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Cotton Candy Macarons

These cotton candy macarons are dreamy, delicious and absolutely decadent. They also look just as fun as they taste.

image of pink cotton candy macarons filled with cotton candy buttercream

The French Method vs. the Italian Method

The French method of making macarons involves whisking egg whites together with a bit of sugar to create a French meringue with stiff peaks.

The meringue is then gently folded to incorporated a mixture of finely ground almonds and powdered sugar. The process of folding the dry ingredients into the meringue is called macaronage.

This method is quite a bit easier and quicker than the Italian method, which involves a candy thermometer and temperature sensitive sugar syrup.

With that in mind, this recipe uses the French method to make French cotton candy macarons.

image of cotton candy macarons stacked on top of each other

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Cotton Candy Macarons

Like I mentioned above, these cotton candy macarons don’t require a ton of equipment!

However, I find they turn out best when the ingredients are weighed and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat. As macarons bake, they usually spread less on silpat mats than parchment paper.

Below is a list of ingredients I like to use when I make these macarons:

Making Cotton Candy Macarons – Step by Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!

Below are some photos and a video tutorial of the process to help guide you through this recipe for French cotton candy macarons.

Step #1: Prep Your Ingredients and Equipment

After weighing your ingredients, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to remove any residual grease. This helps the meringue whip up better!

Step #2: Sift the Dry Ingredients

Sifting your superfine almond flour and powdered sugar will help your macaron shells turn out nice and smooth.

This step makes sure that no chunks of almond or powdered sugar get mixed into your macaron batter.

image of dry ingredients being sifted into bowl to make french macarons

Step #3: Make French Meringue

Next it’s time to make the French meringue! Whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until soft peaks form, then add in the granulated sugar.

Once the sugar is incorporated, add in gel food coloring if desired. Then increase the speed to medium high and mix until stiff peaks form like in the photo below.

Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing your meringue.

image of french meringue on a whisk

Step #4: Mix the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue

Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, scooping around the sides of the bowl then pulling through the center with a rubber spatula.

The batter should form a thick ribbon that flows off your spatula when it’s lifted.

image of pink french macaron batter being mixed to make cotton candy macarons

Step #5: Pipe the Macaron Shells

Fill a large piping bag with the macaron batter and pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface and pop them with a toothpick.

This can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

image of colorful cotton candy macarons being piped onto a silpat mat

Step #6: Rest the Piped Macarons

Next let the macarons rest for 30 minutes until they form a skin.

They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked! While the shells rest preheat your oven.

image of a cotton candy macaron shell that has rested and formed a skin and is now ready to be baked

Step #7: Bake the Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray on the middle rack of your oven. Let the macarons cool fully on the pan then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

image of baked cotton candy colored macaron shells

Step #8: Assembling These Cotton Candy Macarons

The final step is to pipe a small dab of cotton candy buttercream on one macaron shell and top it with a second shell.

Then place the finished macarons in the fridge to mature overnight and bring them to room temperature the next day then enjoy!

image of pink cotton candy macarons filled with cotton candy buttercream

Troubleshooting Cotton Candy Macarons

I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of macarons will turn out perfectly, but my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.

Macarons can be incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right.

If you run into any issues, please check out my detailed French macaron troubleshooting guide.

Choosing The Right Filling for Your Cotton Candy Macarons

Almost all of the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling. The shell gives the macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

image of cotton candy macarons filled with cotton candy buttercream

I have a big sweet tooth, so I like to add a bit of cotton candy extract or emulsion to my American buttercream. You can adjust the amount of extract you add based on your taste preferences and the strength of the extract that you use.

If you don’t want your macarons to be super sweet, I recommend using my hybrid buttercream or Swiss meringue frosting as your frosting base. You can also add cotton candy extract to a white chocolate ganache.

Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.

