Strawberry Shortcake Macarons

5 from 1 rating

Strawberry Shortcake Macarons

These strawberry shortcake macarons taste just like summer! They're filled with mascarpone frosting, strawberry jam and are topped with a delicious strawberry shortcake crumble.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Additional Time1 30

Total Time2 10

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: Swiss

Servings: 20 Macarons

Calories: 188kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Strawberry Shortcake Macarons

100 g granulated sugar
2 g egg white powder - optional
100 g aged egg whites - about 4 large egg whites
105 g superfine almond flour - blanched
100 g powdered sugar
5 g freeze-dried strawberry powder
pink gel food coloring - optional

Strawberry Shortbread Crumble

23 g all-purpose flour 3 Tbsp
12 g granulated sugar
21 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/2 Tbsp
6 g freeze-dried strawberries 1 Tbsp

Mascarpone Filling

60 ml heavy whipping cream, cold 1/4 cup
170 g mascarpone cheese, cold and drained 3/4 cup
188 g powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups
2 ml vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1/2 tsp

Filling

370 g strawberry jam 1/2 cup

Decoration

85 g chopped white chocolate 1/2 cup

Equipment

Instructions

Strawberry Macaron Shells

Fill a pot with about 1-inch of water and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Whisk together 100g of granulated sugar and 2g of egg white powder (optional) in a large, heat-proof bowl. Pour 100g of egg whites into the bowl and place over the simmering pot. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl!
Whisk the ingredients together for 2 to 4 minutes, until the sugar has completely melted, and the egg whites have reached 160 F / 71 C. Wipe down the bottom of the bowl with a towel so that it doesn’t drip into the meringue, then pour the egg/sugar mixture into the bowl of a mixer.
Whip the mixture on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid) for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-low (4 on a KitchenAid) for another 30 seconds, then increase it to medium (6 on a KitchenAid). Finish whipping on a medium to medium-high until the meringue achieves stiff peaks (8 on a KitchenAid).
Once the meringue is stiff, sift 105g almond flour, 100g powdered sugar, and 5g freeze-dried fruit powder into the bowl. If you want to use food coloring, add it at this point. 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 1/2-inch rounds on a large baking sheet lined with a silpat mat, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
Once you finish piping one tray, set the remaining batter aside and bang the pans firmly on the counter or against the palm of your hand a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick or scribe.
Use the remaining batter to pipe the second tray of macaron shells and repeat step 6.
As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F / 158 C. Let the trays rest for about 30 minutes, or until they form a skin and look matte. Once they're ready to bake, you should be able to touch the surface of a macaron shell with your finger without it sticking.
Bake one tray at a time in the middle rack of your oven for 18-21 minutes, or until the shells are fully baked and no longer jiggly. If you notice the shells start to brown, cover them with a foil tent. Leave the oven on (and make the crumble next). Remove the first tray from the oven and bake the second one. Let the macaron shells fully cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Strawberry Shortbread Crumble

In a small bowl, combine 23g flour, 12g sugar, and 21g of butter. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until a crumbly dough forms.
Spread the mixture on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat and bake for 5 minutes bat 315 F / 158 C. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the mixture with a spatula to separate it into small pieces and help it bake evenly.
Return the crumble back to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Stir again, then bake for one final 5-minute interval. At this stage, the crumble should look golden brown.
Remove the crumble from the oven and give it another stir to break it into small pieces, then stir the freeze-dried strawberries into it. Set aside and let the mixture fully cool.

Mascarpone Frosting

In a medium-sized bowl, whip 60ml cream with an electric hand mixer at medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until you can see texture around the edges of the bowl. The whipped cream should be thick and able to keep its shape. It takes about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in my stand mixer to reach stiff peaks.
Once you've made the whipped cream, add 170g of cold mascarpone cheese, 188g of powdered sugar and 2 ml or 1/2 tsp of vanilla to the bowl. Mix on medium speed for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the ingredients are incorporated.
Place in a small piping bag with a round tip, and set aside.

Assembling These Strawberry Shortcake Macarons

Pipe a ring of mascarpone frosting on one macaron shell. Fill the center with 1 tsp of strawberry jam. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining shells.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for an hour.
Place 85g of white chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl and microwave it for 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.
Remove the chilled macarons from the fridge and dip half of each macaron in the melted white chocolate. Let the excess white chocolate drip off, then place the macarons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the macarons with the shortbread crumble.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving them.

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield:

This recipe makes about 40 macaron shells, which can be used to make 20 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed. Just make sure you use a large enough mixer to whip up that much meringue!

The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 1/2 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Shortcake 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 Strawberry Shortcake 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.
I do not recommend making the mascarpone frosting in advance! It will deflate and be difficult to pipe with.

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