Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons
A recipe for Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons! These vanilla-speckled macarons are filled with a rich cream cheese frosting.
Servings 24 -30 Macarons
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Macarons:
- 100 grams (1 cup) ground almond flour
- 200 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
- pinch salt
- 100 grams (3 large) egg whites room temperature
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Optional Decorations:
- 2-3 drops turquoise or blue gel food coloring
- melted white chocolate for drizzling
- Rainbow nonpareils optional
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 3/4-1 cup (90-120 grams) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/2-1 tablespoon (7-15 milliliters) milk
Instructions
To make the macarons:
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar a few times until fine. Do not over pulse. Sift into a bowl with the salt.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until frothy. Continue beating while slowly adding the granulated sugar and seeds scraped from the vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste) until stiff peaks form. If using food coloring, add 2-3 drops after the vanilla.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the ground almond and powdered sugar mixture until combined, but be careful not to overmix. It should be the consistency of “molten lava” but not runny, about 40-65 folds.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 0.4 inch (10 millimeter) circular tip.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, pipe 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) circles at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Repeat with remaining baking sheets. If your oven runs hot, place an empty baking sheet under each baking sheet with the macarons to offer some protection against the heat.
- Firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter to remove excess bubbles. If desired, top with a few rainbow nonpareils. Allow to rest uncovered at room temperature 30-60 minutes to form a shell.
- Preheat oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
- Bake the macarons in the center of the preheated oven until the tops become firm, about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from baking sheet.
To make the filling:
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese on low speed until smooth. Dice the butter and add to the cream cheese. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla, then the milk to create a smooth and creamy frosting. If too thick, slowly drizzle in a little more milk. If too wet, slowly add a little more powdered sugar. Transfer the cream cheese filling into a bag fitted with a star or round tip.
- Pair together the cooled macaron shells that are similar in shape.
- Pipe the filling onto half of the bottom side of the shells, taking care to not over-fill. Top, bottom side towards the filling, with the paired shell. Gently twist until the cream cheese filling reaches the edges. Repeat with remaining pairs.
- If decorating with white chocolate, transfer the melted white chocolate to a piping bag with a small round tip. Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of each macaron.
- For best results, refrigerate the Vanilla Cream Cheese Macarons in an airtight container for 24 hours before serving.