Peanut Butter Macarons
If you need a last minute macaron option that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser, look no further than these peanut butter macarons! This recipe is great for beginners with it’s creamy and delicious peanut butter buttercream filling, and quick but elevated drizzle decoration.
And let’s be honest, how many people are out there that don’t like peanut butter? Very few my friend. I’ve made this recipe for multiple parties recently and they’ve been a hit at every one. The delicate bite and fluffy chewy interior of the shells paired with the creamy peanut butter filling and the crunch of the peanuts sprinkled on top makes for a nicely rounded textural dessert.
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Peanut Butter Macarons Key Ingredient Notes
A few important notes on some of the ingredients. Some options can be make or break here so be sure to take a look.
- Almond Flour: In the macaron shell recipe, it’s important to find an almond flour that is finely ground, and not super oily. I recommend Blue Diamond Brand, or something similar. (Kirkland has been banned in my macaron baking)
- Egg Whites: When making the shells, make sure you use fresh egg whites with no yolk in them. Also, do not used boxed egg whites because the meringue won’t whip up as well.
- Peanut Butter: For the buttercream filling, I recommend using the Natural Jif Creamy Peanut Butter! If you use a different natural peanut butter, you may run into the oily separated consistency or the grittiness having a negative effect on the buttercream. Shoot for something that can hold it’s shape, is creamy and smooth, but doesn’t have a ton of excess sugar.
- White Chocolate or Candy Melts: Either of these options will work great for the decoration. White Chocolate will have an off white color and taste better, but will also take longer to set. Candy Melts are a bit more beginner friendly to work with and are pure white, but don’t provide the same quality when it comes to taste.
- Gel Food Coloring: Make sure you only use a concentrated Gel food coloring or powder food coloring when you make macarons! Oil based colors will break down your meringue, and water based will add too much moisture and cause problems.
How to Make Peanut Butter Macarons
Here are a few photo examples of key points in the process for a visual reference as you go!
Meringue Stiff Peaks Stage
Macaronage Finished Batter Consistency
Chocolate Drizzle Shell Decoration Close Up
Here’s a closer look at the design for the shells! Start small when cutting the corner off of a piping bag so your drizzles aren’t too large. Quick back and forths with a small tip will give you a clean elegant look. I aimed for about 4-5 lines with this off center criss cross pattern, but feel free to roll with whatever you think looks good!
Quick note: Decorating the shells BEFORE you assemble the macarons makes it much easier to break off excess chocolate. Decorating them when assembled will give you more drips/drizzles down the side and can be a little trickier to make uniform.
Allow the chocolate to set before assembling to avoid smearing the design.
Piping the Peanut Butter Buttercream Filling
Use a large round piping tip like a 1A to pipe the buttercream filling. Make sure to leave a little room around the edges so it doesn’t overflow when you press the top shell down during assembly.
Peanut Butter Macarons Frequently Asked Questions
Store macarons in an airtight container in a single layer. Here is a general guideline for shelf life!
Fridge: 5-7 Days
Freezer: Up to 1-2 Months
If you store them decorated, I recommend laying them flat instead of on their sides so the chocolate drizzle and nuts don’t get scratched or bumped off.
For the buttercream filling, I recommend using the Natural Jif Creamy Peanut Butter! If you use a different natural peanut butter, you may run into the oily separated consistency or the grittiness having a negative effect on the buttercream. Shoot for something that can hold it’s shape, is creamy and smooth, but doesn’t have a ton of excess sugar.
This step during the macaron process can be tricky! Check the photo in the post for reference for what your batter should look like when finished. The batter surface should be mostly smooth, but still have subtle soft peaks and lines remaining. If it’s too lumpy, it needs more folds. If it’s completely smooth, it’s over folded. (See instructions in the recipe for performing the “Wiggle” or the “Settle” test.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and it gives you a proper peanut butter fix. I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments or on social media with a tag @the.white.whisk if you give it a try. Thanks for being here!
Looking for more classic macaron flavors? Check these out!
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How to Make Peanut Butter Macarons
Peanut Butter Macarons
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 130 grams egg whites (Approximately 4 large eggs, use scale to measure.)
- 120 grams granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 200 grams almond flour (Preferably Blue Diamond)
- 200 grams confectioner’s sugar
- Gel Food Coloring (For brands I recommend Americolor, The Sugar Art, Chefmaster, or Wilton 3 drops Brown, 3 drops yellow, Tiny 1/2 drop Sky Blue)
Peanut Butter Buttercream Filling
- 4 oz salted butter (if using unsalted, add an additional 1/4 tsp of salt)
- 1/8-1/4 tsp salt
- 4 oz peanut butter (preferably Jif Natural Creamy, avoid other natural peanut butter's that are oilier and gritty)
- 6 oz powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt (or more to taste)
- 1-2 tsp heavy cream
Decoration
- 2 tbsp finely chopped roasted salted peanuts
- 2 oz white chocolate (finely chopped) or white candy melts (I typically use easy to find options like Ghirardelli or Lindt White Chocolate Bars at the grocery store)
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Begin preheating your oven to 300 degrees, using an oven thermometer ensure accurate temperature readings.
