Easy Red Velvet Macarons Recipe

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A show stopping macarons recipe, you will wow everyone with these Red Velvet French Macarons. Tasting just like red velvet cake thanks to it’s cream cheese filling, these macarons are so easy to make but look like professionally made macarons! They are perfectly crisp on the outside and pleasantly chewy on the inside.

two pieces of red velvet macaron stacked on top of each other

Light and delicate, you’ll love this red velvet macarons recipe! The macaron shells are baked to have that perfect crunch when you bite into it but are soft in the center. It may seem difficult at first to make homemade macarons but these red velvet inspired macarons are so easy to make, you won’t buy them at the store again!

If you want to try your hands at different types of macarons, I’ve got a few more that you’ll love! My Lemon Macarons and Strawberry Macarons are so easy to make and are also super flavorful.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Macaron Recipe
Red Velvet Macaron Ingredients
How to Make Red Velvet Macarons
Why Don’t My Macarons Have Feet?
What is Macaronage?
Tips to Make the Best Macaron Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
More Desserts To Try
Red Velvet French Macarons Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Easy Macaron Recipe

It’s budget friendly. You only need a handful of ingredients to make these macarons. No need to spend a ton of money on store-bought macarons when you can make them at home!
They’re so good. You’ll love this cream cheese filling for macarons, making them taste just like red velvet cake.
They’re freezer friendly. You can freeze the shells for later! Make a batch ahead of time to save time.

Red Velvet Macaron Ingredients

For the French Macaron Shells:

Powdered sugar– powered sugar works best for this recipes because it dissolves better.
Almond flour– you must use almond flour. Macarons get their distinct taste and texture because of the almond flour. Don’t mistake almond flour with almond meal.
Cocoa powder– mixing cocoa powder and red coloring gives the distinct red velvet color. Use Dutch cocoa or any good quality cocoa powder.
Egg whites- let it be at room temperature. Make sure there aren’t any yolks that have slipped in!
Granulated sugar– use fine granulated sugar so it blends well. This is used to give structure to the meringue.
Red food coloring– you can add more or less to adjust how pink or red you’d like your shells to be.

Cream Cheese Filing:

Cream cheese– softened to room temperature.
Unsalted butter– softened to room temperature. Always use unsalted butter for any cream filling.
Vanilla extract– use pure vanilla extract. Real vanilla adds the best flavor to macarons.
Powdered sugar– dissolves better and gives a creamier texture.

How to Make Red Velvet Macarons

How to Make Red Velvet Macaron Shells

Prepare the baking sheet: Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients: Use a food processor to pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the combined ingredients into a large bowl. If you do not have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together. Set aside.

dry ingredient of red velvet macaron before mixing in liquids

Make the meringue: In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until they start to get foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and increase the speed. Add the red food coloring. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the meringue into the dry ingredients and use a silicone spatula to gently fold the two together.

Pipe the shells: Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe about 1-inch disks onto the prepared baking sheet.
Remove any air bubbles: Firmly tap the baking sheet 5 or 6 times on the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles.
Let the shells rest before baking: Let the macarons rest for at least 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 300F°. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan every 5 minutes to ensure even baking and coloring.
NOTE: Test for doneness: touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake it for 1-2 minutes longer.
Let cool: Remove the macarons from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel each cooled macaron off of the mat and match up with a similarly sized cookie.

How to Make the Cream Cheese Filling

Combine the batter: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until it is very soft and creamy. Add the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar and beat until fully combined and smooth and then add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat for 5-6 minutes or until the buttercream is fluffy.

Pipe the macarons: Place the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe your desired amount on to the side of one cookie. Place another cookie on top.

close up shot of one piece of red velvet french macaron

Why Don’t My Macarons Have Feet?

One common issue with making macarons is that sometimes they don’t have feet after they’ve come out of the oven. But not to worry, the macaron shells taste just as tasty even without feet. What causes the macaron shells to not have feet is if you over-mix your batter, your macaron shells may not rise properly. When you over-mix, the macarons shell will spread too and not form any feet.

Another important step is letting the shells sit before baking. You should be able to gently run your finger over the surface of the macarons without any getting on your finger by the time they’re ready to be baked. This step makes it so the air in the batter has to escape from the bottom edge of the shells and form feet while in the oven. While I suggest resting for an hour, the time it takes for the shells to “dry” will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Always check with your finger before baking them.

What is Macaronage?

Macaronage is known as a macaron batter mixing technique – meaning mixing the meringue and dry ingredients to a pipeable macaron batter a certain way to achieve a smooth, shiny, and flowing mixture. The most used technique to determine the macaronage stage correctly is to draw a figure 8 within the mixture with a spatula without it breaking it off.

When the macaronage step is done right then there is a huge chance that your macarons turn out perfect and have beautiful feet, fluffy texture, and nice shiny shells.

2 red velvet macarons with one other leaning on the two.

Tips to Make the Best Macaron Recipe

When mixing the French macaron batter, the batter should be fully combined and not streaky. The batter is ready when it falls off of the spatula in a thick ribbon. It should not be too runny.
If your shells are taking too long to set, you can place a fan nearby to get them to set faster.
Only use gel food coloring for macarons, as liquid food coloring may mess up the wet to dry ingredients ratio.
Macarons are delicate and you don’t want any lumps in your batter. Sifting the dry ingredients is a crucial step. If you have lumps in your batter, you might be tempted to continue to mix your batter, causing it to be over-mixed and yield cracked shells.
Use a round tip to pipe the shells, preferably Wilton’s Round Decorating Piping Tip #12.
French macarons are best eaten after they are mature. Wait at least 8 hours after filling them to serve.
Macarons are best kept in the fridge at all times to remain fresh and last longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pipe macaron shells evenly?

You can get silicone mats with circles printed on them to pipe the shells perfectly circular. You can also place a printed template under your parchment paper to follow, just be sure to remove the paper before baking. Also, when you are piping the shells, hold the piping bag straight down and not angled.

Why are my macarons cracked?

Your macaron shells might crack if you under-mix your batter. When you under-mix your batter it causes too much air in your batter. The extra air ends up bursting during the baking process, cracking the shells. Be sure your batter falls off the spatula like a thick ribbon before piping.

Can I put toppings on my red velvet macarons?

You can! You can put sprinkles on top of them before resting the shells before baking if you’d like. Nonpareils sprinkles are best for macarons. You can also drizzle some white chocolate onto the shells after they’ve baked and cooled.

How to store French macarons?

Place leftover macarons in an airtight container before storing in the fridge. Enjoy the macarons within the week. They’ll soften over time and lose that crunch when you bite into them so enjoy them as soon as possible!

Can I freeze French Macarons?

If you are freezing macarons, let them “mature” in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then transfer them to a freezer airtight container and freeze for up to a month. When ready to use the shells, thaw macarons a few hours in advance before piping with the filling.

How to achieve bright red velvet color?

The secret to achieving this bright red macarons is using the combination of cocoa powder and red food gel coloring. Using red food coloring alone will not give you the red velvet color.

3 french red velvet macaron laid next to each other

More Desserts To Try

I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Red Velvet French Macarons recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!

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