Raspberry and Merlot Macarons

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Raspberry and Merlot Macarons combine tart freeze dried raspberries with a red wine reduction for a smooth, indulgent flavor.  You do not need to be a sommelier to understand that raspberries and red wine will taste delicious together. All you need to do is whip up a batch of these macs and taste for yourself!

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I Googled Sommelier

Because, yes, I can say the word, but I was not 100% confident on spelling it.  This recipe for Raspberry and Merlot Macarons was actually inspired by my book club after we finished reading Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.  I love when I can combine my two biggest passions → food and books!

The main character only seems to consume Merlot and pills, so my food inspiration was limited.  But, she’s also learning French, so a book club member suggested I make macarons for our meeting.  I was so in! So I googled the flavor notes of Merlot (because my taste buds are not that refined).  Turns out, raspberries were a perfect fit.

Making Raspberry and Merlot Macarons

These Raspberry and Merlot Macarons are my 4th mac recipe and I am in love with this French cookie.  If you’re a macaron pro, read on and enjoy the recipe! But, if you’re still a bit unsteady with these tricky little devils, let me give you some guidance.

You can read all about the Classic French Macarons baking class I took with a professional pastry chef to get a ton of tips and tricks.  There’s a ton of info and a basic recipe to get you started. And I interviewed a macaron pro when I made my Green Tea Macarons.  More great info there!

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Single Best Tip for Perfect Macarons

Bake your sheets of macarons one at a time.  Seriously! Finding out the right oven temperature and bake time is one of the most common ways you can ruin a perfect batch of macarons.  I start with my smallest baking sheet first, that way I can adjust the oven if necessary.  This way, if it’s way off, only a few macarons are ruined and the rest will be better.

But, it doesn’t stop there.  Pay attention to every sheet of macs when they come out of the oven.  It’s possible you’ll have to slightly tweak the temperature or bake time as you go.  Unfortunately, this is not one of those times when you can just walk away and let it do its thing.

Baking with Freeze Dried Fruit

Freeze dried fruit has always been a bit of a signature ingredient for me.  I love using it to add flavor to a recipe because it has the taste of fresh fruit without the added moisture.  It’s perfect for frostings or in macarons.  One day I’ll have to experiment by adding it to bread!  

It’s important to pulse and sift the raspberries before you add the other ingredients.  In order to have smooth, well baked macarons, you need to remove any chunks from the dry ingredients first.  By sifting the raspberry seeds out before the other ingredients are added, it will help with the texture of your finished macs.

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Merlot Buttercream

Not that your perfect raspberry macarons are cooling on the rack, let’s get started on that Merlot buttercream.  You’ll need your reduced wine to be at room temperature, otherwise you’ll melt the butter and have greasy frosting.  Blergh.  

Only add 2 tablespoons of the Merlot reduction.  Any more and it will begin to split the buttercream.  If you absolutely must add more liquid, use milk or cream.  I added some cocoa powder for color and a hint of flavor. This is optional.  If you really want the Merlot to be the star, just skip it.

Getting the Perfect Shade

I am not really sure what I did to get those colors.  For the raspberry shells, I added a lot of red and a splash of magenta food gel.  The Merlot buttercream was much more troublesome. I added lots of red, some magenta, some brown, and even some purple.  Couldn’t recreate it if I tried.

While I’m happy with the final product, I’d love to get a deeper color.  Do you have a brand or technique that you love? One that gives you gloriously vibrant colors?  Please spill the beans below and make me a happy home baker!

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Macaron March

Not only are these Raspberry and Merlot Macarons straight up delicious, they are also the kick off recipe for Macaron March!  I’m determined to master these cookies and learn how to whip them out like a pro. Every Thursday this month (March 2020), I’ll be posting a new macaron recipe, so come back soon.

And don’t forget to grab your free macaron templates from the Bakes & Blunders Resource Library.  If you don’t have a silicone macaron template, or just don’t have enough, slip one of these under your parchment paper to make life easy.  Just remove them before baking. (But I’ve forgotten and nothing caught on fire, so it’s not the end of the world…)

Enjoy!

Raspberry and Merlot Macarons may just be the adultiest dessert you’ve ever had.  They involve wine and are fancy as heck. That’s a pretty winning combo in my book.  If you know someone who loves wine as much as my book club, you have to share this recipe with them.  It was a huge hit at our book club discussion!

