Raspberry Vanilla Bean French Macarons
If you’re a fan of fruit-forward desserts, then these raspberry vanilla bean French macarons are for you. Delicate, crisp shells filled with the sweetness of vanilla bean frosting and the bright flavor of raspberries make these macarons perfect for Valentine’s Day, gift boxes, or celebrations-even if the only thing you’re celebrating is you!
Raspberry and vanilla bean is a pairing that never gets old. Do you love swirling some raspberry jam in your vanilla ice cream? You do? Well, you’re gonna love this flavor pairing! The warmth of vanilla bean goes perfectly with the bright, tart pop of raspberry, surrounded by a delicate shell that’s smooth and crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside.
You’ve got a Valentine’s party to go to? Take these. A bridal shower? Take these. First time meeting your partner’s parents? Definitely take these! There aren’t many occasions where you wouldn’t want to take some of these delicious little treats.
Make it brunch
Make a perfect Valentine’s Day or bridal shower brunch and have these macarons alongside my Vegetable Stroganoff with Coconut, some Arugula Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette, and my Easy Gruyere and Shallot Scones.
Ready to make them? Don’t worry-these macarons are easier to make than they look. Check out my Basic French Macarons for Beginners post for all the tips and tricks for making the perfect macaron.
Ingredients
Just a few, high-quality ingredients are needed for macarons.
- Almond flour Make sure it’s finely sifted for those smooth shells.
- Powdered sugar Adds sweetness and helps create the smooth shells macarons are known for.
- Egg whites From fresh eggs, no liquid egg whites here. I like to separate my egg whites ahead of time. It makes the whole process flow smoother if you do this. Plus, it gives the egg white proteins a chance to relax, helping to form a stronger meringue. 24 hours ahead is great, but I also will do it the morning I am making the macarons.
- Granulated sugar Sugar helps the egg whites whip into a beautiful meringue.
- Cream of tartar Helps with the stability of the meringue.
- Raspberry jam I used a seedless store-bought variety because it is so time-consuming to remove the seeds from raspberry jam, and I didn’t want seeds in my macarons. Seedless is totally optional though.
- Vanilla bean paste This is what has the vanilla beans in it. I love using this for certain recipes so you can see the flecks of vanilla beans throughout. For this recipe, it’s used in the frosting. Vanilla extract will work also, you just won’t get the flecks of vanilla beans.
Candace’s Tip: Be sure to only use glass or metal bowls to whip egg whites in. Plastic harbors fat residue which will prevent your egg whites from whipping into stiff peaks.
Let’s make raspberry vanilla bean macarons
Step 1- Making the macaron shells
Macarons are intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of them, they become easier and easier to make. At the core, you’re just whipping egg whites into stiff peaks (the meringue), then mixing the meringue with sifted almond flour and powdered sugar to form the macaron batter, known as macaronage.
- The batter should be the consistency of honey
- Use the ‘figure eight’ test to check readiness before piping
Pro Tip: Do not use liquid egg whites or meringue powder. Liquid egg whites are pasteurized, which is not ideal for making meringue. Meringue powder is not strong enough to form and hold stiff peaks.
Because we are making two colors from one batch, we will need to split the batter right after the almond flour/sugar mixture and meringue is just mixed together. Once it’s split, we’ll add the different colors to each batter and continue mixing until each batch has passed the figure eight test.
Step 2- Pipe and dry the shells
Once it’s ready, pipe the batter onto two baking sheets, one color on one sheet, the other color on the other sheet, lined with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- I love silicone mats with printed circles- they’re reusable and help ensure even sizing and spacing.
- Let the macarons rest until a skin forms before baking.
Pro Tip: Macarons struggle to dry properly in humid weather. Use a fan or dehumidifier to speed up the process if needed, though you don’t want the fan blowing directly onto the shells.
Step 3- Bake the macarons
Bake at 300°F for 14 minutes (adjust as needed for your oven). The shells should feel dry to the touch and not be wiggly. Let them cool for 10 minutes at least before attempting to remove them from the pans or the tops may separate.
