Vanilla Macarons

7. 10. 2025

These Christmas macaroons are a great holiday treat to make an impact! Vanilla shells filled and decorated with buttercream are perfectly tender and will be the first to disappear from your plates!

Ingredients

For the vanilla shells:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 7/8 cup powdered sugar
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)

For the vanilla cream:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream, room temperature

For the frosting:

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of dried egg whites
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Decoration:

• the rest of the buttercream
• green gel food coloring
• dark blue gel food coloring
• black gel food coloring
• sprinkles

Method

Vanilla Shells:

• Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar and set them aside.
• Heat a small pot of water on the stove and prepare a bath.
• Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer over the double boiler until the sugar is fully dissolved and the egg whites are frothy.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and use the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, at high speed, to beat the egg whites and sugar just until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. 
• Add the vanilla bean paste and mix for a few seconds until fully incorporated.
• Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture over the meringue, using a firm spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue.
• Do this until the mixture ribbons off and forms a complete figure 8 without breaking. This may take a while; keep folding, but don’t over-mix, so test the figure 8 every 5-10 folds.
• Using a piping bag with a small circle tip, pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto a lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. 
• Rap tray on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles from within the batter (use a toothpick to remove any visible air bubbles that won’t come out).
• Let it rest for a while, and preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 13 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the shells cool completely on the baking sheet.

Vanilla Buttercream:

• In a large bowl, beat the butter on full speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined with butter.
• Scrape down the side of the bowl and continue beating on medium-high speed until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is fluffy.
• Add the vanilla, pour 2 tablespoons of cream, and beat until combined.
• If you want a smoother cream, add one tablespoon of whipping cream and beat until thoroughly combined with the rest.

Glaze:

• Combine all the frosting ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on full speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Decoration:

• Use the leftover buttercream to dye the trees and wreaths dark forest green with lots of green, navy, and black food coloring.
• Use the decorating star for the buttercream decorations, and make wreaths and Christmas trees.
• Remember to decorate with sprinkles before the buttercream dries.
• For the frosting, use a narrow decorating tip and make small dots on the wreaths and Christmas trees.
•  You can also conjure beautiful snowflakes from the frosting; see the photo below.
• Again, remember to decorate with sprinkles before drying.
• Enjoy it!

Similar articles