Frog Macarons
These adorably delicious frog macarons are filled with tangy cream cheese frosting and are almost too cute to eat.
Making These Frog Macarons with the French Method
There are a few different ways macarons are made. The French method is considered the easiest and also requires the least equipment, which is why it’s my favorite!
And while I love Italian macarons, I decided to keep things simple and use the French method for this recipe.
Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Frog Macarons
I’ve made quite a few batches of macarons, and they definitely turn out best when the ingredients are weighed and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.
These are the tools I like to use when I make these macarons:
- Kitchen scale
- Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
- Large, flat baking sheets
- Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)
- 2 Large Piping Bags (18-inch)
- 1 Small Piping Bag
- 2 Medium Round Piping Tips – like a Wilton 10
- Edible black marker
How to Make These Frog Macarons: Step-by-Step Process
While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues super helpful!
Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.
Step #1: Make the French Meringue
The first step is to make the French meringue! Whisk the room-temperature egg whites on a medium-low speed until the surface is covered in small bubbles.
Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until the whisk begins to leave tracks.
Gradually add the granulated sugar and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed.
Mix until stiff peaks form, like in the photo below. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over-mixing the meringue.
Step #2: Sift and Fold the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue
Sift the superfine almond flour and powdered sugar into the meringue, then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula.
Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pulls through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.
Once most of the dry ingredients are combined, scoop 50g of batter into a separate small bowl. Use a small rubber spatula to carefully fold the batter in the small bowl until a ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.
Pour the batter into a small piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10). Set aside.
Then sift 9g of matcha powder (optional – but if you omit, you need to add food coloring) into the remaining meringue and add a few drops of leaf green gel food coloring.
Food coloring is optional, but it gives the shells a brighter green color. The macarons in the pictures were made with food coloring; without it, they would be a very pale shade of green.
Continue to fold the mixture until it is evenly colored and a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.
You should be able to draw a couple of figure 8s with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
Pour the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip.
Step #3: Pipe the Macaron Shells
Pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
Then, use the white batter to pipe two eyeballs on half of the macarons (see the photos above).
While you might be tempted to pipe eyeballs on all the shells, it makes them a lot harder to pair up once they’re baked. It’s much easier if just the top has eyes!
Bang the pan firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, and pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick or scribe.
Use the remaining batter to pipe another tray of shells.
Step #4: Rest the Macaron Shells
Let the macarons rest for about 30 minutes or until they form a skin. On rainy days, this can take up to an hour where I live!
Once the shells are ready to be baked, they should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte. While the shells rest, preheat your oven.
Step #5: Bake the Macaron Shells
Bake one tray of macarons at a time, and place the tray on the middle rack of your oven.
Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. If you notice the shells are browning when you rotate them, place a foil tent over the top of the macarons (you may need to bake them a minute or two longer if you do this).
Let the macarons cool fully on the pan, then gently remove them from the silpat mat.
If they’re properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly.
Step #6: Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
While the macaron shells bake and cool, make the cream cheese frosting following the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Once the frosting is fully combined and smooth, place it in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Set aside.
Step #7: Decorate & Fill the Frog Macarons
Once the shells have fully cooled, use an edible black marker to draw pupils and a smile on the shells with eyeballs.
If you don’t have an edible marker, you can use a mixture of 1 Tbsp clear alcohol or extract (like vodka or lemon extract) mixed with a couple drops of black gel food coloring to paint on the eyes and mouth with a clean paint brush.
Then, pair up the macaron shells – one shell with eyeballs for the top and one regular shell for the bottom. Pipe a thick dollop of cream cheese frosting on the bottom macaron shell.
Gently press the second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy!
Remove the macarons from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to eat them to let them come to room temperature. Store any leftover macarons in the fridge.
Troubleshooting These Frog Macarons
While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these macarons will turn out perfectly, my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.
Macarons are incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right. If you run into any issues, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!
Choosing the Right Filling for These Macarons
While we put tons of energy into the shell of a macaron, almost all the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling.
The shell gives macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines their flavor.