Step 4- Fill the macarons
Once the shells are cooled, it’s time to fill and decorate.
Filling and decorating the macarons
There are actually two fillings for these macarons- vanilla bean frosting that we use to form a dam around the edge of the shell, and the raspberry jam that goes in the middle. Without the ring of frosting, the jam would squish out of the shells. Even with the dam, it can still squish out, but it will be less. The vanilla bean frosting is a simple buttercream frosting, and the raspberry jam is just that, raspberry jam. Seedless. I didn’t want to have seeds in the filling as there is only a bit of jam used in each macaron.
A gift worth giving is a gift worth sharing.
FAQs
For maximum flavor and freshness, store macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Layer them with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper, as it will stick to the macarons. You don’t want to stack them too high, as they are a delicate cookie.
To freeze the shells, first lay them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Line the container with parchment paper, and put parchment paper on each layer of macarons. Freeze them for up to one month. Thaw the macarons in the fridge overnight and decorate as normal.
To freeze-filled macarons, follow the same instructions. Not all filled macarons freeze well due to the type of filling they have. Buttercream and ganache would freeze well. Fillings like jams or curds would not hold up well after being thawed out, so it is recommended not to freeze those types.
There are a couple reasons your macarons could be cracking. If you don’t give them a long enough resting period, they could crack. Remember, they need to be dry on top. Depending on your climate, this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour. If you don’t whip the meringue to stiff peaks, it will be weak thus making the macaron shells weak and more prone to cracking. You could also have a too high oven temperature. You may want to invest in an oven thermometer to be sure your oven is set to the right temperature.
Start with making sure the meringue has stiff peaks. This helps make a strong shell that’s less prone to cracks. Be sure not to overmix or undermix the batter. This takes practice. Remember the figure eight test, and that the batter should flow like honey off the spatula. Bang the trays of filled shells on the counter to remove air bubbles. Most importantly, practice makes perfect.
More macaron recipes to try
- Blueberry Lavender French Macarons
- Champagne French Macarons
- Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons
- Chocolate French Macarons
- Vanilla Bean French Macarons
If you made these, I’d love to know how they turned out. I’d also love it if you left me a star rating and a review.
Raspberry Vanilla Bean French Macarons
Ingredients
- 105 grams egg whites
- 130 grams almond flour, finely ground and sifted
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- 75 grams granulated or castor sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
- 3 drops white food coloring gel
- 2 drops pink food coloring gel
- scant amount of cranberry powder (optional)
Raspberry Vanilla Bean Filling
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
- 7 tablespoons raspberry jam, seedless optional
Drizzle
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside. Add a Wilton 12 tip to a piping bag, add this to a large cup, folding the tip up before adding it in, and fold the top down around the cup. If you have a second Wilton 12 piping tip and piping bag, prepare this as well for the second color. If you don't, you can use a resealable plastic bag and cut the corner off to pipe the shells. Don't cut off a huge section, you want it just big enough so the batter will flow out evenly and not too fast.
- Weigh out the almond flour (130 grams), the powdered sugar (130 grams), and the granulated sugar (75 grams).
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift almond flour and powdered sugar together in a large glass or metal bowl along with the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
- Add the egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer, but it can be tough on your hands and arms. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are foamy and no longer liquid. The whisk should leave track marks in the foam. Turn the speed down and add the granulated sugar in three batches, waiting a few seconds in between each addition.
- Once you've added in all of the sugar, turn the speed up to medium-high, which is between 4 and 5 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. You'll see the egg whites begin to build in volume and turn a glossy white color. The whisk will also start to leave track marks in the whites and will look thick. After a few minutes, you can stop the mixer and check for stiff peaks. If the meringue runs off the whisk, it's not ready. Keep going for another few minutes and then check for stiff peaks. If it's almost ready at this point, I'll turn the mixer up a little bit higher and let it run for 30 seconds before checking again. When the meringue is done, it will form a stiff peak when you pull the whisk out. It may have a slight curve to it, but it should not flop over. If it does, continue mixing the meringue in 30-second bursts at the higher speed and checking for stiff peaks.
