Red White and Blue Macarons have classic french macaron shells that have been dyed red and blue and filled with vanilla American buttercream. They are the perfect patriotic treat!
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 Red White and Blue 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.
- Red Food Coloring. I use gel food coloring.
- Blue Food Coloring. See above note
Ingredients for vanilla American buttercream:
- Unsalted Butter. I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract will give the buttercream a better flavor than imitation vanilla extract.
- Powdered Sugar. See above note.
- Heavy Cream or Milk. This will help bring the buttercream together and make it creamy. You can substitute for non-dairy milk.
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 Red White and Blue Macarons:
FRENCH MACARONS
STEP 1: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
STEP 2: Add the powdered sugar and almond flour to a food processor 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. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
STEP 4: Split the meringue in half and into separate bowls. Add one drop of red food coloring to one bowl and one drop of blue food coloring to the other. Mix until the color is fully combined in each meringue.
The red french meringue in a bowl The blue french meringue in a bowl
STEP 5: Split the dry ingredients in half and add each half to the meringues 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.
The red macaron batter in a bowl The blue macaron batter in a bowl
STEP 6: 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 7: 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.
The blue macarons piped onto a baking sheet The red macarons piped onto a baking sheet
STEP 8: 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 9: 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 10: Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. They should peel off the mat easily.
STEP 11: When the macarons are cooled peel them off of the mat and match each blue shell to another red shell that is the same size.
VANILLA AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM
STEP 1: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is very soft and creamy.
STEP 2: Add the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
STEP 3: Add the rest of the powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
STEP 4: If the buttercream is too thick add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
How to Assemble Red White and Blue Macarons:
STEP 1: Transfer the American buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
STEP 2: Pipe your desired amount of frosting on the inside of one macaron shell. Place another macaron shell on top.
STEP 3: Repeat with remaining macarons.
Can I make macarons ahead of time?
For sure! I make macarons ahead of time pretty often and they always still taste amazing. If I am making french 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 they will thaw out perfectly.
More Macaron Recipes
- Double Chocolate Salted French Macarons- A chocolate macaron shell filled with sea salt sprinkled chocolate ganache.
- Fruity Pebble Macarons- Fruity pebble macaron shells filled with fruit pebbles buttercream.
- Matcha Macarons- These matcha flavored macaron shells are filled with mango buttercream.
- Butterbeer Macarons- These Harry Potter-inspired macarons have a butterbeer flavored buttercream filling.
More Macaron Recipes from Kitchen 335
- Earl Grey Macarons- French macaron shells flavored with earl grey tea leaves and filled with a honey American Buttercream.
- Birthday Cake Macarons- classic french macaron shell topped with sprinkles and filled with a cake batter American buttercream.
- Chocolate Ganache Macarons- a french macaron shell that has been dusted with cocoa powder and filled with a silky chocolate ganache filling.
- White Chocolate Raspberry Macarons- a macaron shell that is filled with a decadent white chocolate raspberry ganache and then topped with a dollop of white chocolate and dusted with freeze-dried raspberries
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Recipe
Red White and Blue Macarons
Ingredients
For French 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
- red food coloring as needed
- blue food coloring as needed
For Vanilla Buttercream:
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
Instructions
For French Macaron Shells:
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or you can use parchment paper if you don't have one.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. Beat the egg whites on low speed with a hand mixer until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Split the meringue in half and into separate bowls. Add one drop of red food coloring to one bowl and one drop of blue food coloring to the other. Mix until the color is fully combined in each meringue.
- Split the dry ingredients in half and add each half to the meringues 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.
- 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.
- Allow the macarons to rest for an hour or until the tops of the macarons have dried. You will be able to gently run your finger over them without anyting getting on your finger.
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F).
- Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes, rotate the pan one last time and bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet.
- If the macarons were baked correctly they should easily peel off of the silicone mat.
For Vanilla American Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until very soft and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and the heavy cream and beat for 5-6 minutes or until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- If the buttercream is too thick you can add more heavy cream.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe the desired amount of buttercream onto the inside of a macaron shell. Sandwich another macaron shell on top.
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