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Raspberry and Merlot Macarons

Raspberry macaron shells filled with a chocolate and Merlot buttercream are the epitome of sophistication.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword almond, Chocolate, Cookies, Frosting, Gluten Free

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Dry Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 50 macarons

Calories 105kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Macaron Base

• 212 grams almond flour or any nut flour
• 185 grams powdered sugar
• 27 g freeze dried raspberries
• 82 grams egg whites room temperature room temperature
• ½ tsp raspberry extract (optional)
• Red and magenta food gel

Italian Meringue

• 90 grams egg whites room temperature room temperature
• 236 grams granulated sugar
• 90 grams water

Chocolate Merlot Buttercream

• 1 cup Merlot
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
• 1 lb powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• Food gel

Instructions

Raspberry Macarons

• Cut parchment paper to fit your baking sheet or line with silicone mats. Set aside.
• Place the freeze dried raspberries in a food processor and pulse until you have a fine powder. Sift out the seeds and large chunks. The raspberry powder and powdered sugar should equal 212g.
• Place almond flour, powdered sugar, and raspberry powder in a food processor and pulse to grind as finely as possible.
• Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, and raspberry powder into a bowl, discarding any large bits, and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the 82 grams of egg whites, raspberry extract, and food gel. Stir to completely combine the ingredients. It will be a thick paste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Place the 90 grams of egg whites for the Italian Meringue into the bowl of a standing mixer with a whisk attachment.
• In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water and place over medium- high heat. DO NOT stir once the sugar begins to boil. Stir just to combine and leave it be after that.
• When the sugar hits 203℉ begin to whip the egg whites in the stand mixer at medium speed to soft peaks. If the egg whites hit soft peaks before the syrup is ready, bump the speed to low.
• Once the syrup hits 245℉, remove from the heat. Bump the mixer's speed down to medium- low and very slowly pour the syrup into the bowl, making sure not to hit the whisk. It's best to aim for the edge of the bowl.
• Increase the speed to medium and whip for about 5- 8 minutes, or until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.
• Stir about ⅓ of the meringue into the flour mixture until well combined. You can be a bit rough with this first addition. Now gently fold in the remaining meringue and continue folding until you reach "ribbon stage". You should be able to lift some batter and drizzle a figure 8 in the bowl before it sinks back into the mixture.
• Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip. Holding the bag straight up, pipe circles onto your baking sheet by applying even pressure (don't try to draw a circle). If you are using a template, you want to fill the circles until just shy of the edge. They will spread a bit in the next step. If using the heart template, start in the top left corner, pipe down, then up to the top right, and back to the center.
• Firmly bang baking sheet on the counter several times to even the batter and loosen any air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any surface bubbles and even out any bumps.
• Let the macarons sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to an hour to form a skin. When you touch the surface it should feel dry.
• About 30 minutes before the macarons are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 305°. Once the macarons are dry, bake one sheet at a time for 12- 15 minutes, rotating the sheet every 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them and adjust the baking temperature and time as needed.
• Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Merlot Buttercream

• Place the wine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook the wine until reduced to a ¼ cup, about 15- 20 minutes. Pour into a container and let it cool to room temperature. You can place it in the fridge to speed up the process.
• Beat the butter on a medium speed for 3- 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down as necessary.
• Add half of the sugar, the cocoa powder, and 1 tablespoon of the Merlot reduction. Beat on low to combine, then on medium for a minute or two.
• Add the remaining sugar, salt, and another tablespoon of wine. Beat on low to combine, then on medium for a minute or two.
• If the frosting is still too thick, add a splash of milk or cream. Add the food gel of your choice to the buttercream and beat until fluffy and well combined. Scrape the bowl down as needed.

Macaron Assembly

• Pair up the macaron shells by size and fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Pipe a blob of frosting into the center of a macaron shell, stopping before the frosting reaches the edge. Top with the other macaron shell and press lightly to spread out the buttercream.
• Place the finished macarons in the fridge overnight. Take them out about 15- 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Any red wine would work just fine.
• Use whatever food gel colors you want.  I mixed a strange combo of red, magenta, purple, brown, and black in the frosting.

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