- Line 2 upside down baking sheets with a silicone mat (1.75" circle template optional but recommended).
- Place a medium sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 2A) in a large piping bag. Twist the bag right behind the tip and add a clip to seal off the opening. Place the bag tip down into either a clean tall cup with the edges folded over the rim to keep the bag open, or clip it into a bag holder.
- Using a kitchen scale, carefully weigh out and sift the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well to fully blend the two together.
- Place egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar into a large mixing bowl, and begin beating with a whisk attachment using either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer for 5 minutes on a medium low speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 4).
- Turn up the mixer to a medium speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 6) and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the gel food coloring.
- Beat for 3 more minutes, or until peaks are very stiff and the meringue clumps up in a ball in the center of the whisk. Test stiffness by removing whisk and pointing it upward. (See photos in post) Once the peaks can hold their shape flipped upright, your meringue is ready.
- Pour half of your almond flour/confectioner’s sugar mixture into the bowl with your meringue, and fold 15 times. One fold is scraping all the way around the edge of your batter in your bowl, and then pressing your spatula through the middle. Be sure to scoop around the bottom of the bowl as well so you don’t miss any dry ingredients.
- Pour in the remaining powdered sugar and almond flour, and continue folding (approximately 30 more folds) until dry ingredients are fully incorporated, your batter is no longer super clumpy. Do not overfold. Please note this recipe stays a bit thicker than most, and should not be folded to the traditional figure 8 test consistency. Start checking your batter’s readiness every 5 folds or so at this point by scraping all batter down to the bottom of your bowl, and then wiggling your bowl back and forth several times. If the batter levels out with few peaks and lines remaining, it should be ready. (See photos in post for reference.)
- Pour batter into prepared piping bag, and twist the opening off. Hold your bag at the twist between your thumb and pointer finger. Remove the clip.
- Holding the piping bag straight up and down, apply pressure to begin piping your batter in the center of your circle templates, releasing pressure once you are a few millimeters short of your desired size. After you release pressure, use a small quick circular flick to release your tip from the piped macaron.
- Once you’ve piped a full tray, firmly bang the tray on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and smooth out shells. Pop any remaining large bubbles with a toothpick. Repeat with the second tray.
- Set aside shells to dry until they form a skin and are no longer tacky to the touch. Once you can gently run a finger over your shells, they are ready to bake. Use a fan to speed up the process, rotating the tray every few minutes to ensure even drying. This usually takes at least 16-20 minutes for me even with a fan.
- Once shells are dry, and the oven has fully preheated to 300F, place one tray in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes.
- Quickly open door to check the shell’s doneness by gently pressing on the side just above the feet to see if it’s firm. If it moves at all, rotate the tray and bake for another 2 minutes.
- Check shells by performing the same test, pressing on the side. If they are still unstable, bake for one more minute, and check again. Repeat until shells are firm and do not shift.
- Allow shells to cool completely, and the carefully remove from silicone mat or parchment paper by gently peeling them off.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer using the paddle attachment on medium high for 1 minute.
- Add the peanut butter and continue beating for an additional minute. Scrape down the bowl, and mix until incorporated.
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat on a medium speed until the frosting starts to come together, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Mix for an additional 30 seconds on medium.
- Salt to taste starting with a pinch or two. Add more if desired.
- Pour in the heavy cream, and beat on low until the heavy cream is fully combined.
- Continue beating on a low speed to work out bubbles.
White Chocolate Peanut Shell Decoration
- Match each shell with a partner shell of equal size.
- Melt the chocolate down in the microwave starting with 20 seconds, stirring, and then microwaving in 10 second bursts and stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Place chocolate in a piping bag (or plastic ziploc bag) and cut a small bit of the tip off. Squeeze a bit out back into the cup to test if you like the size of the drizzle.
- Drizzle chocolate lines in an offset criss cross pattern on one shell in each pair (see photos in post for reference) and immediately sprinkle the roasted chopped peanuts at the center of the intersection. *Only drizzle a few shells at a time, then sprinkle the peanuts on right away so the chocolate isn't too set.
- Once finished with decorating and the chocolate has set, carefully lift each decorated shell and break off excess chocolate.
Assembly
- Using an 2A piping tip, pipe a dollop of the peanut butter buttercream in to the center of one shell, leaving a 1/4 or so of space around the edge.
- Gently sandwich the partner shell on top.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture.
Notes
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