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Caramel Macaron Filling

This thick caramel macaron filling is easy to make and only uses 6 ingredients! It’s rich, buttery, and the perfect, thick consistency for piping.

image of caramel macarons being stacked

How to Make This Thick Caramel Macaron Filling

To make sure this caramel macaron filling turns out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.

Or if you’re more of a visual learner I’ve also included a video of the process below.

The first step is to heat the sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.  

image of ingredients being whisked together over a stove top to make a thick caramel topping

Stir frequently and let the mixture come to a gentle boil. Once this happens, turn the heat down to let the caramel simmer.

image of thick caramel being cooked down on a stovetop while being stirred with a whisk

Continue to stir frequently until the mixture thickens and becomes a medium caramel color (about 10 minutes).  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and fine salt.

Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool to room temperature. If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and store it at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to a week.

This is what my caramel looks like once it cools to room temperature.

image of thick caramel that's been cooled to room temperature

If you refrigerate the caramel, heat it in the microwave in short 15-second intervals until it reaches room temperature and is a more workable consistency.

You can also remove the caramel from the fridge and set it out for an hour or two until it comes to room temperature.

Substitutions & Swaps

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

  • Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is a MUST in this recipe! Evaporated milk cannot be used in its place.
  • Light Brown Sugar – This recipe turns out best with light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar contains more molasses, which can throw off the consistency of the caramel.
  • Light Corn Syrup – Using a bit of corn syrup in the caramel gives it a glossy, silky smooth consistency. I don’t recommend skipping it!
  • Vanilla Extract – A bit of vanilla extract helps enhance the flavor of this filling, but if you don’t have any on hand you can omit it.
  • Fine Salt – I like to use fine salt (like table salt), but you can also use kosher or sea salt if needed. Feel free to adjust the amount of salt to your preference.

How Much Caramel Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 2 cups of caramel filling. This is enough to generously fill about 30 macarons.

You can double or triple this recipe to fill more macarons if needed, but it will need more time to come to room temperature and thicken.

For reference, I usually pipe my macarons with a diameter of 1 1/2 inches, so they’re about the size of a standard macaron.

image of thick caramel filling being piped onto a chocolate macaron shell

Making This Caramel Macaron Filling in Advance & Storage Tips

This caramel be made up to a week in advance and I usually make it the night before and store it in an airtight container or in a bowl sealed tightly with plastic wrap.

If you make it in advance and it’s a little bit too cold/firm to pipe, let it sit at room temperature until it softens.

Macarons filled with this caramel filling should mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and taste.

Refrigerate desserts with this caramel filling for up to a week in an airtight container.

Freeze desserts with this filling for up to a month in an airtight container.

image of caramel macarons being stacked

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this caramel macaron filling, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets if you share on social media! I love seeing your delicious creations.

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Yield: 2 cups

Caramel Macaron Filling

image of caramel macarons being stacked

This thick caramel macaron filling is easy to make and only uses 6 ingredients! It's rich, buttery, and the perfect consistency for piping!

Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel Filling

  • 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (396g)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks (113g)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup (60g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)

Equipment / Tools Needed

  • Small saucepan

Instructions

Caramel Macaron Filling

  1. Heat 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup light corn syrup over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir frequently and let the mixture just begin to bubble (if you have and are using a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture hits 212 F/ 100 C). It will start bubbling up on the sides of the pan first. Once this happens, turn the heat down to low to let the caramel simmer.
  2. Continue to stir frequently until the mixture thickens and becomes a medium caramel color (about 10 minutes). You should be able to drag a spatula through the mixture and see the bottom of the pan for a second or two once it's ready.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of fine salt.
  3. Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool to room temperature. If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and store it at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to a week. If you refrigerate the caramel, heat it in the microwave in short 10-second intervals until it reaches room temperature and is a more workable consistency.

Notes

Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions

For a detailed list of ingredient swaps and substitutions that can be made in each component of this recipe, please refer to the "swaps and substitutions" section above.

Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 2 cups of caramel filling. This is enough to generously fill about 30 macarons.

You can double or triple this recipe to fill more macarons if needed, but it will need more time to come to room temperature and thicken.

For reference, I usually pipe my macarons with a diameter of 1 1/2 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.

Making This Caramel Macaron Filling in Advance & Storage Tips

This caramel be made up to a week in advance, and I usually make it the night before and store it in an airtight container or in a bowl sealed tightly with plastic wrap.

If you make it in advance and it's a little bit too cold/ firm to pipe, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften.

Macarons filled with this caramel filling should mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and taste.

Refrigerate desserts with this caramel filling for up to a week in an airtight container.

Freeze desserts with this filling for up to a month in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information

Yield

32

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 98Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 13mgSodium 60mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 0gSugar 14gProtein 1g

Kim

Thursday 27th of June 2024

Hey Chelsey! I’m trying to make a bourbon caramel filling. Could I just add some bourbon to this? Thanks

Chelsweets

Saturday 29th of June 2024

Hi Kim,

Great question! This caramel gets pretty firm, and I'm not sure you'd be able to incorporate the bourbon after it's been cooked! And I'm assuming you'd want to do it after so that it doesn't all cook off while the caramel cooks. You could try stirring it in though as it cools? If you try it, please let me know how it goes!

Millionaire Macarons: Delicious Recipe w/ Step-by-Step Tutorial

Monday 24th of June 2024

[…] think this combination of thick caramel, dark chocolate ganache, and crumbled shortbread tastes just like my millionaire […]

Julie

Saturday 23rd of March 2024

It seems that I may have went a bit far heating my caramel filling, as it is a bit firm when it cooled. Is there a way to use it or is this expected?

Chelsweets

Sunday 24th of March 2024

Hi Julie,

So sorry to hear that! If you warm it up a bit in the microwave, you should be able to get it to soften up a bit to let you fill the macarons with it, but I'm not sure how hard it will set once it's inside the macarons. Fingers crossed the microwave trick will still work with your caramel!

Carol

Wednesday 6th of March 2024

can this be used as a cake filling? What's the difference in consistency between this macaron filling recipe and the caramel filling recipe for the Twix cake? Please let me know at [email protected].

Chelsweets

Sunday 10th of March 2024

Hi Carol,

They are actually based on the same recipe, and have the same consistency!! It is wonderful to fill both cakes and macarons, as well as cupcakes and cookies! Hope that helps, happy baking!

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