- Using a rubber spatula, add the meringue to the flour/sugar mixture in three batches. It won't mix together completely until you have added all of the meringue. Since we are making two colors from one batch, we will need to split the batter in half right after the almond flour/sugar mixture and meringue is mixed together and there are no dry ingredients. Separate into two separate bowls. in one bowl, add 3 drops of white gel food coloring. In the other bowl, add the 2 drops pink gel food coloring and the scant amount of cranberry powder.
- We are essentially deflating the meringue and making a cohesive batter. Once you have split the batter into two separate bowls, use a circular motion with the spatula against the side of the bowl to continue mixing the batter. Do a few circles around the bowl, then bring the spatula through the batter. Do this process a few times, then check for the 'honey-like' stage. The batter should flow off the spatula like honey without breaking. You should be able to draw a figure eight with the batter that will sink into itself in 10 seconds when done. You don't want to overmix the batter, so check for doneness after every few passes.
- Mix both batters before filling the piping bags. Once the batter is done, add it to the piping bag. Take the cup over to the lined baking sheets. Take the bag out and, holding the top closed just above the batter, squeeze the batter down gently so it just starts coming out. Hold it a bit sideways until you get over the baking sheets. Holding the bag upright, pipe the shells onto one of the baking sheets. If you are using the silicone mats with the stencils, you can aim for the dot in the middle of the circle. Count to 4 (not 4 seconds) while piping, then move on to the next circle. Continue this process until you have filled the sheet pan. If you don't have the preprinted circles, just start from the top, going across before moving down. Leave about 3 inches in between each piped circle to leave room for it to spread out. Repeat with the other half of the batter and fill the second tray.
- Now that all the shells are piped, it's on to removing the air bubbles. Bang the trays firmly on your countertop a few times. This helps to dislodge the air bubbles in the shells. I also like to go through with a toothpick and pop any remaining air bubbles I find.
- Let the shells rest so they form their skin. This should take from 30-40 minutes. In humid weather, this can take longer. If the weather is really dry, it could take less time. When the skin is formed, you'll be able to touch the tops of the macarons without getting any batter on your finger. Preheat the oven to 300 F about halfway into the shells resting.
- Now that the shells have formed their skin, it's time to bake them. Bake the sheets individually in the oven on the middle rack at 300 F for 14 minutes. The tops will be matte and they will not jiggle on their feet when they are done. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to continue cooling down. The shells must be completely cooled down before adding the filling.
- When the shells are cooled, it's time to fill them. Match the shells by size. Flip one over of each pair.
Raspberry and Vanilla Bean Filling
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the 4 tablespoons softened butter until it's smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated with the butter. You may want to start slowly, as the powdered sugar tends to fly everywhere while it's being blended. Add the 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean extract. Add the tablespoon of milk and blend until smooth.
- I like to use a Wilton 2A tip to fill these macarons. Add the tip to a pastry bag and fill with the vanilla bean frosting. Squeeze the frosting around the rim of the shell that's flipped over, just inside the edge. Add a dab of raspberry jam, just enough to fit in the middle. Gently sandwich the filled shell with its partner.
Drizzle
- To a small bowl, add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix together until smooth. It will seem a bit lumpy at first, but it will smooth out. You can smash the chunks of powdered sugar against the wall of the bowl to break them apart.
- After you've decorated your macarons, pop them in the fridge for at least an hour to let the flavors mature so you get that perfect chewy-yet-crispy texture.
- Yay! You've completed a batch of macarons! Be proud of yourself. Not everyone is willing to try their hand at baking delicate cookies.
Notes
- Beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form, then stop.
- Be sure to only use glass or metal bowls to whip the egg whites in. Plastic bowls can hold fat residue, which will prevent the meringue from forming.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. Once it flows like honey and passes the figure eight test, stop mixing.
- Store macarons in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week for maximum freshness.
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