Salted Caramel Macarons
Salted caramel macarons consist of a creamy salted caramel buttercream, gooey caramel center, and are topped with a salted caramel drizzle. They are an absolute dream! Let’s dive into this delicious macaron recipe.
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission as an Amazon Associate (or other affiliate program) from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products that I use and trust.
Macaron March 2023
Woohoo! The 4th annual Macaron March celebration has just kicked off on Bakes & Blunders. Macarons can really scare the poo out of me sometimes. In order to conquer them, I’ve been focusing on all things macaron related every March.
This helps me focus on just one highly technical bake for several weeks. By the end of my Macaron March festivities, I always find that my macaron making skills have improved, I’ve learned something new, and I’m completely obsessed with macs.
Salted Caramel Macarons
For these macarons, we will be making two different elements. There’s the plain macaron shell and the salted caramel buttercream. I prefer to make my buttercream a day or two in advance so that I can just focus on making the macarons when it’s time.
After making and filling the macarons, it’s time to decorate! These salted caramel macarons get a drizzle of salted caramel candy melts. It’s a simple decoration, but I love that it helps showcase the flavor.
Macaron Resources
- 5 Steps to Prep for Perfect Macarons
- All About Meringue: Covering the Basics
- Fun Ways to Fill Macarons
- Macawrong Brownies or 4 Yolk Challah (delicious ways to use up extra yolks)
- Basic Tools You Need to Make Macarons
- Macaron Templates + Macaron Prep Checklist (available to subscribers only)
Swiss Method Macarons
In the past, I mostly stuck to Italian method macs, though I have done a few batches with the French method. However, I have been sticking with the Swiss method for a while now because it seems to be the best balance of stable meringue and minimal fuss. My sweet spot.
I considered using some brown sugar in the meringue like I did with my chocolate chip cookie dough macarons. It would add even more caramel depth to the macarons, but I decided to start Macaron March with just a simple, basic shell.
Related Video: 5 Steps to Prep for Perfect Macarons
Top Tips for Macarons
- Pulse your dry ingredients in a food processor and sift out any large chunks.
- Whip your meringue to stiff peaks. It’s best to whip at a medium speed for longer. Keep an eye on it!
- Fold/ macaronage just until the batter flows like lava. It is best to slightly under mix if you are in doubt.
- If you don’t have a macaron template yet, grab a free one from the Resource Library so that you pipe evenly sized shells.
- Use a toothpick to smooth any nipples and remove any air bubbles on your piped macarons.
- Bake one pan at a time and adjust the temperature and baking time if necessary.
Sugar Art Master Elite Color
These macarons were my first time using powdered color in my shells. Since the powdered colors from The Sugar Art are incredibly pigmented, I chose to use just a smidge of Blueberry to see what color I would end up with. It actually looks very similar to my Almond Joy Macarons which use gel color.
You need to add the powder to the egg whites because they need liquid to hydrate and activate the pigments. Using the Swiss method helps develop the color even further thanks to the brief heat treatment before whipping.
Top Tips for Meringue
- Wipe your bowl and whisk with a bit of vinegar to remove any residual fat or grease.
- Separate your egg whites one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to your big bowl. This is to prevent any stray yolk from ruining the whole batch!
- Acid (like cream of tartar or lemon juice) or egg white powder can help stabilize your egg whites.
- Whip your eggs at a medium speed for longer to create a more stable meringue and minimize the risk of over whipping.
- Room temperature egg whites will whip up faster, but it’s best to separate the eggs while they’re cold.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
Not only is this stuff addicting, it’s super dupes simple to make. Basically you whip up a small batch of American buttercream and add caramel sauce until you’re happy with the flavor. Then add salt a bit at a time until you’ve got that salted caramel vibe just right.
I have never made caramel from scratch. No reason why, other than I’ve just never felt compelled to do so. Instead, I use store bought cajeta. It’s a caramel sauce made with goat’s milk! Use whichever thick, sticky caramel sauce that you can find.
Let’s Get Drizzical
You can 100% leave your salted caramel macarons plain and undecorated. They’ve got a gorgeous color and tons of flavor, so they don’t need to be dressed up if you’re not feeling it. But I’m extra and I already had salted caramel candy melts on hand.
Gently melt the candy melts (I got mine at Michaels) and pour into a small piping bag. Snip just a tiny bit off the end of the bag and drizzle over the filled macarons. I topped them with a few flakes of fancy pants salt, but that’s not necessary either.
Related Reading: Salted Caramel Cake
Enjoy!
Salted caramel macarons are deliciously decadent and not too sweet. Save this recipe on Pinterest so you can find it next time you want to whip up a special treat. Happy Baking!
Salted Caramel Macarons
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 130 g almond flour
- 125 g sugar
- 1 tsp egg white powder optional
- 125 g egg whites (about 4 eggs) room temperature
- 1/32 tsp Blueberry Master Elite powder color smidgen
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 4 oz unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 1 oz caramel sauce or to taste
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp cream, milk, or water
- Pinch of salt
Toppings and Fillings
- 2 oz caramel sauce
- 2 oz salted caramel candy melts melted
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with silicone mats, teflon, or templates and parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a round piping tip. Set aside. Preheat oven to 285°F.
- Pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and sift into a bowl. Discard any large chunks. Whisk the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and egg white powder (if using). Whisk until completely combined and there are no more lumps of egg white powder. Set aside. Combine egg whites and powdered color.
- In a clean stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar mixture and the egg whites. Whisk to combine and place bowl over a double boiler. Heat, whisking regularly, until the sugar dissolves, about 90 seconds. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and carefully dry off the bottom.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer and whisk on a medium speed (KitchenAid 4) until you have stiff peaks, about 10- 15 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and begin folding the ingredients together. Once everything is combined, continue folding until the batter flows slowly like lava.
- Pipe macaron shells onto prepared baking sheets. Let the macarons dry until you can lightly brush the tops with your finger (15 mins for me). Bake for 20- 22 minutes, rotating halfway through. Gently poke shell, if it is firm, remove from the oven to cool. If they wiggle, add another minute or two.
- Let the macaron shells cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Beat the butter until pale and fluffy, about 8- 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. Bump the speed up to medium and beat for a minute, or until smooth. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. Bump the speed up to medium and beat for a minute, or until smooth. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add the caramel and beat until smooth. Taste and add salt a bit at a time. Add liquid if the frosting is too thick. Beat well.
Assemble
- Pair up the macaron shells. Fill a piping bag with buttercream and another with caramel sauce. Pipe a dam of buttercream onto one shell. Fill with caramel sauce, then top with the other shell. Repeat with the remaining macaron shells.
- Drizzle the finished macarons with melted salted caramel candy melts and top with flaky sea salt.
- Place in an air tight container in the fridge overnight to let them mature. Remove 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I was able to pipe 70 shells, which made 35 macarons. You could have a few more or a few less depending on how large you pipe your shells.
- For maximum color intensity, mix the egg whites and color powder about an hour before beginning the recipe.
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
Christopher's Healthy Zucchini Bread
Cardamom Chai Macarons
You May Also Like
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Joy Macarons with Coconut Ganache
