These delicious Red Velvet Macarons are made with red, cocoa flavored shells and a smooth cream cheese frosting to give them that signature red velvet flavor.
If you love macarons be sure to try my Biscoff Macarons, Pistachio Macarons or Blueberry Macarons.
What is Red Velvet?
Red velvet is a vanilla cake that also has a light chocolate flavour from the additional cocoa powder added. It is red in color and layered or covered in cream cheese frosting. It originated in America but has become popular all over the world.
Why you’ll love these Red Velvet French Macarons:
- Great macaron flavor for a red velvet cake lover
- Delicious cream cheese frosting filling
- Uses the French meringue method making them super easy
- Uses only a few simple ingredients
- Melt in your mouth lightly cocoa flavored shells
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Egg whites – at room temperature, take these out early so they aren’t cold, if you’ve forgotten you can place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes to come to room temperature.
- Granulated sugar – also called caster sugar, is finer than table sugar, making it easier to dissolve and incorporate when whisking the meringue
- Powdered sugar – also called icing sugar, sift well
- Almond flour – almond meal can also be used, but it’s best to sift this 2 or more times before adding, discard any bigger bits.
- Cocoa powder – unsweetened is best, sift this as well
- Red gel food coloring – gel is the best option for macarons and is whisked into the meringue
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM
- Unsalted softened butter
- Cream cheese – softened
- Powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- Vanilla extract
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED.
- Bowl (glass or metal)
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer with whisk attachment
- Sifter or food processor (optional)
- Parchment paper /baking paper or silpat mat
- Flat baking tray
- Kitchen Scale
- Round piping tip and piping bag / pastry bag
- Rubber spatula
HOW TO MAKE RED VELVET MACARONS?
Full details and ingredient measurements for this Red Velvet Macaron recipe are in the recipe card below.
1: MEASURE INGREDIENTS
Measure the egg whites, granulated sugar, almond meal, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
2: SIFT WELL OR PROCESS
Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar together. For best results, place the almond meal and powdered sugar into a food processor and process until fine. Sift the cocoa powder into the almond flour mixture (almond meal and powdered sugar).
3: MAKE A MERINGUE
Whisk egg whites on a medium speed in a large bowl until it becomes foamy. Slowly add in the sugar until the meringue has formed stiff peaks and glossy. This can take a while of whisking. Once the meringue is stiff, add in red food coloring and whisk until the colour has been incorporated.
4: MACRONAGE
Macronage is the step of turning the meringue and dry mixture (almond meal and powdered sugar) into the right texture batter that enables it to pipe and bake well. Sift the almond meal and sugar into the meringue. Fold gently until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the meringue. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the almond mixture has been incorporated. To check the macronage is at the right consistency, form a figure 8 with the spatula a few times, it should flow off the spoon easily enough to make a figure 8 a few times without breaking.
5: PIPING
Fill the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (approx 1cm). If you don’t have a piping tip, cut the edge of the piping bag, however for neat circles it’s best to use a piping tip. Pipe 1 inch rounds (2.5 – 3.5cm) onto parchment (baking) paper or a silicone mat. Pipe a mound in the centre of the circle and pull up as the batter begins to touch the sides of the circle. Once piped, gently tap your tray against the table to remove any air bubbles.
6: REST AND BAKE
Rest the macarons for 30-60 minutes until it a skin forms. To test, touch the macaron, if a skin has formed no macaron should come off on your finger. Bake macarons for 20 minutes at 150C/300F. Oven timing and temperature can take a little practise to get right when making macarons. If your oven has hot spots, turn the macarons every 5 minutes. Remove the macarons from the oven after the time has lapsed, or when you push the macaron shells on their feet and they do not move.
TIP: If your macarons are taking longer than usual to dry, place them in front of a fan. This can happen as a result of extra moisture in the air from humidity or even from excess moisture from the coloring in the batter.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
The the tangy cream cheese frosting is made with butter, cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar. It’s super simple, but make sure your butter and cream cheese are both softened well or they may not incorporate when beating.
Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer). Beat in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer until smooth, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. If the frosting is too soft, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar or place it in the fridge to firm up. Fill into a piping bag with a small round tip and pipe a little mound into the one side of each macaron shell. Place the second shell on top.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESSFUL MACARONS
MACARON EGG WHITES
When making macarons it’s best to use room temperature egg whites. This ensures the egg white will whip well when turning it into meringue. If the eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for 10-15 minutes to allow them to come up to room temperature quickly. If time permits age egg whites for best results. Break egg whites into a bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap, place in the fridge for 1-2 days before using.
