Sep 16, 2021

Red Velvet Macarons

I adore a good macrons and red velvet macarons are, hands down, one of my absolute favorite flavors! They are not only one of my favourite colours but the sweet n’ tangy cream cheese filling paired with a crisp and pleasantly chewy shells, but are sure to impress anyone!

Author: sweet + savory by Shinee

Prep time: 1 hours

Cook time: 18 mins

Serves: 20 macarons

Ingredients

For macaron shells:

100 g super fine almond flour
75 g powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
70 g egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
75 g fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoons red gel food coloring
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For cream cheese filling:

¼ cup (55g) cream cheese softened
¼ cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Instructions

To make the macaron shells:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat. (TIP 1: For even air circulation, flip the baking sheets upside down.)
To prepare dry ingredients, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder twice. Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
To make meringue, in a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy. (I set it to speed 2 or 4 on my mixer.)
When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to whisk.
Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
When the meringue reaches soft peaks stage, add red gel food coloring and vanilla extract.
Continue beating the egg whites on the same medium low speed until hard peaks form. Visual cues: Meringue should ball up inside the whisk, and when you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs.
To make batter, sift almond flour mixture into the meringue. Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until fully incorporated. Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough to draw a figure eight. To test, take a small amount of batter and drop it into the bowl. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter.
To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip.
Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or using your hand) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
Let the macarons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macarons and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
To bake, working one baking sheet at a time, place one tray with macarons on the middle rack. (TIP: To prevent browning, place an empty baking sheet on top rack to shield the heat.) Bake for about 15-18 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macarons. To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move.
Cool macarons complete and then remove the shells from the parchment paper. (TIP: Don't remove the shells while warm, you may risk breaking the shells, or the bottom might get stuck to the baking surface.)

To make the filling:

While macarons bake, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat until well combined.
Transfer the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip.

To assemble:

Pair the macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack. Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
Pipe a dollop of filling on bottom shells. Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads till the edges.
Store the filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 8 hours to mature, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
To serve, bring the macarons out about 30 minutes prior to serving.