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CANDY CANE MACARONS

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Ingredients
  

MACARON SHELLS

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tbs almond flour
  • 3 eggs whites
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Red food coloring

PEPPERMINT BUTTERCREAM FILLING

  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/4 cup crushed candy canes

Instructions
 

For the shells:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, sift almond flour and powdered sugar together. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks.
  • Lower the mixer's speed to medium and add sugar.
  • Put mixer back on the highest speed and beat until they form stiff peaks.
  • With the mixer still on high speed, add food coloring a few drops at a time until you get desired color.
  • Take bowl off of mixer and add almond flour/sugar mixture.
  • Using a rubber spatula, aggressively fold in dry ingredients until the batter starts to loosen and becomes a little runny. To test if the batter is ready, lift a small amount of batter from the bowl and drop it back into the batter. If it does nothing, keep mixing. If it slowly melts back into the batter after 20-30 seconds, it is ready.
  • Prepare a pipping bag with a round tip with about a 1/4" opening (wilton tips #9, #10 and #11 should work) and fold down the bag halfway. Pour a little bit of red food coloring in a small bowl and use a lollipop stick or cocktail stirrer to draw lines up the side of the bag. (Pictured above)
  • Put batter (about 1/3 of the mixture) into prepared pipping bag and cover the rest of the batter with saran wrap.
  • Pipe 1 1/2" circles on prepared baking sheet and firmly tap the bottom of the tray so the batter flattens out. Repeat with remaining batter.
  • Let them rest for 30-45 minutes or until they form a skin.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they are set.
  • Let cool before peeling them off the parchment paper.
  • Match macarons according to size so they are each in a pair.

For the buttercream:

  • In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, cream butter until it is soft and smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract and mix until light and fluffy.
  • Put buttercream in a piping bag fit with a round tip. Pipe a small dollop of buttercream in the center of one side of each pair of macaron shells and sandwich them together.
  • Sprinkle crushed candy canes around the filled part of the macaron.

Notes

*Makes about 25 macarons