This Strawberry Macaron recipe is bursting with strawberry flavor and because we use the Swiss meringue method for making macarons, this recipe is foolproof!
Sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and strawberry powder through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the pieces left in the sieve.
Prepare a double boiler, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the egg whites and sugar to the double boiler bowl, whisking until the egg whites are frothy and the sugar is dissolved. You can test this with your fingers. Dip a finger into the egg white mixture and rub it on another finger; if you don’t feel sugar crystals, it’s good to go. Alternatively, you can test this with a thermometer; the temperature should be around 150F.
Add the egg white/sugar mixture to a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to beat until it forms stiff peaks.
Beat the strawberry extract and red gel food coloring into the whipped egg whites.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold 1/3 of the almond flour mixture at a time into the egg whites. Be careful not to over-mix.
Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners. Fit a piping bag with a round tip, and transfer the batter to the piping bag. Pipe the batter into 3/4-inch circles about 1 inch apart.
Tap the trays firmly against the countertop a few times to release any air bubbles.
Let the piped cookies sit at room temperature until they form a skin and feel dry on top, about 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Bake the trays one at a time until the macarons develop a puffed “foot” on the bottom and are light golden around the outside, about 15 minutes, rotating the tray once every 5 minutes.
Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the baking tray.
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy, adding enough milk to achieve the right consistency.
To Assemble the Macarons:
Match up similar sized and shaped macarons into pairs.
Fit a piping bag with a star tip, and transfer the buttercream to the piping bag. Pipe a ring of buttercream on the bottom cookie of each cookie pair. Place the matched cookie on top to form sandwiches.
To Decorate the Macarons:
Place the macarons on a wire rack on top of a parchment-lined baking tray.
Melt the white candy melting wafers in a microwave or double boiler. Stir until smooth. Transfer the melted candy to a zip-top plastic bag and snip off one corner. Drizzle the melted candy decoratively on top of each macaron. Before the candy drizzle sets, sprinkle a tiny bit of finely crushed freeze dried strawberries on each.
Let the candy set before serving.
Video
Faith's Tips
To Make Strawberry Powder: If you don’t have strawberry powder, you can make it with freeze dried strawberries. To do so, add about 9 grams of freeze dried strawberries to a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or high-speed blend and process until it forms a fine powder. Sift the powder through a fine mesh sieve and discard any solid pieces. Measure 5 grams to use in this recipe.
Pulse the Almond Flour and Powdered Sugar Together in a Food Processor: It’s helpful to add the almond flour and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse several times before sifting.
How to Tell When the Batter is Mixed Enough: Knowing when the batter is finished being mixed is a real art, and can be tricky! A lot of people say it should flow like lava. A good test is to see if you the batter falls off the spatula in ribbons to make a figure 8 shape.
Silicone Macaron Baking Mat: A silpat macaron mat is helpful to get the same size cookies.
Storage: Store the macarons stacked between wax paper in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For More Tips: I include tons of tips and tricks for making macarons in my recipe for Apple Pie Macarons.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Macarons
Amount Per Serving (1 macaron sandwich)
Calories 121Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 17mg1%
Potassium 18mg1%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 96IU2%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword French Macarons, How to Make Macarons Using the Swiss Meringue Method, Strawberry Macarons