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!!!
Sherry L Ross says:
I will soon make my first batch of macarons. I would like to try the raspberry filling and would like to know if you can freeze the macarons with this filling.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Sherry! I do freeze these all the time and the filling freezes well, just like all macarons. Just make sure to properly freeze it to avoid freezer burn. Usually some kind of container wrapped in additional food wrap works the best. The more layers the less chance any food will get freezer burned. I don’t usually go more than 3 months when freezing any food.
A says:
Do I need to adjust anything for the high elevation I live at? I know recipes like this are very precise and didn’t know if I should change measurements or bake time. These look so good, can’t wait to try them!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi! Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with high elevation baking so I’m not much help with your question. I do bake them summer or winter and our weather is opposire in these seasons..maybe that would help? Maybe someone else has some experience making these at high altitudes, then please share your tips with us and thanks in advance! :).
Anne says:
How long does the filling last? I’ve tried a raspberry buttercream filling before and eventually it becomes a little runny. So in just curios if it does the same thing?
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Hi Anne! The filling in here is not buttercream. I don’t like buttercream fillings in macarons. I’m just using heavy cream with cream cheese. It’s soft and light but definitely not runny. Once you put finished macarons into fridge, the filling firms up even more.
Rena says:
I crave Macarons all the time and I will definitely give this recipe a try.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Melissa says:
My favorite dessert ever! That raspberry filling looks absolutely amazing!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thanks Melissa 🙂 The raspberry flavor is my favorite!
Viktoriya G. says:
You’re a life saver! Until few weeks ago, my macarons always turned out hollow and I did not know how to fix them. I followed your recipe exactly and first time in ages they turned out like factory-made. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!!!!!! xoxo
Olga in the Kitchen says:
You’re very welcome Viktoriya 🙂
Alainah says:
These are no fail. Finally a recipe that works for me each time, I’m so glad I discovered your blog. Your recipes always turn out, no doubt.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I’m so happy you found our blog and these worked out so good for you. Come again 🙂
Cheryl says:
Not a review, but a question. Have you ever used frozen raspberries, and if so, do you have to deal with them differently, as I know they will hold more liquid
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I’ve actually used like a blended raspberries with sugar that had been frozen and thawed. Works the same. You don’t add so much (as I know we want that extra red color and tend to add much more than suppose to 🙂 ), but the heavy cream and cream cheese will hold the cream. When you boil the raspberries, the excess water kind of goes away.
Nora says:
This recipe is AMAZING! In the past, I kept trying recipes that came out with holes inside and I was abut to give up until my friend suggested your recipe and there it was. I made your recipe for my party about 200 macarons and everyone kept asking where I bought them, so I kept sending everyone to your blog 🙂 Finally a recipe that works for me!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
That’s a lot of macarons…I remember my days when I tried so many recipes and none would work. Good old times lol
Debbie says:
I sooo love this recipe! I did 3 servings, and without having to wait it makes it so much easier. Also, I would not suggest using stainless steel baking sheets because when I did, they cracked. Nonstick is the way to go. Thank you for such yummy macarons! ??
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you, Debbie! I never used the aluminum kind baking sheets for macarons. I would assume the results might be different since aluminum tends to really grab heat. One time I burned my danishes ? therefore, I switched to nonstick baking sheets when it comes to baking. Thank you for sharing your suggestions! ?