Vietnamese Iced Coffee Macarons

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Vietnamese iced coffee is a whole deal, but it’s most widely recognized by the addition of sweetened condensed milk. Strong coffee, and sweet, creamy milk are such a bomb flavor combo, so I decided to turn that into this recipe for Vietnamese Iced Coffee Macarons.

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.

Thank you to Barnabas Gold for providing products for me to use and review in this post.

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Recipe Creation

I made sweetened condensed milk buttercream for my Dirty Matcha Macarons a few weeks ago. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how perfect that buttercream would be paired with coffee.

The macaron bug hit me hard, so I decided Vietnamese iced coffee macarons with espresso shells and sweetened condensed milk buttercream needed to happen. It’s a simple combination, but so delicious.

Espresso Macaron Shells

This actually is not the first time I’ve dabbled with espresso in my macaron better. Check out my Hazelnut Mocha Macarons if that’s your jam. We’re just adding 1 tablespoon of espresso powder, but it’s going to give the shells plenty of flavor.

Undecorated macaron shells are just fine, but when you’re an extra type of person, you just need a little jazz at all times. So I dusted my espresso shells with even more espresso powder as soon as I piped them. Not only does this amp up the flavor, it looks so cute!

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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.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream

You’re going to love how easy this stuff is to make. Whip your butter and slowly drizzle in a can of sweetened condensed milk, stopping periodically to scrape and incorporate. It’s a fairly soft frosting, but works great in macarons.

I suggest splitting the batch and adding a bit of espresso powder to one half of it. This was my original plan, but I thought that might be overpowering. If you want this macaron to scream COFFEE at you, do this. 

Related Reading: Mini Opera Cake for Coffee Lovers

Watch the Magic Happen

Macarons have got to be one of the toughest bakes to truly master. One great way to improve is to watch the process. Here’s my step by step video of how I made these Vietnamese iced coffee macarons.

To be honest, the first tray I piped was too thick and I should have refolded my batter. But I didn’t because I was feeling contrary. Don’t worry, I have a great trick for a batch that has only gone slightly wonky.

Macaron Resources

• 5 Steps to Prep for Perfect Macarons
• All About Meringue: Covering the Basics
• Filling Macarons
• Macawrong Brownies (best way to use up extra yolks and messed up shells!)
• Basic Tools You Need to Make Macarons
• Macaron Templates + Macaron Prep Checklist (available to subscribers only)

Edible Gold Leaf Saves the Day

Barnabas Gold sent me some of their edible gold flakes right in time to save my slightly wonky macarons. Pair up the shells so that the lopsided sides are in line. Then dip them in melted chocolate. Let them dry almost all the way before adding a few touches of edible gold leaf flakes.

I actually got Barnabas Gold brand gold leaf years ago as a Christmas gift, so I was super excited to use it again. You want to make sure to choose a brand that specifically states that the metal leaf is pure and edible. 

Gold and silver will not harm you, but if the brand mixes in different, harmful metals, that’s not cool. Always stick with a brand of gold or silver leaf that you trust. What questions do you have about using this stuff? Tell me and I’ll tackle that soon!

Related Video: Swiss Method Lavender Macaron Shells

Enjoy!

If you’re into strong, sweet coffee, I can guarantee you’ll love these Vietnamese iced coffee macarons. The espresso macaron shells and sweetened condensed milk buttercream pack a big flavor punch.

If you love baking or thinking about baking, be sure to follow Bakes & Blunders on Facebook. Not only will you see when I’ve posted new recipes and tutorials, we get to hang out and connect!

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Vietnamese Iced Coffee Macarons

Espresso macaron shells with sweetened condensed milk buttercream filling.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French, Vietnamese

Keyword almond, Brunch, Coffee, Cookies, Espresso, Frosting, Gluten Free, Macarons

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Resting Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 45 macarons

Calories 151kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Espresso Macaron Shells

• 170 g powdered sugar
• 170 g almond flour
• 6 g espresso powder 1 Tbsp
• 165 g egg whites room temperature (about 5 eggs)
• 165 g sugar
• 3 g egg white powder optional (1/2 Tbsp)
• 4 drops ivory gel color
• 6 drops brown gel color

Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream

• 8 oz unsalted butter softened
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• Pinch of salt optional

Instructions

Espresso 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, powdered sugar, and espresso powder in a food processor and sift into a bowl. Discard any large chunks. Whisk the dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a clean stand mixer bowl, add egg whites, sugar, and egg white powder (if using). 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 almost have stiff peaks, 7- 10 minutes. Add your gel color. Beat until you have stiff peaks, another 3- 5 minutes.
• Add the dry ingredients to the meringue and begin folding the ingredients together. Once everything is combined, continue folding until the batter flows slowly like lava. Fill prepared piping bag with batter.
• Pipe macaron shells onto prepared baking sheets. If desired, use a mesh strainer to gently dust the wet shells with extra espresso powder. After piping the 2 baking sheets, leave any extra batter in the piping bag. Tie off the bag and cover the tip to prevent batter from leaking or drying out.
• Let the macarons dry until you can lightly brush the tops with your finger (15 mins for me). Bake for 20- 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Gently poke a shell, if it is firm, remove the tray from the oven to cool. If they wiggle, add another minute or two. Once the first baking sheet has cooled down, pipe the remaining batter, rest the shells, then bake.
• Let the macaron shells cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream

• Whip the butter on a medium- high speed for about 8- 10 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bowl down once or twice during this step.
• Bump the speed down to medium and drizzle the sweetened condensed milk in a bit at a time. Whip well between additions. Taste and add a pinch of salt if you'd like to cut the sweetness a bit.
• After all of the sweetened condensed milk has been added, scrape the bowl down and whip on a medium- high speed for a minute or two to get a light and fluffy texture.

Assemble

• Pair up the macaron shells. Fill a piping bag with buttercream and pipe a dollop onto one shell. Top with the other shell and continue until all of the shells are filled.
• Chill the filled macarons in an air tight container until the buttercream is firm. This could be 20- 30 minutes, or you can let them chill overnight.
• 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 90 shells, which made 45 macarons. You could have a few more or a few less depending on how large you pipe your shells.
• For a stronger coffee flavor, hydrate espresso powder with a few drops of water. Mix that into half of your buttercream. When filling the piping bag with buttercream, put plain buttercream on one side and fill the rest of the bag with the espresso buttercream.

My Favorite Products For This Recipe