Peanut Butter Macarons

5 from 4 ratings

Peanut Butter Macarons

Learn how to make these peanut butter macarons! They're filled with honey roasted peanut butter buttercream and are absolutely delicious!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Additional Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Macarons 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
133 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1 1/4 cups
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
7 g unsweetened baking cocoa 1 tsp
yellow gel food coloring - optional

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

85 g unsalted butter, room temperature 6 Tbsp
63 g honey roasted peanut butter 4 Tbsp
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
2 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
166 g powdered sugar 1 1/3 cups
45 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 3 Tbsp

Equipment

Instructions

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 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 mix in 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs over a few minutes while mixing on a medium low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Sift 133g superfine almond flour, 125g powdered sugar, and 7g of cocoa powder into the meringue. Add in a small drop of yellow gel food coloring to give the shells a warm brown color, 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. The batter should be a tan color.
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.
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 17-20 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.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Beat 85g room-temperature butter and 63g peanut butter on a medium speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth.
Mix in 4g vanilla extract and 2g salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 166g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 45g 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 fit with a small French tip (like an Ateco 22) and set aside.

Assembling These Peanut Butter Macarons

Pair up the macaron shells, then pipe a ring of peanut butter buttercream around one macaron shell. Fill the center with honey roasted peanut butter. If you want to make PB&J macarons, pipe your favorite jam inside the buttercream. If you want to make Reese's macarons, fill the center with milk chocolate ganache.
Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
Drizzle melted white chocolate over the top of the shells and sprinkle with chopped, honey roasted peanuts.
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 half this recipe 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 Peanut Butter 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.
If you can't find honey roasted peanut butter, you can also use regular peanut butter or any nut butter! Just avoid using chunky peanut butter to make the frosting because it will make it hard to pipe.
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 the macarons for 30 minutes before they're baked to allow them to develop a skin.
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 Peanut Butter 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.
The frosting can be made ahead of time too or save any leftovers! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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