These Irish cream macarons are probably as Irish as I’ll ever get on here, but oh my goodness are they good! I’ll be making these every year for sure.
I also now want to make some more alcoholic macarons, so stay tuned for that! I’ve got some big plans.
Until then though, let’s get back to these Irish cream macarons.
Most of you are probably familiar with Bailey’s Irish cream, right? It’s a liqueur flavoured with cream, cocoa, and Irish whiskey. I mean, you can’t go wrong with that, can you?!
I thought about making these Irish coffee macarons, but I really wanted to make sure the Bailey’s stood out without too many other flavours taking away from it. These macarons allow the Irish cream to be the star of the show. Maybe next year we’ll venture to make an Irish coffee version!
Here’s how we’re making these.
Our good old trusty, reliable macaron recipe is key. This time we’re adding some green food colouring so we can have the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day. Remember, when you’re adding food colouring to the macaron batter you want it to be gel or powder. Liquid will mess with the whipped egg whites too much and we won’t get the pretty macaron shells we all want and deserve.
The filling is easy. It’s a pretty typical buttercream, but this time we’re adding some Irish cream to booze it up.
Kidding.
We’re adding it to get the subtle Irish cream flavour we want. I promise, you won’t be getting tipsy off these macarons!
Depending on the time of day you find yourself enjoying these, I’d recommend either a cup of coffee or a glass of Irish cream. Maybe some Irish cream in your coffee for the full Irish coffee experience! Irish or not, you’re sure to love these.
Happy baking, friends!
Irish cream Macarons
Ingredients
- Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g confectioners' sugar
- 210g egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Few drops green food colouring gel
- Filling:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 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. Add food colouring and beat briefly to combine. 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 (if adding sprinkles, add prior to resting). 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 Filling:
- Step 8 Beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Step 9 Add the powdered sugar, Bailey’s Irish cream, and vanilla extract and beat until you have a soft, fluffy buttercream.
- Step 10 Assembly
- Step 11 Pair up the macaron shells.
- Step 12 Once the buttercream is ready, pipe some onto one half of each pair, then sandwich together.
