Yet another Valentine’s Day Recipe with these Strawberry Milkshake Macarons!

Originally Published 02/07/2021

It’s hard not to love a macaron, it’s even harder not to love these Strawberry Milkshake Macarons! These little French cookies are so cute and colorful and can be filled with any flavor!

Trial and error is the name of the game with these little cookies though. I’m just now managing to bake some pretty ones, but even still I learn something new with each batch! You should have seen the very first macaron shells I made! They came out of the oven with every problem in the book: hollow, cracked, lumpy, misshapen, no feet, too big of feet…You name it, they had it!

But, practice makes perfect! Don’t give up if it takes you a couple of batches to get this technically delicious cookie right! I’ll do my best in this post to give you some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way, and hopefully, you’ll end up with some tasty Strawberry Milkshake Macarons to wow your friends with!

The first steps for this recipe start the day before you bake them.

The almond flour must dry out and the egg whites have to age before baking these cookies. 

All the ingredients in this recipe are essential for creating that classic macaron shell: a shiny colorful domed top with that ever-so-important foot!

For this shape to come about the batter must gloss up and dry over before the macaron is baked.

Almond flour is already super good at soaking up moisture and that is why it’s used to make macarons. Leaving the almond flour out overnight and allowing it to dry out, even more, adds to its sponge-like powers! Next, of course, are the egg whites. They are mostly water and some protein. The protein is what helps hold air bubbles when whipped with the sugar. Aging the egg whites overnight allows some of the water to evaporate and make a more condensed version that holds air better, which in turn raises the macaron shell better. 

In other words, don’t skip these steps! They are important!

The day you’re ready to bake these Strawberry Milkshake Macarons,

there are a couple more preliminary steps that can be done to set yourself up for success!

Get your baking sheets ready! I purchased Silpats with macaron circles already on them. But you can also use a small lid and trace circles on the backside of some parchment paper.

1 1/2″ is a standard macaron size but you can go smaller than that too! However, I wouldn’t go larger as the middle of the macaron may not dry out if you’re using too much batter and then there will be problems! Also, make sure to leave 1″ of space between the circles for the batter to spread out after piping.

I like to get my piping bag ready ahead of time so when the strawberry milkshake macaron batter is done I can just pour it right in. I’ve got a medium-sized glass pitcher that works perfectly to hold the bag. Lastly, the almond flour and powdered sugar that sat out overnight need to go through a food processor and then be sifted into a large bowl. This step just helps eliminate any larger chunks of almond that might be trying to sneak into your macaron batter. The smoother the batter, the prettier the shells! 

Making the Italian meringue is the trickiest part!

This section of the recipe is all timing and multi-tasking and precision…none of which are my strong suit! So here we go! First, take 2 tbsp of the egg whites out, put them in their own bowl, and set them aside. Pour the rest into the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set the speed to low. They just need to be moving, not hardcore frothing yet. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Only stir this to combine the ingredients and then leave it alone! If sugar water gets splashed on the sides of the pan, crystallizes, and then falls back into the pan, it will crystalize the whole syrup and you’ll need to start over. 

After you get the sugar water started, bump your mixer up to high and let the eggs start whipping.

The syrup needs to get to 244°.

This won’t take long! Keep an eye on it! If the syrup gets too hot, when you add it to the egg whites you’ll create taffy not meringue and the macaron batter will be too thick.

Once it reaches the right temp, while the egg whites are still whipping on high, carefully pour the syrup slowly between the wall of the mixer and the whisk. You want it to get straight into the egg whites. If the syrup hits the bowl or the whisk it will harden up quick and create chunks of hard spun sugar. Annnnnd it will need to be thrown out and this whole process started again.

However, it’s kinda unavoidable that some of the syrup will get spun out to the sides of the bowl. So don’t worry if a little bit of it forms hard sugar above the meringue. Just try to keep most of the syrup pouring straight into the egg whites.

Once all the syrup is in, add the gel food coloring, and let the meringue whip for another 1 1/2 minutes on high speed and then another 3 minutes on medium, or until stiff peaks form!

(Gel food coloring seems to work better as it’s less watery so it doesn’t change the consistency of the meringue, and also, it is more concentrated so you need less to get the vibrant colors!)

While the meringue is finishing whipping,

mix the 2 tbsp of egg whites you set aside earlier into the almond flour and powdered sugar to make a lump of dough. As soon as the meringue is done, use a rubber spatula to scrape all of it into the same bowl as the almond flour dough.