MEASURE THE INGREDIENTS FOR MACARONS FIRST
Macarons can be temperamental so it’s important that the ingredients used are measured correctly. Using a digital scale is the best way to achieve accurate measurements for the ingredients used in macarons. Measure the ingredients before you start as the macaron making process if fairly quick and having everything ready to go makes it a lot easier.
BEST BOWL TO USE FOR MACARONS
Macarons are reliant on the whipping of the meringue, a meringue cannot form if there is any fat present. Make sure you don’t get any egg yolks in your whites. It’s also important that the bowl you use is clean and free from any fat, the best way to prepare the bowl is to give it a wipe down with some vinegar. Use a glass or metal bowl as fat is cleaned off the surface more easily. Plastic bowls can hold onto fat and are not as easily cleaned.
MATS FOR MACARONS
I like to use silicone baking mats for Macarons. These are easy to use and macarons are lifted off easily, however before I had purchased these I used parchment/baking paper with no issues.
RESTING MACARONS
Rest your macarons after piping. This is an important step in the macaron making process. The resting helps form a skin which then allows the macarons to rise, form feet and have a crisp shell. Depending on the temperature and weather where you are, the macarons may require different lengths of time to rest. Between 15-45 minutes. Test if the macarons have rested by touching a macaron with the tip of your finger, if some of the macaron mixture sticks, they’ll require a longer time, if nothing sticks then they are well rested.
FOLDING MACARONS / MACARONAGE
The art of folding macarons is referred to as macaronage. This is where a lot can go wrong, it is best to mix your almond meal and confectioners/icing sugar in a gentle folding motion, until the batter flows like lava off the spoon and can form a figure 8 a few times before breaking.
TEST THE OVEN FOR MACARONS
Macarons can be finicky about temperatures, yes, it’s almost like they have a mind of their own. You may have to test a few times to see what works best with your oven. Macarons can be baked between 120c – 150c with great results, you just have to extend the cooking time when baking at lower temperatures. For my oven I bake my macarons at 150c/300F for 20 minutes. It’s also a good idea to flip your tray at 5-10 minute intervals if your oven has hot spots.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The macarons can be stored in the fridge for a week in an airtight container or in the freeer for 3 months. In fact it is best to store filled macarons in the fridge for 1-2 days before eating as this matures the macarons, allowing the filling and shells to meld together to create a deliciously perfect morsel.
There can be many reasons for this, it’s hard to say. The macarons can be over or under beaten during the macronage stage. They can be baked too high or too low. It can be tricky to fix and requires further testing. Hollows in macarons generally don’t affect the taste or texture and can still be eaten and enjoyed.
This commonly happens if the macarons have not had enough time to rest or the oven temperature is too high. The best way to tell if the macarons have rested enough is to touch it with your finger, if it isn’t sticky and nothing comes off onto your finger they are rested.
More Macaron Recipes
- Biscoff Macarons
- Peanut Butter Macarons
- Passionfruit Macarons
- Blueberry Macarons
- If you love Red Velvet like I do, check out these Red Velvet Oreo Cookies from Entirely Elizabeth.
Red Velvet Macarons
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Food processor or sifter
- Sheet tray
- Kitchen scale
- Piping bags and 1cm piping tip
Ingredients
- 70 g egg white egg whites from 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 55 g caster sugar
- 90 g almond meal
- 100 g powdered (icing) sugar
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp red gel coloring
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 40 g unsalted softened butter
- 60 g softened cream cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients. Sift the almond meal, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
- Place egg whites in a bowl, whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until foamy.
- Slowly add in the caster sugar.
- Continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and have stiff peaks. This may take a while.
- Add in the red colouring and continue to whisk until the red is fully incorporated
- Sift the almond meal mixture a second time into the meringue.
- Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, until the batter flows of the spatula like lava and can form a figure 8 a few times without breaking.
- Fill into a piping bag and pipe 1.5 inch (3.5cm) rounds onto baking paper or silicone mat.
- Set aside to rest for 15-60 minutes, until a skin has formed on the macarons. Test by touching them with your finger, no batter should stick.
- Heat oven to 150c/300F.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes. If your oven has heat spots, it is best to flip the pan every 5 minutes while baking.
- Remove the macarons if they no longer move when pushed on their feet.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Place butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat until smooth.
- Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until creamy.
- If the buttercream is too soft, place it in the fridge for a 10 -15 minutes to firm up. Alternatively, add in a little more powdered sugar (1 tbsp at a time) if needed.
Assembling
- Once the macarons have cooled, remove from the mat and match each shell to a shell of a similar size.
- Fill cream cheese buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe a small mound into the centre of the one side of each shell, leaving room on the edges.
- Place the top shell onto the bottom filled shell and press gently.
- Put macarons into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 24 hours. This will mature the macarons giving it a better texture and flavour.
Notes
Nutrition
