Something about salted caramel just screams autumn/winter to me. I don’t know what it is, but it just makes sense. Anyway, for the last autumn macaron of the year before I go full holiday season, today we have salted caramel macarons!
These little beauties are filled with a ring of salted caramel buttercream and a dollop of salted caramel. You guys, they are a salted caramel lovers DREAM.
I usually have a jar of salted caramel in my fridge at all times. I don’t actually even use it that often, it just feels like the right thing to have on hand, just in case. It’s also good to steal a spoonful of every now and then. What can I say, sometimes you just need a salted caramel fix!
These macarons are relatively simple and so delicious. We have traditional French macaron shells – you can add food colouring to get a nice caramel colour, if you want. Then, as I said before, in the middle we have a ring of salted caramel buttercream and we fill that with our homemade salted caramel.
You can buy the caramel if you want to, but trust me when I say home-made tastes so much better! It’s easy to make. You just need a deep pot, a candy thermometer, a whisk, and your ingredients. So simple!
If salted caramel is your thing (and it should be), you’ll love these macarons. The salty caramel helps balance the sweetness and it’s just so damn good. Happy baking!
Salted
Salted Caramel Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 210g egg whites
- 210g sugar
- Salted Caramel
- 250g sugar
- 2 1/2 fl. oz. water
- 4 fl. oz. heavy cream
- 7 oz. salted butter
- Salted Caramel Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup salted caramel
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
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. 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 top with chocolate sprinkles. 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 Salted Caramel:
- Step 8 Heat the sugar & water over medium heat – do not stir. Watch until it becomes a light-brown caramel colour.
- Step 9 Next, slowly and CAREFULLY add the cream, stirring with a spatula. The caramel will bubble and foam a lot.
- Step 10 Once cream has been incorporated into caramel, monitor the temperature. Once it hits 225°F., remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.
- Step 11 Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours.
- Step 12 Salted Caramel Buttercream:
- Step 13 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine.
- Step 14 Once combined, add the salted caramel and heavy cream. Beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Step 15 Assembly:
- Step 16 Match shells of the same size to form pairs. On one half of each pair, pipe a ring of salted caramel buttercream. Fill with more caramel and gently sandwich together.
- Step 17 To store, keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week.
