have a paintbrush to use so I used A dampened papertowel. I am at Higher altitude and much less humidity in Idaho. Wondering how they are going to turn out when I get back home to the DFW area. MY LIFE IS NOW TRANSFORMED BY DULCE DE LECHE. FOR THE RECORD I JUST PUT THE WHOLE CAN IN WITH THE TOP ON!