Macarons with Raspberry Filling
These Macarons with Raspberry Filling are out of this world! Sweet cookies filled with delicious raspberry cream cheese filling.
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French Macarons Recipe Testing:
I discovered macarons about 4 years ago, a recipe I tried from AllRecipes. Funny thought…when I make something for the first time, it always turns out so perfect, but the more I make that recipe the more it’s not so. I looked through maybe 50 different recipes if not more, and everyone says their recipe is fail-proof, but whatever recipe I tried I either ended up with hollow or sometimes the shells cracked on top.
It’s not until one day, I tried 7 recipes (yes 7, not less, not more). I kept gathering different recipes over the years and chose 7 that seemed really fail-proof. Sadly, only 1 of the recipes turned out about 85-90%. One of the 7 came out completely flat; it was loaded with sugar and I ended up with a giant 11×17 baked crispy cookie. Every little circle just spread and connected.
When a recipe doesn’t turn out to my liking, I either discard and never come back to it or I keep trying if it seems like it’s about to turn out. With that 1 recipe, I kept tweaking it around until I finally got the perfect, no hollow, and no cracking macarons every time. I don’t use artificial colors in baking, so when I want color I go natural way such as adding raspberry filling or cocoa macaron. I know that those colorful macarons look appealing, but many add so much color to the batter that the macaron doesn’t taste like macaron anymore – they are just so bitter, it’s almost impossible to enjoy.
Secrets to Perfect Macarons:
- Your mixer! I used manual Cuisinart mixer in the past and if you noticed some manual mixers have thin and round whisk attachments and some have thinner but wider – makes a huge difference when it comes to baking. The thinner whisk takes longer to get that batter consistency you need. It’s hard to know when exactly that “stiff peaks” moment is happening. Therefore, I use my KitchenAid mixer for these (you’ll see in instructions why it’s so much easier).
- Your oven! You MUST open your oven once in the middle of baking process, to let that air out to prevent macarons from turning out hollow.
- Weigh your dry ingredients. Sift your dry ingredients when instructed.
- I prefer using parchment paper, not as much silpat (like the results better). Do 1 baking sheet at a time. NOTE: You will see the difference below.
- Flour – I used Blue Diamond almond flour and when I ran out I switched to Bob’s Red Mill. No difference, so don’t blame the flour! 😀
Macaron Cookie Ingredients:
- 107 g almond flour (about 1 cup)
- 176 g powdered sugar (about 1 3/4 cup)
- 3 large egg whites – room temp
- 70 g granulated sugar (about 6 tablespoons)
Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 3 oz fresh raspberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kitchen Tools You Need:
- KitchenAid stand mixer (or any other brand)
- Food Processor
- Kitchen scale
- Sieve
- Spatula
- 2 large baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Pastry piping bag with large round tip
How to Make Macarons:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line parchment paper with 2-3 baking sheets and set aside. Weigh 107 g almond flour and 176 g powdered sugar; transfer to a bowl of food processor. Process dry ingredients for about 1 min. Stop and scrape of the sides with spatula and pulse 4-5 times. Pass almond mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl, gently pressing with spatula. You will have about 1 tbsp of solids in the sieve (discard or if you have a lot more, pulse them few more times in the food processor).
2. Weigh 70 g granulated sugar. Separate egg whites from egg yolks. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk 3 egg whites and 70 g sugar by hand to combine (30 circles). Beat on medium speed-KitchenAid (2 mins on #4 speed, 2 mins on #6 and 2 mins on #8). The egg whites should hold stiff, glossy peaks when you lift the whisk out of the bowl.
3. Add sifted almond mixture all at once OR egg whites mixture into bowl with almond mixture (I prefer this way because the mixer bowl bottom has a shape that kind of stands in my way to properly stir the batter). Fold with spatula from bottom of the bowl upward, then press flat side of spatula firmly through middle of mixture. Repeat until batter is smooth and falls of spatula in a thin flat ribbon (35-40 complete strokes).
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4” round tip. Pipe batter into circles, keeping them 1” apart. Firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter to release any air bubbles (5-10 times). Bake 1 sheet at a time for 13 minutes. (When you have 6 minutes left, open oven door all the way and close – this will prevent macarons from turning out hollow, letting all that extra air out). When time is up, remove baked cookies from oven immediately, and gently slide onto a counter to cool. Repeat with 2nd and/or 3rd baking sheets.
How to Make Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling:
4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 3 oz fresh raspberries, 3 tbsps sugar and 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir and press raspberries to let the juice out and heat until it starts bubbling. Spoon the raspberry mixture through a sieve pressing on the raspberry seeds to get the most juice out. Set raspberry juice aside to cool to room temp and discard the seeds. (I got 2 tbsps juice.)
5. In a medium bowl, beat 2 oz room temp cream cheese for about 1 minute to break into smooth texture. Add cooled raspberry juice and beat again for 2-3 minutes on high to fully combine. Last, pour 1/3 cold heavy whipping cream and beat until filling is soft but fluffy (2-3 minutes on high). This fluffy and soft filling will make the macarons melt in your mouth.
6. Pipe a good amount of filling onto one side of cookie and top with 2nd matching cookie by gently sliding cookies to the right and left to spread the cream evenly and have perfect macarons. Refrigerate for few hours or overnight and enjoy with cup of tea or coffee!!!