Fold the meringue into the almond flour until everything is mixed well! It needs to be evenly mixed or the shells won’t turn out right! Also, you need to mix it until you lift the spatula and drip some back into the bowl, wait 15 seconds and watch to see if the drip disappears back into the batter.

If the drops don’t melt back into the batter, mix for another 20 seconds and try again. Not mixing the batter to the proper consistency will cause the macarons to have a nipple on top of the shell. This is left there when piping them. On the flip side, if you over-mix the batter, they will spread out too much and not rise. It’s another tricky part of making these strawberry milkshake macarons. This is where practice comes in, the more you make these, the more you’ll begin to recognize the right consistency! After the batter is properly mixed, scrape it all into the prepared piping bag!

Pipe the batter holding the piping bag straight up and down.

Fill to the edge of the circles you made, or the ones already on the Silpat. As soon as you’re done piping all the macarons, pick the baking sheet up and drop it on your counter a few times to knock any air bubbles to the surface. This will help prevent the macarons from having cracks on the surface. You can even use a toothpick to pop any bubbles you see. Now they need to dry out before they can be baked. Depending on the humidity level of where you live, this can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the shells look shiny and they are dry when you gently touch them. Drying the tops out is a critical step towards creating the macaron foot. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees so it’s ready to go once they’re dry.

Bake these at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

You’ll know the shells for the strawberry milkshake macarons are done when the tops are set and if you lightly shake the pan they don’t wiggle. The shells should not turn brown! If they are browning, you’ve overbaked! Bake each tray separately. Once you get them out of the oven, let them fully cool before getting them off the Silpat or parchment! I’ve made the mistake of trying to rush this and the shells tear and stick and it’s a sad day. Once they are cool they should pop right off! While they are cooling, it’s time to make the strawberry vanilla buttercream! Simply add all the ingredients into your Kitchenaid with a whisk attachment and whip until fluffy! I like to mix the powdered sugar into the wet ingredients a little bit first so it doesn’t just fly everywhere when I turn on the whisk. 

Finally,

using another piping bag with a smaller round tip, pipe the frosting onto the flat side of the paired macaron shells Pipe the frosting just short of the edge of the macaron shell. Place the second shell on top of the frosting and press together until the frosting just smooshes to the edge. Repeat until they’re all frosted and paired up! And you’re done! You did it!! These Strawberry Milkshake Macarons are best after they sit a whole day in your fridge, but after all that hard work who wants to wait another day before enjoying?! Just give them 20 minutes sitting out and then you can enjoy all of your hard work!❤️ They can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to a month.

What went wrong!?

As I mentioned up above, these macarons are tricky and take practice! If you didn’t succeed making these strawberry milkshake macarons this go around, don’t give up! Several problems can occur when making macaron shells. Marie over at Food Nouveau has an extensive list of troubleshooting information to help you learn from your mistakes and bake the perfect batch next time! Check out her Macaron Trouble Shooting Guide.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Milkshake Macarons

Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert you can make at home? How about these delicious Strawberry Milkshake Macarons!

Prep Time1 day d 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 24 macarons

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer with Whisk Attachment
• Food Processor
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Sifter
• Small Sauce Pan
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Rubber Spatulas
• Piping Bag fitted with 3/8″ round tip
• Piping bag fitted with a 1/4″ round tip
• Food Thermometer
• Baking Sheets
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

French Macarons

• 1 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 Egg Whites Large eggs separated from yolks and left out overnight
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp Water
• 1 tbsp Light Corn Syrup
• 1 drop Burgundy Gel Food Coloring

Strawberry Vanilla Buttercream

• 1/2 Cup Salted Butter softened
• 2 Cups Powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp Strawberry Jelly

Instructions

Preparation Day Before

• Measure out the almond flour and powdered sugar and pour them onto a baking sheet together. Spread them out over the surface of the baking sheet and cover with either paper towels or a sheet of parchment paper. Leave on the counter overnight. This will allow the almond flour to dry out before making the macarons.
• Also, at least 12 hours before you want to make the macarons, take three large eggs, crack them open and separate the whites from the yolks. Do not let any yolk get in with the whites. The egg whites will not whip properly if any yolk is mixed in with them. Place a paper towel over the egg whites and allow them to sit out on the counter overnight until you are ready to bake the macarons the next day.

Preparation Day Of

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or Silpat.

If you would like to have uniform macarons, find a small lid or circle cookie cutter to trace on the backside of the parchment paper to serve as a pattern. The standard macaron size is 1 1/2″ in diameter. Make sure to leave 1″ of space between the circles to create room for them to spread out after being piped. They also sell Silpat baking mats with the macaron circles already present.
• Prepare a large piping bag fitted with a 3/8″ round tip. 

