This past week I had the honor of making some macarons for my friend’s rehearsal dinner. She loves white chocolate, so I whipped up a batch of white chocolate macarons!

They’re made with a bright white macaron shell and are filled with the most luscious white chocolate ganache. I’m not always the biggest white chocolate fan, but these were absolutely delicious!

Making These White Chocolate Macarons with the French Method

There are a few different ways macarons are made. French macarons are considered easier to make while the Italian and Swiss methods use a few more steps but are more structurally sound.

French macarons also require less equipment. While I love Italian macarons, I like to keep things simple and used the French method for this recipe.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These White Chocolate 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 piping bag
• Round piping tip
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)

How to Make These White Chocolate Macarons: Step-by-Step Process

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

Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

Step #1: Make the White Chocolate Ganache

This white chocolate ganache filling needs about 5 hours to set, so I recommend making it first! It can also be made up to a week in advance. I usually make it the night before!

After heating up the cream and pouring it over the white chocolate, let the mixture sit for a couple minutes.

Then mix it together with either an immersion blender or a spoon. Once the mixture has come together and is smooth, press a piece of plastic wrap flush against the ganache and place the bowl in the fridge to chill.

Step #2: Make the French Meringue

Next, it’s time 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.

Add in the white gel food coloring at this point. It will get mixed in as you fold in the dry ingredients during the next step.

Step #3: 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 pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.

Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a few figure 8’s with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream once it is the right consistency.

If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.

Step #4: Pipe the Macaron Shells

Fill a large piping bag with macaron batter and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto 2 silpat lined baking sheets. Space them about 1-inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times.

This brings any trapped air bubbles to the surface, which can then be popped with a toothpick or scribe. Popping these little bubbles can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Step #5: 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!

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.

Step #6: Bake the Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray in the middle rack of your oven.

Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. After you rotate the pan, place a foil tent over the shells to prevent browning as they finish baking.

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 #7: Assemble the Macarons

While the macaron shells bake and cool, place the ganache in a piping bag fit with a large round piping tip.

Pipe a thick dollop of ganache on one macaron shell.

Gently press a second shell on top of the ganache to create a sandwich. I chose to brush a bit of luster dust and gin on top of each macaron to give it a little flair, but this is optional.

Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and store in the fridge to let them mature overnight.

Letting the filled macarons rest overnight softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavor to develop.

Troubleshooting These White Chocolate Macarons

While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these white chocolate 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 its flavor.

I think this ganache is absolutely incredible, but you could also use a 1/4 batch of my white chocolate buttercream.

Recipe Yield

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 macarons you pipe. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches.

Tips for Making the Best White Chocolate 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.
• If possible, use an immersion blender to make sure your ganache turns out silky smooth!
• If you’ve never baked macarons before, pipe a small number of macarons on a few sheets 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 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, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Making These White Chocolate 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 taste.

Refrigerate 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! Store 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 white chocolate macarons, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

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

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