I actually made these red velvet macarons for valentine’s day, but I got knocked down with a stomach bug, then work and life got in the way, so here we are.
These red velvet macarons are a riff off of my classic macaron recipe. By this point, I’ve made macarons so many times that I can’t even count, and this recipe has never failed me. Note that they are called red velvet macarons, but the shells themselves aren’t actually red. They are just dusted with beet root powder to get the red hue. I don’t like using unnatural food dyes, and when I tried to dye the shells red using the natural food coloring I got at whole foods, they still didn’t come out very red, so I just ended up omitting the coloring in the batter all together and opting for the red dust. They taste just the same and are reminiscent of biting into a piece of red velvet cake!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup almond meal
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons merengue powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (53 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Beet root powder for dusting
For the filling:
- ¼ cup salted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
Place almond meal, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a food processor (I used my NutriBullet); process until as fine as possible, about 1 minute. Next, pass almond mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to get out all of the lumps and aerate the mixture. It sounds like a pain, but it is totally worth it!
In a separate bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer), whisk egg whites, granulated sugar, and merengue powder by hand to combine. Beat on medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid) for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high (6) and beat for another 2 minutes. Then beat on high (8) for a final 2 minutes more. The beaten egg whites will hold stiff, glossy peaks when you lift the whisk out of the bowl. Add in vanilla extract and beat on high speed 30 seconds.
Add the almond mixture all at once, folding them into the egg white mixture with a spatula from bottom of bowl upward. Repeat just until batter flows like lava, 35 to 40 complete strokes.
Next, Line baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Rest a large ziplock bag or pastry bag with a large round tip inside a glass. Transfer batter to bag and if you’re using a ziplock, cut off the tip, about 1/8 inch up from corner. With the tip of the bag 1/2 inch above sheet, pipe batter into a 3/4-inch rounds, spacing rounds 1 inch apart. This recipe makes about 60 round disks, 30 sandwiched macarons.
Use a slightly damp finger to lightly pat down any peaks that you’ve made so that each round is nice and flat. While the macarons are still wet, dust each round with some beet root powder for color. I like to sift the beet root powder over each round disk so there are no lumps.
Let the rounds air dry for one hour so they form a skin/crust on them. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! This will ensure that the macarons hold their shape when baking and keep their pretty appearance.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees for a total of six minutes.
Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating the pan after 3 minutes, baking the macarons for an additional 3 minutes, until risen and just set, (Total baking time of 6 minutes).
Transfer the macaron shells to a wire cooling rack and let the macarons cool completely before filling them.
To make the red velvet macaron filling:
Using a stand or hand mixer, mix ¼ cup of room temp salted butter, ¼ cup room temp cream cheese, and vanilla bean paste to combine. The butter and cream cheese must be at room temp so they incorporate easily. If they’re too cold, you’ll end up with chunks of butter and cream cheese. Once the wet ingredients are combined, add in 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat on low speed to combine. Once most of the dry ingredients are moistened, you can turn up the speed to get the texture you’re looking for. Taste the cream cheese filling and adjust as needed. You may have to add another ¼ cup powdered sugar to achieve the taste/texture you’re looking for. I really just ballpark this and adjust as needed. If you’d like, you can place the filling in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes to let it chill and stiffen up.
Lay the cooled macaroon rounds out on a baking sheet, flipping half of the rounds so that the bottom flat side is facing up. Using a ziplock bag with the tip cut off, a pastry bag, or a spoon, either pipe or spoon some of the filling onto the flat side of the macarons, then sandwich another macaron round on top. Store these red velvet macarons in the fridge and enjoy! They will last for up to a week in the fridge, but you’ll probably run out by then!