The yield and bake time will also vary based on the size of macarons you pipe. I pipe my shells with a diameter of about 1 1/4 inches.

image of baked cotton candy colored macaron shells

Tips for Making the Best Cotton Candy Macarons

  • Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making your meringue. It will help your egg whites whip up better!
  • Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
  • Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe and your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
  • Carefully read through the directions before making these macarons. There are quite a few steps and it’s good to know your game plan before you start!
  • Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
  • Let your macarons mature! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
  • If your first batch of macarons doesn’t turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.
image of cotton candy macarons stacked on each other

Making These Cotton Candy Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

  • You need to let French macarons mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before eating them. This gives them their best texture and taste.
  • Store filled macarons at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
  • Refrigerate filled macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  • Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • Make your filling ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for cotton candy macarons, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

You can also tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Yield: 18 macarons

Cotton Candy Macarons

image of cotton candy macarons stacked on each other

Learn how to make these adorable cotton candy macarons! They're filled with cotton candy buttercream and taste just like a day at the carnival.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes

Ingredients

Cotton Candy Macarons

Cotton Candy Buttercream Frosting

Equipment

Instructions

Cotton Candy Macarons

  1. Sift 70g superfine almond flour and 63g powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Pour 55g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until your reach the soft peak stage.
  3. Add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. If desired, add in pink gel food coloring at this point, then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in two additions using circular motion until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it's lifted. Be careful not to over mix the batter!
  5. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4 inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
  6. Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
  7. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed.
  8. As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 300 F.
  9. Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 16-17 minutes and rotate your pan halfway through.
  10. Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Cotton Candy Buttercream Frosting

  1. Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
  2. Mix in 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt, 4g cotton candy extract and a drop of pink gel food coloring on a low speed.
  3. Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 10g heavy cream on a low speed.
  4. Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
  5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
  6. Place in a piping bag with a small french tip and set aside.

Assembling These Cotton Candy Macarons

  1. Pipe a thick dollop of cotton candy buttercream or frosting of your choice around one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
  2. Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Yield:

This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.

The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells. I piped these shells with a diameter of about 1 and 1/4 inches, so they're a tiny bit smaller than a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Cotton Candy Macarons

  • Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
  • Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
  • Carefully read through the directions before making these macarons. There are quite a few steps and it's good to know your game plan before you start!
  • Use gel food coloring to color these macarons. If you try to use liquid food coloring it can throw off the consistency of the batter.
  • Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
  • FIRMLY bang your pans on your counter after piping your macarons. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped and prevent cracked or hollow shells.
  • Rest your macarons for 30 minutes before they're baked to allow them to develop a skin.
  • Pipe a small number of macarons on a mat to test your oven for hot spots and see if it bakes accurately. This way you won't waste a whole tray of macs if your oven runs hot or cold.
  • Let your macarons mature in the fridge overnight! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
  • If your first batch of macarons doesn't turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide for help!

Making These Cotton Candy Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

  • French macarons need to mature overnight (or ideally 24 hours) in the fridge before being eaten! They taste best 24 hours after being made.
  • Macarons can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
  • Macarons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  • Filled macarons can be frozen for up to a month, but the length can vary based on the filling.
  • Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
  • Your filling can be made ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 129Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 28mgSodium 35mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 15gProtein 2g

Erin

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

So we don’t use the cotton candy extract in the actual macaroon cookie batter? It’s just in the frosting.

Chelsweets

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

Hi Erin,

Correct! Macaron batter is super temperamental, so you don't want to add any additional moisture into the batter. Also, most extracts bake off in the oven so you can really taste them even if you did add it. I recommend only adding the extract into the filling. Happy baking!

Fluffer Nutter Macarons | Kitchen 335

Monday 26th of April 2021

[…] Cotton Candy Macarons– These fun swirled macarons are filled with a cotton candy buttercream. […]

Michelle

Friday 12th of February 2021

How did you do the swirled colors in the macaron shells? I’ve reread several times and I am not finding when it how to do that. Maybe I’m looking too hard for it??

Smiles

Wednesday 13th of October 2021

@Michelle, I know this one from icing cakes - you swipe lines of gel colouring vertically along the piping bag (skewers do a really good job of it) before you put the macaron batter in. It should pipe out with stripes of colour along it. Then, when you swirl it into the circular shape of the macaron, it should create the swirl of colours seen here. :)

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