Funfetti Macarons

5 from 4 rating

Learn how to make these sprinkle-covered funfetti macarons! They're filled with homemade buttercream and are absolutely delicious!

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Additional Time30

Total Time1 8

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Funfetti Macarons

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
gel food coloring - optional
140 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1 1/4 cups
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
40 g nonpareil sprinkles 1/4 cup

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

28 g unsalted butter, room temperature 2 Tbsp
28 g cream cheese, room temperature 2 Tbsp
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
1 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
10 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 2 tsp
50 g nonpareil sprinkles 1/4 cup

Equipment

Instructions

Funfetti Macarons

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 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 it reaches the soft peak stage.
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. If desired, add in gel food coloring at this point. It will get mixed in as you fold the dry ingredient in during the next step.
Sift 140g superfine almond flour and 125g 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 couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when 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.
Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit 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.
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.
Sprinkle nonpareil sprinkles over the piped macarons while they're still wet.
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 17-19 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.
Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Beat 28g room-temperature butter and 28g room-temperature cream cheese on a medium speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth.
Mix in 4g vanilla extract and 1g salt on a low speed.
Slowly add in 125g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 10g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix.
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).
Once the frosting is the right consistency, place in a piping bag with a round tip and set aside.

Assembling These Funfetti Macarons

Pipe a thick dollop of cream cheese buttercream or frosting of your choice on one macaron shell. Over a large bowl, sprinkle nonpareil springs around the sides of the frosting dollop. 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!

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 Funfetti 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 Funfetti 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 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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