It’s been a while since a new macaron recipe appeared on here and it’s about time that changed, don’t you think? Enter, blackberry macarons!
Blackberries are one of my favourite summer fruits and I have no idea why it took me so long to put them in macarons, but I’m glad I finally did. These might be the best fruity macarons I’ve made.
These made an appearance at a work bake sale we had a few weeks ago to raise money for a coworker fighting a cancer battle and they were a hit! I mean, I thought for sure the s’mores macarons would be more popular but these blackberry macarons went quickly.
When I was making the Swiss meringue buttercream filling for these guys, I didn’t strain the blackberry puree because I wanted to really be able to visually tell that these were blackberry. However, if you’re making these and you don’t really want seeds in your buttercream, feel free to strain the seeds out of the blackberry puree.
Why Swiss Meringue Buttercream?
I did a Swiss meringue buttercream as opposed to an American buttercream because I find that to be too sweet. I wanted the blackberries to be the star, not the sugary buttercream. Swiss meringue buttercream is a little more involved because we heat the egg whites and sugar before whipping them together to make a meringue, but I promise its worth it. It’s silky, smooth, and has a nice shine to it.
Bright purple shells to enhance the light purple filling. You can really do whatever shell colour you want. I just like to try and match the shell colour to the macaron flavour and I wanted a vibrant purple to make these stand out.
These blackberry macarons are so easy, so tasty, and they helped raise an incredible amount of money to help someone truly deserving. If my sister hadn’t told me I’m not allowed to make my own birthday treat this weekend, I’d for sure be making these.
Happy baking, friends!
Blackberry Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 210g sugar
- 210g egg whites
- Purple gel food colouring (optional)
- Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-3 spoonfuls blackberry puree
Directions
- Step 1 Macaron Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it’s clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms (if adding food colouring, add it now). The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
- Step 4 With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined. Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter. The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out. This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you’ll just be able to feel when it’s ready.
- Step 5 Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they’re ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
- Step 6 While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18). The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Step 8 Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk them together by hand to combine. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over medium high heat. Place the mixer bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
- Step 9 Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160°F on a candy thermometer or is hot to the touch. Once hot, carefully fir the mixer bowl onto the stand mixer.
- Step 10 With the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8-10 minutes, until it holds medium-stiff peaks. When done, the outside of the mixer bowl should return to room temperature and no residual heat should be escaping the meringue out of the top of the bowl. Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle.
- Step 11 With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, then the vanilla. Once incorporated, turn up the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the buttercream is silky smooth, 3-5 minutes.
- Step 12 Mix in the blackberry puree and beat until silky smooth.
- Step 13 Assembly:
- Step 14 Pipe the blackberry frosting onto one half of each macaron pair. Sandwich gently together. Macarons should be refrigerated until ready to eat. They are best if they have been out of the fridge for 30 minutes before eating. Refrigerating helps the flavours build and letting it sit out a bit before eating will mean you are enjoying it at the ideal macaron texture.