If you don’t have a piping bag, a large Ziplock freezer bag will work too.
• First, take the baking sheet of almond flour and powdered sugar and carefully pour it into a food processor. Add the 1/4 tsp of salt. Process for 10-20 seconds. This will help to get rid of some larger almond flour bits.

Use a fine-mesh strainer and sift the mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl.

This step will make sure to eliminate any large almond pieces left and help the macaron shells to be smooth.

Make the Italian Meringue

• Remove 2 tbsp of egg whites placing them in a small bowl, and set them aside. 

Pour the rest of the egg whites into your Kitchenaid mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and turn it on low speed.
• While the egg whites are frothing at low speed, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar, water, and corn syrup.

Stir gently and only until ingredients are dissolved together, you don’t want to splash the sugar up onto the sides of the pan as it will crystalize, fall back into the pan and then potentially crystalize the whole mixture.
• It won’t take long for the syrup to start boiling, so at this point turn your mixer speed to high and start beating the egg whites.
• Use your thermometer to check the temperature of the syrup. Once it reaches 244 degrees immediately remove it from the heat.
• Carefully, while the mixer is still whipping the egg whites, pour a small steady stream of the hot syrup into the egg whites. The syrup needs to go right into the egg whites.

Try to pour the syrup out of the reach of the whisk, but also not down the side of the bowl. If it runs down the cold side of the bowl it will harden and create a terrible crystallized mess. Alternatively, if it’s hitting your whisk, it will spray out onto the sides of the mixing bowl and create a hardened mess.
• Once all of the syrup is added to the egg whites, add in a small drop of burgundy gel food coloring or as much coloring as you’d like to achieve the color of shell you want!

Continue to whip on high speed for another 1 1/2″ minutes, and then 3 minutes on medium speed, while you start the macaronage.

Macaronage

• Mix the 2 tbsp of egg whites, that were set aside earlier, into the almond flour and powdered sugar until no dry ingredients remain. It will form a stiff lump of dough.
• The meringue is ready when you lift the whisk from the batter and stiff peaks form.

Remove the Italian meringue from the mixer and scrape it all into the bowl with the almond flour. Gently fold the meringue into the almond flour dough until everything is thoroughly combined.

You will know the mixture is ready to be piped when you lift up the rubber spatula, drip some of the mixture on top of itself, and wait 15 seconds to see if it dissolves back into the batter. 

You don’t want to over mix and cause it to be runny, but if it is too thick the macaron shells won’t be shaped correctly. If it doesn’t, mix it for another 20 seconds and try again. 

When it’s ready, pour the mixture into the piping bag.

Piping the Macarons

• Pipe the batter straight down into the middle of the circle until the batter reaches the edges of the circle. Stop squeezing the piping bag before lifting up and moving on to the next one.

Once the whole tray has been piped, lift the baking sheet up and drop it back on your counter to tap out any air bubbles that might be trapped in the batter. Repeat this 5 times. 

This will help prevent the macarons from cracking.

If needed, you can use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles that are visible on the surface of the macaron.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

Allow the macarons to sit on the counter anywhere from 20-60 minutes to dry out. They will be ready to bake when the tops are shiny and dry to the touch.

Drying them out before baking is what creates the classic macaron feet.

Bake

• After the macarons have dried out and are ready to bake, place them on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until the tops of the macarons look set and don’t wiggle when you shake the pan. Bake one sheet at a time.
• Allow the macarons to cool completely before trying to remove them from the parchment paper or Silpat.

Strawberry Vanilla Buttercream

• In your KitchenAid mixer, combine all the ingredients for the buttercream. Stir with a rubber spatula until most of the powdered sugar is combined with the other ingredients. Then using the whisk attachment, whip until light and fluffy.
• Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4″ round tip.

Filling the Macarons

• Pair up all of the macaron shells. Pipe frosting onto the flat side of one of the paired up shells for each cookie. Pipe the frosting just short of the edge of the macaron shell. 

Place the second shell on top of the frosting and press together until the frosting just smooshes to the edge. 

Repeat until all the macarons are frosted and paired together.
• Let the frosted macarons sit for at least 20 minutes before eating, but they are usually best after they have sat in the fridge for a day!

Notes

This recipe is based on the French Macaron from The Art of French Pastry by Jacquy Pfeiffer with Martha Rose Shulman

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