Macarons with Jam Buttercream – Great Use for Extra Jam!
I’ve been on a macaron roll since the new year, and have already baked several batches. I may have had some beginners luck baking macarons, but I’ve been learning throughout the month as I’m baking. The latest batch I made were chocolate macarons with a raspberry vanilla berry made with seedless raspberry jam. It was from my Bonne Maman jam advent calendar.
Chocolate Macarons with Raspberry Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
Check out my first macaron post for more details on adjusting recipe based off of the ratio and weight of egg whites. I won’t bother with detailed steps, but post linked above will have more detailed steps. 🙂
Ingredients for the Chocolate Shells
- 61g egg whites, close to room temp (this was the weight of my 2 egg whites, so feel free to adjust recipe as necessary)
- 24g granulated sugar
- 61g almond flour
- 105g powdered sugar
- 14g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Raspberry Vanilla Buttercream
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, soft enough to beat
- powdered sugar (perhaps start with 1 cup and add more if too thin. I didn’t measure, as I just dumped it in)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 oz – 1 oz jam (I used raspberry jam in this case, but you can customize!)
Instructions for Macaron Shells
- Sift almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder together.
- Whisk egg whites to foamy, slowly add in granulated sugar, and whisk till stiff peaks and egg in vanilla extract and whisk high for 30 secs.
- Fold in the dry mixture with the egg white mixture until good texture and well incorporated without over folding.
- Place mixture inside piping bag and pipe out the macarons.
- Tap/Bang underside of pan to let out air bubbles and such, and then let macarons rest for around 30 mins or when layer has formed on top that you can touch gently without getting batter on your fingers.
- Bake at 315F for 13 minutes, and take out and cool.
Instructions for Raspberry Vanilla Buttercream
- Cream butter for a minute or 2.
- Mix in powdered sugar.
- Mix in the jam and vanilla extract, and add more powdered sugar if necessary.
- Don’t worry if it is not as thick as regular butter cream as it’ll harden in the fridge.
Combine Both – Sandwich Time!
- Let buttercream chill of too liquid-y, but if it is at a texture where you can place on macaron shells without it dripping off the sides, it’s fine.
- Place some buttercream on a cookie and then put another cookie above it so that it’s cookie/buttercream/cookie!
- Enjoy, or place in fridge and enjoy later.
Thoughts
These came out rather well! I had a batch previously that didn’t look as great, but tasted amazing. That batch’s top layer did not really dry during the resting stage, and I think it was because of a combination of humidity and possible of some oils left in the piping bag. It’s best to let macarons rest uninterrupted, as cooking, laundry, etc. near by can change the humidity. Wiping the bowls and piping bags (and baking mat if you’re using that) with some vinegar would eliminate oil residue, as oils can cause issues on looks in the macarons.
More Inspiration from Jam
I’m so glad I can put the jams from my jam advent calendar to good use!