Orange Creamsicle Macarons

5 from 3 ratings

Orange Creamsicle Macarons

Learn how to make the best orange creamsicle macarons! They're filled with an orange creamsicle buttercream that will take you straight back to your childhood!

Prep Time20

Cook Time16

Additional Time30

Total Time1 6

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 30 mini macarons

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Orange Creamsicle Macarons

70 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1/2 cup + 1 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
orange gel food coloring

Orange Creamsicle Buttercream Frosting

56 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup
4 g artificial vanilla extract 1 tsp
3 g orange emulsion or orange extract 1/2 tsp
2 g fine salt 1/4 tsp
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
10 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 2 tsp

Equipment

Kitchen scale
Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
Large, flat baking sheets
Silpat Mats or parchment paper
1 Large Piping Bag 18-inch
Small Round Piping Tip - like a Wilton 10
Scribe or toothpick

Instructions

Orange Creamsicle Macarons

Line two flat baking sheets with silicone mats and set aside.
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 then increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Start folding the dry ingredients into the meringue. Once the dry ingredients begin to incorporate into the meringue, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture into a small bowl and set aside.
Add orange gel food coloring into the batter and continue to fold until thick ribbons of batter flow off your spatula when it's lifted. I like to perform the figure-8 test to check my consistency! This is when you lift your spatula and see if you can draw a figure 8 with the batter running off your spatula in one consistent stream. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8s once your macaron batter is the right consistency.
Pour the orange macaron batter into a large piping bag fit with a small round piping tip.
Gently fold the uncolored batter with a mini rubber spatula until it is the right consistency as well. Place the uncolored batter into a small piping bag and snip the end of the bag to make a 1/2 cm opening.
Pipe small creamsicle shaped shells onto a silicon mat, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Use the printed circles on your mat as a guide, and square off the bottom corners of each macaron with a scribe to give them that iconic popsicle shape.
Pipe a thin line of white macaron batter at the base of each shell.
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, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed.
As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F.
Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 13-16 minutes and rotate your pan halfway through. Cover the tops of the macarons with foil as you rotate the pans to prevent browning.
Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Orange Creamsicle Buttercream Frosting

Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
Mix in 4g artificial vanilla extract, 3g of orange emulsion and 2g salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 120g 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 small piping bag with a round tip or snip a 1 cm opening at the bottom of the bag.

Assembling These Orange Creamsicle Macarons

Pipe a dollop of orange creamsicle buttercream or frosting of your choice around one macaron shell, then press a trimmed, 2-inch popsicle stick on top of the buttercream. 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 mini creamsicle 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 inch, so they're a tiny bit smaller than a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Orange Creamsicle 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 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 the troubleshooting section above for help!

Making These Orange Creamsicle 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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