Rainbow Macarons

4.93 from 14 ratings

Learn how to make these adorable rainbow macarons! They're filled with homemade buttercream and are absolutely delicious.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Additional Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 224kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Rainbow Sprinkle Macaron 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
white 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

Rainbow Buttercream Frosting

113 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
2 g fine salt 1/4 tsp
250 g powdered sugar 2 cups
15 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1 Tbsp
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple Gel Food Coloring

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

Rainbow Sprinkle 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 and leaves tracks.
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 (KitchenAid speed 6). Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form. If desired, add in white 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 do 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 18-22 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly and cover the shells with foil halfway through to prevent them from browning.
Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the Silpat mat.

Rainbow Buttercream Frosting

Beat 113g 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 and 2g salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 250g of powdered sugar and 15g of 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).
Divide the frosting evenly between 6 bowls and color them red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple with gel food coloring.
Pipe or spread long rows of the colorful frosting on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Roll up the frosting into a sausage-like shape by twisting the ends and snip off the end from one side.
Place the frosting log with the open end closest to the frosting tip into a large piping bag fit with a large round tip and set aside.

Assembling These Rainbow Macarons

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a dollop of rainbow buttercream on 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 Rainbow Macarons

Measure the 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 the buttercream. If you use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency and won't create as vibrant of a color.
Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
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 Rainbow 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.

Filled macarons can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for a week, or frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.

Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.

The rainbow buttercream frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to a month, or the freezer for 3 months. I recommend coloring the frosting and adding it to a piping bag, then storing the frosting in the piping bag.

When you're ready to use the frosting, let the piping bag sit out for a few hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

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