These cute pink strawberry macarons are more than perfect for Valentine’s Day! Filled with a sweet cream cheese frosting, these macarons are perfectly light with a chewy, nougat like texture.
Pink Macarons Recipe
Looking for a cute Valentine’s Day dessert? Look no further!
If you want to show someone you love them, these Valentine’s macarons are the perfect way to someone’s heart.
Learn how to make the perfect macarons that any French patisserie would be proud of with these simple step by step instructions. Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did!
Why You’ll Love this Strawberry Macarons Recipe:
- Perfect for any occasion: I made these macarons pink for Valentine’s, but you can easily use any color you like to suit any occasion.
- 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.
How to Make Strawberry Macarons
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a bowl over hot water. Place into a stand mixer.
- Beat the eggs into stiff peaks.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and almond flour and fold in with the food coloring.
- Deflate and fold the meringue several times until you get the right texture.
- Pipe the batter onto a baking sheet and release any air bubbles.
- Let the macarons rest before baking them.
- Let the macarons cool completey.
- Mix together the filling ingredients.
- Pipe onto the macarons and add strawberry jam, if using.
- Press the shells together.
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 Strawberry 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.
Some macaron recipes call for you to age the egg whites to make macarons, but I don’t feel like you need to do this, especially if you get your eggs from a large grocery store. Aging them helps to remove excess moisture so that they are easier to whip.
If your eggs are very very fresh, just let them sit in your fridge for a couple of days before you use them in your Valentine’s macarons.
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!
By aging the macarons, the flavors of the shells and the filling meld together, and the texture gets slightly more chewy. Aging them is a key way to get those patisserie macarons.
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.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Egg Whites: The egg whites do not have to be at room temperature– straight from the fridge is fine!
- Almond Flour: Make sure to use almond flour (not almond meal). My preferred brand is Bob’s Red Mill.
- Proper folding technique: Form a “J” shape. Cut the meringue down the middle and scrape all the way to the bottom, then pull the mixture from the bottom over the top. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat the “J” shape. Be gentle with the meringue. You don’t want to deflate the egg whites at this point.
- Food Coloring: Make sure to only use gel food coloring in macarons– not liquid! I used ¼ teaspoon of neon pink food coloring.
- Temperature: It’s important to have an oven thermometer when making macarons. You want your oven temperature to be at 325°F. My oven runs a bit hot so I set my oven temperature to 315°F and it rises to 325°F.
- I recommend using a kitchen scale and gram measurements for this recipe since macarons are a pretty specific recipe.
More Macaron Recipes
These Valentine’s macarons are the most perfect way to say I love you and every minute spent making these, is time well spent for sure! I cn’t wait to hear how yours turn out!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Valentine’s Day Pink Strawberry Macarons Recipe
Ingredients
For the Shells
- 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 optional
For the Filling
- 3 tablespoons whipped cream cheese 40 grams
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar 40 grams
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 gram
- Strawberry jam optional
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional, but recommended!)
- Silpat Mat (optional)
- Oven Thermometer (optional, but recommended!)
Instructions
Make the Shells
- Line 2 large sheet pans with Silpat mats (or parchment paper if you don’t have Silpats). Fit a piping bag with a small round tip (I like a Wilton #10).
- Set a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water.
- Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl. Whisk constantly until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.3 large egg whites, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed (Kitchenaid #8) until they form stiff peaks.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the beaten egg whites. Fold the mixture gently to incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg whites. (See notes for proper folding technique.) When about half of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add the food coloring, if using, and continue folding.⅘ cup powdered sugar, 1 cup almond flour, Gel Food Coloring
- Deflate the meringue by smushing it against the sides of the bowl and folding it back together. Repeat the smushing process 3-4 times and then test the meringue to see if it’s at the “figure 8 stage”. If you can draw an 8 with the batter while it flows smoothly, it’s ready. If the meringue falls off in clumps or breaks during the “8”, smush it 1-2 more times and fold it back together. Then repeat the figure 8 test.
- When the batter flows smoothly, transfer the mixture to the piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 1 ½-inch circles about 2 inches apart on the Silpat-lined baking sheet. Make sure to hold the piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet so you don’t end up with lopsided macarons.
- Immediately after you’ve finished piping the tray, hold it 6 inches off the counter and drop it straight down to release any air bubbles. Repeat the dropping process 5-6 times, or until it looks like any large air bubbles have popped.
- Set the tray aside to rest for 20-25 minutes, or until the macarons have developed a skin. The macarons are ready to bake when they can be gently touched without sticking to your finger.
- While the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 325°F (see notes). Bake the macarons one tray at a time for 14-16 minutes, flipping the tray halfway through baking. The macarons are finished when they peel easily off the Silpat.
- Allow the macarons to cool on the tray. Once they are fully cooled, they can be filled and aged.
Make the Filling and Age the Macarons
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.3 tablespoons whipped cream cheese, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place the macarons in similar-sized pairs. Pipe a ring of cream cheese icing around the center of one shell. Fill the inside with ½ teaspoon of strawberry jam, and then place the second shell on top, pressing down lightly until the filling touches the edges. Repeat with the remaining macarons.Strawberry jam
- (Optional) Place the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge to rest overnight. Bring the macarons to room temperature before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Notes
- Egg Whites: The egg whites do not have to be at room temperature.
- Almond Flour: Make sure to use almond flour (not almond meal). My preferred brand is Bob’s Red Mill.
- Proper Folding Technique: Form a “J” shape. Cut the meringue down the middle and scrape all the way to the bottom, then pull the mixture from the bottom over the top. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat the “J” shape. Be gentle with the meringue. You don’t want to deflate the egg whites at this point.
- Food Coloring: Make sure to only use gel food coloring in macarons, not liquid! I used ¼ teaspoon of neon pink food coloring.
- Temperature: It’s important to have an oven thermometer when making macarons. You want your oven temperature to be at 325°F.
- I recommend using a kitchen scale and gram measurements for this recipe since macarons are a pretty specific recipe.
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