These Red Velvet Macarons Are Even Better Than Cake

Tired of your fall Pumpkin Spice Macarons? Prepare for Christmas! These red velvet macarons are the perfect transition into the holiday season. The red chocolate cookie and cream cheese filling turn your boring red velvet cake into a fun two-bite package. Make them for your next holiday party, homemade gifts, or Valentine's Day, which is just around the corner! Make yourself and your friends proud by demonstrating your culinary skill with these delectable red velvet macarons.

Red Velvet Macarons

• Prep Time:1 hr 30 mins
• Cook Time:20 mins
• Total Time:1 hr 50 mins
• Servings:25
• Hard

Ingredients

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream tartar or lemon juice optional
• 1/4 cup superfine/caster sugar
• Red food coloring gel or dye
• 2 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 2 oz butter room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Step 1

  Put the almond flour a bullet or food processor and pulse to make finer. Add in the powdered sugar and pulse to combine.

  

• Step 2

  Pour mixture through a sifter over a medium-sized bowl to remove large bits. Sift in cocoa powder and mix in. Set aside.

  

• Step 3

  In a separate large bowl, crack in the egg whites. Add in the salt and cream of tartar or few squeezes of lemon juice. Neither are necessary, but they help to stabilize the egg whites. Trust me, you can't taste the lemon. Beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy.

  

• Step 4

  Once your eggs are frothy and have a lot of small bubbles, you can start adding in the superfine sugar one third at a time. Beat until the sugar is dissolved. Repeat 2 more times until sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are fluffy.

  

• Step 5

  To complete the festive theme, squeeze in a bit of red food coloring until you get your desired red tint. It took about 1/4 teaspoon of gel coloring for me to get a deep pink color. The color will darken with the almond mixture addition and in the oven. Whip until you've reached soft peaks.

  

• Step 6

  Fold in a third of the almond flour that you set aside into the egg whites until just combined. Repeat 2 more times.

  

• Step 7

  Scoop batter into a large piping bag or plastic bag and snip the end. Pipe the batter onto a macaron template you can either DIY or buy like the one I used. Preheat the oven for 285°F. Let the cookies set for 30 minutes to an hour to create classic macaron "feet." The hardest part is over, now for some you time.

  

• Step 8

  Put the macaron shells in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before attempting to remove them off the baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling.

  

• Step 9

  Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add in the vanilla. Mix in the powdered sugar slowly to prevent the sugar from flying everywhere. Spoon the icing into a piping bag or plastic bag.

  

• Step 10

  Remove the macaron shells from the baking sheet and pair up similar sizes to make even macarons. Pipe the icing into half of the cookies and sandwich them together.

  

• Step 11

  Congratulations! You've made it to the end.

  

#SpoonTip: Let the macarons chill in the fridge for a few hours. The shells soften and taste even better!