Peanut Butter Cup French Macarons
This is one of my favorite macaron flavors to make. A Frenchman once told me that my macarons were the best he’d ever tasted since being in the United States. What a compliment!
He also said that my flavors were very “American.” Go figure, I’m American.
I love peanut butter cups; they’re like crack to me, so this is one of the first flavor combinations I tried when attempting to make French macarons at home. It was a long and arduous journey, and I’m still working to figure things out to this day, but what a delicious hobby to have!
The recipe for these addicting little morsels is below!
Happy baking!
French Macaron (Italian Method)
Yields 60 – 70 small cookies (30ish sandwiches)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Tools
Mesh strainer Parchment paper
Food scale Pastry bag
Candy thermometer Small round piping tip
Saucepan Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Spatulas Baking Sheets
Ingredients (Measure everything before you start!)
150 grams of almond flour
150 grams of powdered sugar
55 grams of egg whites (room temperature)
130 grams of granulated sugar
55 grams of water
55 grams of egg whites (room temperature)
15 grams of granulated sugar
Directions
1. Measure all ingredients before anything else!
2. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar with a fine mesh strainer. I use a whisk and spatula to push it through. Discard remaining crumbs.
3. Add 55 grams of egg whites to dry mixture. It will form a paste. If you are adding color, do it now. Remember that the color will lighten when the meringue is added. I recommend no more than 3 drops of food coloring.
4. Add water and 15 grams of granulated sugar to a saucepan and set to medium on the stove. This mixture will start to bubble. It needs to reach 244 degrees Fahrenheit (soft ball stage).
5. When the bubbling sugar mixture reaches about 200 degrees, set the egg white and sugar mixture on a stand mixer with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed.
This is where you have to move quickly!
6. When the sugar mixture reaches 244 degrees, remove from the heat, turn down the stand mixer to low, and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites. Let it slide down the side of the bowl while mixer combines it.
7. Once all the syrup is added, turn the mixer to high. This will go for 4-6 minutes. The meringue will cool down and should form stiff peaks.
Time to put it together!
8. Add half of the meringue to the almond flour and fold it in with a spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get all the paste mixed in. Once it is combined, add the rest of the meringue.
9. Scrape down the sides, fold in, and cut through the middle. You’ll be here for a long time, and your arm will probably get sore.
10. Keep mixing until the batter reaches a “ribbon” consistency. The batter should be runny enough to create “ribbons” but should spread out on its own. Try drawing the number 8 in the batter. It should hold for a moment but then reincorporate itself back into the batter.
11. Equip a pastry bag with a round tip (I use a Wilton 12). Flip the tip of the bag up and place in a cup so the batter doesn’t spill. Fill with batter.
12. Place parchment paper on three baking sheets. Make sure they are flat.
13. For piping, the tip should be about half an inch from the sheet pan. Point it straight up, press for two seconds, release, lift, and pipe the next one. You don’t need to draw a circle. Simply squeeze it out into a lump. It will spread itself. If you need to stop, make sure to flip the bag upside down so the batter doesn’t spill.
14. When you finish piping the cookies, gently tap the sheets against the counter. You’ll see small bubbles come to the surface.
15. Let the cookies rest for 30 – 40 minutes.
16. After drying, the cookies should form a “skin.” You should be able to touch them and there won’t be any stickiness on your finger.
17. Bake at 315 degrees for about 13 minutes. The cookies should easily come away from the parchment paper.
18. Let cool.
19. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of shells and let dry completely before filling with peanut butter buttercream.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
Ingredients
1/4 cup of unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1-2 tbsp of milk
Directions
Whip the butter and peanut butter together until light and fluffy, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Add the powdered sugar in 2-3 parts so it doesn’t explode everywhere.
Add vanilla and salt.
Add milk if needed. Start with one and add more if necessary. I used two.
Whip until light and fluffy, then stuff it into a pastry bag to fill your macaron shells and stick them in the fridge overnight.
Serve at room temperature. Cold macarons are terribly disappointing.