More Delicious Cookies:
- Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies
- Oreshki Recipe (Walnut Shaped Cookies)
- Iced Pumpkin Cookies
- Rugelach (rogaliki)
- Peach Cookies with Dulce de Leche Filling
Macarons with Raspberry Filling
Ingredients
COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
- 107 g almond flour, about 1 cup
- 176 g powdered sugar, about 1 3/4 cup
- 3 large egg whites – room temp
- 70 g granulated sugar, about 6 tablespoons
RASPBERRY FILLING INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 3 oz fresh raspberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line parchment paper with 2-3 baking sheets and set aside. Weigh 107 g almond flour and 176 g powdered sugar; transfer to a bowl of food processor. Process dry ingredients for about 1 min. Stop and scrape of the sides with spatula and pulse 4-5 times. Pass almond mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl, gently pressing with spatula. You will have about 1 tbsps of solids in the sieve (discard or if you have a lot more, pulse them few more times in the food processor).
- Weigh 70 g granulated sugar. Separate egg whites from egg yolks. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk 3 egg whites and 70 g sugar by hand to combine (30 circles). Beat on medium speed-KitchenAid (2 mins on #4 speed, 2 mins on #6 and 2 mins on #8). The egg whites should hold stiff, glossy peaks when you lift the whisk out of the bowl.
- Add sifted almond mixture all at once OR egg whites mixture into bowl with almond mixture (I prefer this way because the mixer bowl bottom has a shape that kind of stands in my way to properly stir the batter). Fold with spatula from bottom of the bowl upward, then press flat side of spatula firmly through middle of mixture. Repeat until batter is smooth and falls of spatula in a thin flat ribbon (35-40 complete strokes). Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4” round tip. Holding the piping bag about 1” above the sheet, pipe batter into a 1 – 1 1/4″ circles, keeping them 1” apart. Firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter to release any air bubbles (5-10 times). These don't need to rest, put them straight into the oven. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 13 minutes. (When you have 6 minutes left, open oven door all the way and close – this will prevent macaron shells from turning out hollow, letting all that extra air out). When time is up, remove baked cookies from oven immediately, and gently slide onto a counter to cool. Repeat with 2nd and/or 3rd baking sheets.
- TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 3 oz fresh raspberries, 3 tbsps sugar and 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir and press raspberries to let the juice out and heat until it starts bubbling. Spoon the raspberry mixture through a sieve pressing on the raspberry seeds to get the most juice out. Set raspberry juice aside to cool to room temp and discard the seeds. (I got 2 tbsps juice.)
- In a medium bowl, beat 2 oz room temp cream cheese for about 1 minute to break into smooth texture. Add cooled raspberry juice and beat again for 2-3 minutes on high to fully combine. Last, pour 1/3 cold heavy whipping cream and beat until filling is soft but fluffy (2-3 minutes on high). This fluffy and soft filling will make the macarons melt in your mouth.
- Pipe a good amount of filling onto one side of cookie and top with 2nd matching cookie by gently sliding cookies to the right and left to spread the cream evenly and have perfect macarons. Refrigerate for few hours or overnight and enjoy with cup of tea or coffee!!!
Hannah says:
Hi Olga,
I am wondering if i can freeze the filling separately for another occasion? I would like to make a big batch and keep it for next time. Would i need to rewhip after i defrost if freezable – how long can i freeze it for?
Thanks
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Hannah! Without experimenting it myself, I cannot really say. Wouldn’t want to suggest something I have not tried myself, in case it does not turn out. 🙁
Linda B. says:
My daughter and I made these macarons and they tasted delicious! It was the first time making macarons and the instructions were very clear and helpful. Five stars, very delicious!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Linda!
Lori says:
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing these instructions. Hollow shells have been my nemesis. It’s the meringue instructions that finally did it for me. Nobody else I’ve come across lists speed and time stages for mixing the meringue. Without these instructions I would have never pushed it that far for fear of overbeating. Now I know the reason for my hollows was not having a strong enough meringue. This right here was key! Thank you again. I was ready to give up.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for sharing that with us! I’m so happy to hear I could help! 🙂
Shal says:
This recipe is AMAZING. I’ve made these already at least 3 batches in the past 2 weeks because they’re SO GOOD!! I’d say it’s foolproof especially since I can mess up recipes easily and I nailed it the first try (2nd time making macarons ever). Thank you for this recipe! I haven’t had a single person not like it. Even picky non-sweet eaters love these! This recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for that great review! I’m happy to hear it worked out for you!
Samantha says:
I’ve always been too intimidated to attempt making macarons, but this recipe made it easy! The results were beyond divine and I can’t wait to make it again for Easter and Valentine’s Day. Thank you!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for the great review, Samantha!
Suzy newell says:
I made this filling so easy and delicious 😋 I wonder how long it will keep in the fridge for….???
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 The filling itself stays fresh for up to 4 days.
Mariam says:
Amazing macarons recipe! This is the first time macarons worked out for me. Thank you for all the details and the delicious raspberry filling (extra thank you). Just the perfect recipe!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
That’s wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Ty says:
Hello,
I’m about to try this recipe and was just curious as to how many macarons complete macarons this makes? Thank you!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
This serving makes about 21-25 macarons (kind of depends on how big you make them).
Janine says:
The best macaron recipe! I was almost giving up on macaron recipe and decided to try your recipe of the reviews from my friends. they right – this recipe is a keeper. First time my macarons turned out beautiful, not hollow. The raspberry filling is a jam. Thank you sooo much for sharing!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for the wonderful review, Janine! I’m so happy to hear these worked out for you!
Anaiz says:
These were a huge hit! One of my favorite flavors!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed these!