Cotton Candy Macarons

5 from 3 ratings

Cotton Candy Macarons

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 Time20

Cook Time16

Additional Time30

Total Time1 6

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Cotton Candy Macarons

70 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp
63 g powdered sugar 1/2 cup
55 g aged egg whites, room temperature - about 2 large eggs
pinch cream of tartar - optional
55 g granulated sugar 1/4 cup + 1 tsp
gel food coloring - optional

Cotton Candy Buttercream Frosting

56 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
1 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
4 g cotton candy extract 1 tsp
pink gel food coloring - optional
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
10 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 2 tsp

Equipment

Instructions

Cotton Candy Macarons

Sift 70g superfine almond flour and 63g powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed.
As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 300 F.
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.
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

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.
Mix in 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt, 4g cotton candy extract and a drop of pink gel food coloring on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 10g heavy cream on a low speed.
Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
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).
Place in a piping bag with a small french tip and set aside.

Assembling These Cotton Candy Macarons

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.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!

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 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.

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