Strawberries and Cream Macarons

Equal parts simple and delicious, the strawberries and cream filling for these macarons pairs a creamy vanilla buttercream together with a strawberry jam!

I recently did a poll on my White Whisk Instagram stories and asked whether people enjoyed intricate recipes or simple ones, and about two thirds of you said you would love to see more quick and easy ones! This easy peasy recipe is for bakers searching for something simple but scrumptious.

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To begin, you’ll need to make your macaron shells! If you’re new to making macarons or need to brush up on the process, head over to my Basic French Macarons recipe. For the pink shade I used a combination of Wilton deep pink, lemon yellow, and brown.

Wilton 8-Count Icing Colors for Cakes & Cupcakes, Gel-Based Colors for Frosting – Note that Packaging May Vary

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Jazz them up a bit with some white non pareils. These ones are from Wilton as well.

Wilton White Nonpareils(3pk)

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While your shells are resting and baking, whip up your vanilla buttercream. Beat your butter and vanilla extract until it’s light and fluffy, and then add in your powdered sugar and beat again for a few more minutes scraping down the sides as you go. Add in 1 TBS of heavy cream and beat on a slow speed just until combined. If you want a softer creamier buttercream, add in more heavy cream 1 tsp at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Next, I’m going to share my favorite strawberry jam to use as a filling when I want something quick! The Crofters brand strawberry jam has fantastic flavor and is easy to find in grocery stores.

Crofters Organic Strawberry Premium Spread, 16.5 oz

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Once your shells are baked and cool, match each shell with a partner of equal size. Pipe a ring of buttercream on one shell in each pair leaving a bit of space around the edges.

Next, place your jam in a piping bag or a plastic Ziploc with the corner cut off, and pipe jam into the center of each ring of buttercream. Sandwich the partner shell on top to finish assembling your macaron!

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours to allow macarons to mature and reach optimal texture and flavor. Enjoy!

Strawberries and Cream Macarons

Quick, easy, and oh so delicious, this macaron recipe features a creamy vanilla buttercream and strawberry jam filling.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Bake Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 26 Assembled Macarons

Ingredients

  

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Macaron Shells

• 130 grams egg whites (approximately 4 large eggs, use a scale)
• 120 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 200 grams almond flour
• 200 grams confectioner’s sugar
• Americolor Deep Pink Gel Food Coloring
• Americolor Yellow Gel Food Coloring
• Americolor Brown Food Coloring

Strawberry Jam

• 5 oz strawberry jam (preferably Crofters Organic Strawberry Spread)

Vanilla Buttercream

• 3 oz salted butter
• 6 oz powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

 

Macaron Shells

• Line 2 baking sheets with either parchment paper or a silicone mat (circle template optional but recommended).
• Place a medium sized round piping tip (ex: Wilton 12 or 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 2 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 gel food coloring.
• Turn mixer up to medium high speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 8) and 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. Once the peaks can firmly hold their shape flipped upright and the meringue clumps in a ball in the whisk, it 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 dragging 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, and your batter is no longer clumpy and stiff. Do not overfold. 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 very few peaks and lines remaining, it should be ready. (See photos in Basic French Macarons 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 or scribe tool. Repeat with the second tray.
• Right after piping the shells and tapping your trays, sprinkle white nonpareils on half of each shell.
• Begin preheating your oven to 295 degrees, using an oven thermometer if possible to ensure accurate temperature readings.
• 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 20 minutes for me even with a fan.
• Once shells are dry, and the oven has fully preheated to 295, 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, 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 budge.
• Allow shells to cool completely, and the carefully remove from silicone mat or parchment paper by gently peeling them off.

Vanilla Buttercream

• Place butter in a mixing bowl, and beat for a minute or two. Add in vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Add powdered sugar beat until frosting starts to come together. Mix for 2 minutes, and then scrape down the bowl and beater. Mix for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream into the buttercream and beat on a slow speed until just combined. For a creamier but softer buttercream, add in heavy cream 1 tsp at a time until you've reached your desired consistency.

Assembly

• Match each shell with a partner shell of equal size.
• Using a size 12 Wilton tip and the vanilla buttercream, pipe a ring on to one shell, leaving at least 1/4 inch of space around the edge.
• Place strawberry jam in a piping bag (or ziploc bag with the corner cut off) and fill the middle of the buttercream ring.
• Gently sandwich the partner shell on top and carefully squish down until the filling is close to the edge of the shell.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture. Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!