I love cream cheese frosting, but you could also fill these with a 1/4 batch of my matcha buttercream, white chocolate ganache, or any other type of buttercream.
How Many Macarons Does This Recipe Make?
This recipe makes about 36 large macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons.
You can double or halve this recipe as needed.
The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of the macarons you pipe. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches.
Tips for Making the Best Frog Macarons
- Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making the 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. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
- Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
- Let your baked and filled macarons mature! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
- If your macarons don’t turn out right, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!
Making These Matcha Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
These macarons need to mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and flavor.
They can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
You can also 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.
The cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time, or you can save any leftover filling! Store it 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 make these frog macarons, I’d love to hear how they turn out! Please leave a rating and comment below.
And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so I can see your amazing creations!
Frog Macarons
Ingredients
Green Macaron Shells
- 110 g aged egg whites – about 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar – optional
- 110 g granulated sugar 1/2 cup + 2 tsp
- 140 g superfine almond flour – blanched 1 1/4 cups
- 125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 9 g matcha powder – optional 1 Tbsp
- green gel food coloring – optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 226 g (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup
- 375 g powdered sugar 3 cups
- 15 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 Tbsp
- 3 g fine salt 1/2 tsp
Instructions
Green Macaron Shells
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
- Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on 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 it reaches the soft peak stage where you can see the whisk leaving faint tracks in the egg whites.
- Gradually add 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Sift 140g of superfine almond flour and 125g of powdered sugar into the bowl of meringue, then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Once most of the dry ingredients are combined, scoop 50g of batter into a separate small bowl.
- Use a small rubber spatula to carefully fold the batter in the small bowl until a ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. Pour the batter into a small piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10). Set aside.
- Sift 9g of matcha powder (optional – but if you omit, you need to add food coloring) into the remaining meringue and add a few drops of leaf green gel food coloring. The food coloring is optional, but it gives the shells a brighter green color (the macarons in the pictures were made with food coloring – without it, they will be a very pale shade of green).
- Continue to fold the mixture until it is evenly colored and a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple of figure 8s with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
- Pour the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Then, use the white batter to pipe two eyeballs on half of the macarons (see the photos above). While you might be tempted to pipe eyeballs on all the shells, it makes them a lot harder to pair up once they're baked. It's much easier if just the top has eyes!
- Bang the pan firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, and pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick or scribe. Use the remaining batter to pipe another tray of shells.
- Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 157 C.
- Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 17-21 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. If you notice the shells are browning when you rotate them, place a foil tent over the top of the macarons (you may need to bake them a minute or two longer if you do this).
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the shells bake and cool, make the cream cheese frosting. If you don't like cream cheese, you can use any other type of macaron filling to fill these- white chocolate ganache or any type of buttercream would be delicious too!
- Beat 226g room-temperature cream cheese with a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Mix in 15g vanilla bean paste or extract and 1/2 tsp fine salt on a low speed. Then gradually mix in 375g of powdered sugar on a low speed. It will take a bit of time to incorporate all the powdered sugar, but I promise it will come together as you mix! If it doesn't come together after a couple of minutes of mixing, heat the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds to help warm up the cream cheese and make it easier to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Once the frosting is fully combined and smooth, place it in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Set aside.
Decorating These Frog Macarons
- Once the shells have fully cooled, use an edible black marker to draw pupils and a smile on the shells with eyeballs. If you don't have an edible marker, you can use a mixture of 1 Tbsp clear alcohol or extract (like vodka or lemon extract) mixed with a couple drops of black gel food coloring to paint on the eyes and mouth with a clean paint brush.
- Then, pair up the macaron shells – one shell with eyeballs for the top and one regular shell for the bottom. Pipe a thick dollop of cream cheese frosting on the bottom macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
- Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy! Remove the macarons from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to eat them to let them come to room temperature. Store any leftover macarons in the fridge.
Video
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 1 3/4 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.Tips for Making the Best Frog 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 the 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 filled macarons mature in the fridge overnight! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
- If your macarons don't turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide for help!
Making These Frog Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
These macarons need to mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and flavor. They can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also 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. The cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time, or you can save any leftover filling! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.Nutrition
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