These pretty and delicate robin’s egg macarons are the perfect Easter treat to share with friends and family. These Tiffany colored macarons are filled with a chocolate butter frosting for one delicious treat.
Tiffany Blue Robin’s Egg Macarons for Easter
Macarons are one of my favorite cookies to make (and eat!) so it felt only right to make a special batch for Easter!
Wonderfully light and chewy and filled with a rich chocolate icing, these egg shaped macarons have a wonderful color to them, making them perfect for a classy and grown up treat.
Be sure to try these Strawberry Macarons and Easter Macarons!
Why You’ll Love this Robin’s Egg Macaron Recipe:
- Perfect for any occasion: I made these macarons for Easter, but you can easily enjoy them at any time of the year.
- Make ahead: Macarons are a great make ahead dessert, so you can have a stress-free evening entertaining.
- Large batch recipe: This recipe makes 24 macarons, so they make for great teachers’ gifts, or share with friends and family.
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How to Make Bird’s Egg Macarons with Chocolate Filling
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a double boiler.
- Place into a stand mixer and beat to form stiff peaks.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and almond flour and fold in.
- Add the food coloring. and continue to fold in.
- Pipe the meringue onto a lined baking sheet.
- Let them rest before baking.
- Allow to fully cool before removing from the tray.
- Beat the butter and add powdered sugar and melted chocolate.
- Fill the macarons
A macaron is a French sandwich cookie made from almond flour and egg whites with a meringue-like texture. Macarons are endlessly customizable and fun to make once you get the hang of it!
While the cookies have similar origins and ingredients (hence their similar names), macarons are made with almond flour and macaroons are made with sweetened flaked coconut.
While I’ve provided standard measurements, using a kitchen scale and gram measurements ensures that you’re using the exact right amount of each ingredient. If you use even the slightest bit too much of an ingredient, your Robin’s Egg Macarons may not come out correctly.
Almond flour is an important ingredient for macarons because it actually provides the unique texture that you know and love! So no, don’t use any other flour besides almond.
If the insides of your macaron shells are hollow, chances are you overmixed the meringue. However, collapsed macarons also occur when you don’t bake the shells for long enough before aging them, which could also cause them to be hollow inside. To avoid hollow shells, don’t over mix the meringue, and always bake for the right amount of time!
Aging the macarons will help the shells to soften and absorb the flavor of the filling. You don’t have to do this, but having a little patience and planning ahead will result in a much tastier treat!
The filled macarons will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The shells, without the filling, will keep well for up to 6 days in the same way.
Yes, macarons can be frozen either filled or unfilled. To freeze the fully assembled macarons, let them age in the fridge for at least 12 hours first. Place in an airtight container to freeze. The macaron shells can be frozen as soon as they are baked and cooled.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Measuring: I recommend using a kitchen scale and gram measurements for this recipe because being precise when making macarons is extremely important.
- Egg Whites: Your egg whites do not need to be at room temperature.
- Food Coloring: Make sure to use gel food coloring, not liquid! I dip a toothpick into the food coloring and then into the meringue, which would be the equivalent of 1 drop from a squeeze bottle. I used 1 part teal, 1 part lemon yellow, and 2 parts royal blue to color the macarons.
- Temperature: It’s important to use an oven thermometer when making macarons. I set my oven to 315°F and it rises to 325°F. When I set it to 325°F, it actually runs at about 350°F.
I just adore the color of these robin’s egg macarons, they look so fancy! I can’t wait to see you make these!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Robin’s Egg Macarons with Chocolate Filling
Ingredients
For the Shell
- 3 large egg whites 90 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar 90 grams
- ⅘ cup powdered sugar 95 grams
- 1 cup almond flour 95 grams
- Gel food coloring **see notes for exact coloring
For the Filling
- 1 cup chocolate chips 170 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, softened (1 stick)
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar 254 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional, but recommended!)
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Piping Tip Set
- Silpat Mat (optional)
- Oven Thermometer (optional, but recommended!)
Instructions
For the Shell
- Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Set aside.
- Place a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl. Whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 2 minutes.3 large egg whites, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites and sugar on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks, about 3-4 minutes.
- Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the egg whites. Make sure to discard any large lumps; don’t force them through the sieve.⅘ cup powdered sugar, 1 cup almond flour
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites by making a "J" shape with your spatula. Make sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl!
- Once the dry ingredients have been almost fully incorporated, add the gel food coloring, if using (see notes).Gel food coloring
- Continue folding, this time gently smushing the meringue against the sides of the bowl as you fold. Smush and fold a few times before checking to see if the meringue is at the Figure 8 stage.
- If you can draw an 8 with the meringue without the stream breaking, it’s ready to pipe. If it falls off in clumps, continue the smush and folding a few more times before trying again.
- When the meringue flows in smooth ribbons, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (Wilton #10 or 12).
- Pipe either circles or egg shapes that are about 1 inch in diameter. Once you’ve finished the first tray, hold it a few inches off the counter and drop it straight down to release any air bubbles. Repeat a few times, or until it looks like any large air bubbles have popped.
- Repeat with the second tray.
- Set the trays aside to rest for 25-30 minutes, or until they have developed a skin. On humid days, this could take up to an hour. When the macarons are ready to bake, you should be able to touch the macarons gently without the meringue sticking to your finger.
- While the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Bake the macarons, one tray at a time, for 13 minutes. Make sure to turn the tray half way through cooking so the feet rise evenly.
- Allow the macarons to cool fully on the tray. Trying to remove the macarons while they’re warm may result in sticking.
For the Filling
- Microwave the chocolate chips for 1 minute and set aside to cool for a few minutes.1 cup chocolate chips
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the butter has become light and airy.½ cup unsalted butter
- Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the melted chocolate. If the mixture looks dry, add a tablespoon of milk or cream.2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- When all of the ingredients have been incorporated, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip until the buttercream becomes light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip. Set aside until ready to use.
Assemble and Age
- Place the macarons in similar-sized pairs. Pipe a small dollop of icing onto one macaron and place the second shell on top. Press down gently, just until the filling reaches the edges.
- To make the macarons speckled, combine 1 teaspoon of water with a few drops of black food coloring. Dip a pastry brush in the coloring and then rub it against the back of a fork to drip the paint onto the macarons (make sure not to get it on your clothes; it will stain).
- Allow the food coloring to dry completely before transferring the macarons to an airtight container.
- Place the macarons in the fridge to age overnight. Bring to room temperature and enjoy.
Notes
- Storage: Store any leftover macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Temperature: Your oven must be at 325°F. Use an oven thermometer!
- Shape: To get evenly round macarons, hold the piping bag perpendicular to the tray while you pipe the shells. Don’t try to draw a circle!
- Macaronage: The process of folding the dry ingredients into the meringue is one of the most important steps when making macarons. You should be able to draw a figure 8 with the meringue without the stream breaking. There are lots of great videos online if you aren’t 100% sure what the meringue should look like.
- Food Coloring: You must use gel food coloring in macarons, not liquid! Both Wilton and Americolor are great.
- Aging: Aging the macarons will help the shells soften and absorb the flavor of the filling
- I recommend using a kitchen scale and gram measurements for this recipe since macarons are a pretty specific recipe.
Becky, what is your trick for piping macarons with such perfectly smooth tops.?
I think its a practice thing. Macarons are tricky but worth the trouble!! I truly believe anyone can make them 🙂