Last year for St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrated with Irish cream macarons. This year, we’re keeping the boozy theme going with these Irish coffee macarons!
The classic Irish coffee is made up of coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and whipped cream. For the macaron version, we’re making espresso shells and filling them with a rich, boozy whiskey buttercream. It’s truly just a match made in heaven.
I’m going to be honest. If you don’t like whiskey, these probably aren’t the macarons for you. While the whiskey taste isn’t overwhelming, you definitely know you’re eating something with whiskey involved. When I make boozy macarons, I’m not skipping on the booze, ok? You’re going to know some alcohol is there!
The buttercream is made of more than just whiskey though, I promise. We’ve got butter (I used Kerrygold for these because, Ireland), powdered sugar, Irish whiskey, vanilla bean paste, and a tiny pinch of salt. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can substitute for vanilla extract. Just make sure you use real Irish whiskey. If your whiskey isn’t from Ireland, these aren’t really Irish coffee macarons.
If you’re looking for the luck of the Irish this year, try these macarons. Whether you need the luck or not, you really don’t want to miss out on these. Coffee and whiskey – what more could you ask for?
Irish Coffee Macarons
Ingredients
- Shells
- 275g almond flour
- 245g powdered sugar
- 5g espresso powder
- 210g aged egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Whiskey Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. Irish whiskey
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- Pinch salt
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour, powdered sugar, and espresso powder 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. 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. The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Whiskey Buttercream:
- Step 8 Beat the butter until creamy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and beat to combine. Once combined, add the whiskey, vanilla bean paste and salt. Beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Step 9 Assembly:
- Step 10 Match shells of the same size to form pairs. On one half of each pair, pipe the whiskey buttercream, then sandwich together.
- Step 11 To store, keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week. Or, freeze for up to 3 months, thawing before eating.
