Strawberry French Macarons Recipe & Two Fillings

An approachable and scrumptious strawberry French macarons recipe. Fill the macaron shells with a simple strawberry filling. Or whip up a silky French buttercream. Or both! The method includes how to infuse as much strawberry flavor as possible into your macarons. But also my chef's tips for success.

Jump to:

• The Story
• The Ingredients
• Equipment
• The Techniques
• Chef's Tips
• The Method
• The Steps
• Fillings
• Piping the Fillings
• Storage
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Edible Epilogue
• 📖 Recipe
• More Macaron Recipes
• 💬 Reviews

The Story

To succeed at French macarons, all you need is a bit of know-how and a little patience.

I know you're thinking. Yeah. Right. I get it. But bare with me. All French macaron recipes are the same on a basic level. And that's whether you set out to create sinful strawberry or creamy coconut french macarons.

The Ingredients

Macaron shells are small almond meringues. And big changes to the macaron shell ratio will give you less than ideal results. So it's best to stick with only the following ingredients, outside a few exceptions for more practiced bakers.

Macaron Shells

• powdered sugar
• fine-ground almond flour (or blanched almonds ground up well in a food processor with the powdered sugar)
• fresh egg whites
• granulated sugar
• red or pink food coloring, optional (plant-based gel or powder recommended)
• strawberry extract, optional

Strawberry Filling

Any strawberry jelly or jam will work as a filling, of course. But I often use a scratch-made strawberry filling set with gelatin. You can't beat the intense flavor of fresh, in-season fruit. Or the speed at which the jam comes together.

• fresh strawberry purée (stemless strawberries blended or mashed through a fine-mesh sieve)
• granulated sugar, honey, or coconut sugar
• lemon juice
• powdered gelatin

French Buttercream

You can certainly stop at a strawberry jam when it comes to filling strawberry macarons. But with a bit of extra effort, you can tuck a surprise dollop of jam inside a ring of silky French buttercream.

• eggs
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
• vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Choosing Food Coloring

While I often bake my macarons au natural (no coloring), there's just something about a pretty-in-pink meringue shell. I recommend going easy on the food coloring here, just a little bit of gel-based color is all it takes.

If you're an avid baker, it can be worth investing in a plant-based, heat-safe food coloring powder like the ones from Nature's Flavors (not a sponsored link). I make no secret of the fact that I avoid artificial food colorings whenever possible. And a peer-reviewed study (the best kind) out of California found that food dyes can cause problematic behavior in kids.

Which most of us moms already knew.

Equipment

You can certainly whip up a firm meringue with a whisk and ample elbow grease. But an electric hand or stand mixer makes the process easier. Weighing ingredients is a baker's best practice. But if you don't have a kitchen scale you can certainly measure by volume. Since the techniques are the crucial element in macarons, slight differences in amounts don't cause too much trouble.

• sifter or fine-mesh sieve (strainer)
• large mixing bowl
• whisk or electric mixer, either a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment
• flexible or rubber spatula
• parchment paper (not wax)
• baking pan(s) or cookie sheet(s)
• large piping bag or plastic baggie
• quarter or half-inch round pastry tip

The Techniques

The two (not-so) elusive techniques for beautiful French macarons are meringue, and macaronage. The simplest and best method for beginners is called French, or common meringue. To whip meringue using the French method, you beat sugar slowly into foamy egg whites. Then you whip on high speed to the desired volume and stability, referred to as "peaks" for how the meringue looks coming off of the beater paddle or whisk.

Macaronage is simply how French chefs make the act of mixing batter sound glamorous. And unlike more contrived macaron flavors, pink-hued shells filled with strawberry buttercream don't require any additional steps beyond this basic process.

The Method

The classical French macaron process is to first whip a firm peak meringue. The term "peak" refers to how the meringue holds onto the beater. Firm peaks mean the tips of the finished meringue stick almost straight up but curve over slightly. French chefs call this "bird's beak". Next, you fold in the dry ingredients. Then once the mixed batter is thick, shiny, and ribbons off the spatula, you pipe it into small rounds.

The Steps

With time-sensitive batter such as meringue, it's best to line up your ducks before you begin. So gather and prepare your equipment, and measure out all the ingredients. French cooks call this mise en place, everything in place.

For the best chance at a stable, voluminous meringue, bring your egg whites to room temperature before whipping. An hour or so on the countertop is plenty of time.

To bake with blanched almonds, grind the nuts with the powdered sugar until smooth and sandy in a food processor before whipping the meringue. It can be helpful to stop and scrape the bottom of the processor once or twice to loosen up the mixture for even grinding.

1. Preheat your oven to 300° F.
2. Line a couple of baking pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats, if you prefer). If you plan to use a piping template, place one or two underneath the parchment. I secure my parchment paper in place with a heavy cup or small magnets.
3. Snip the corner of your pastry bag and place a small round tip inside of it. Be careful not to snip too large of a hole or the tip will fall through. Push a small bit of the bag inside the large end of the tip to keep the batter from leaking out when you fill it.
4. Sift the almond flour with the powdered sugar. If using a food coloring powder, whisk it into the dry ingredients here.
5. Combine the egg whites and granulated sugar in the mixing or mixer bowl. Whip on high speed to a firm meringue. The meringue will be shiny, silky, opaque, and resemble shaving cream.
6. Add a small amount of red or pink gel food coloring, and whip on high speed for 30 seconds more.
7. Add all of the sifted dry ingredients into the whipped meringue all at once. Fold the mixture a bit vigorous at first to create a somewhat homogenous mixture.
8. Then fold gently by scraping in a circular motion around the inner sides of the bowl and then up over the top of the batter. Cut your spatula through the center of the batter about every other stroke. Be mindful to scrape against the bottom of the bowl to bring in all of the dry ingredients.
9. The batter is mixed when it ribbons off the spatula, and settles back into itself in about 20 seconds. Be careful not to over-mix or you end up with a runny batter that spreads too thin when piped. Undermixing will result in macaron batter that might harbor air bubbles that will pop and explode in the oven.
10. Transfer the batter to your prepared piping bag.
11. Pipe batter to the inner edges of the black circles on your template. Hold the piping bag vertical, and a quarter-inch off the baking pan. Once you reach the inner edges of the black circle, stop squeezing and flick the tip away in a circular motion. If your batter doesn't settle flat after a few moments, gently tap the underneath of the pans to help the circles settle.
12. Optional: Let the piped macarons rest on the counter for 10 to 20 minutes. The shell will turn from shiny and sticky, to smooth and dull.
13. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan once the signature pied, or “feet” form. This happens after about eight minutes of baking. Take the shells out of the oven before the bottoms begin to brown.
14. Begin checking for doneness after 12 to 13 minutes. Gently nudge the tops of a couple of macaron shells with your finger. If the tops don't wiggle, the macarons are done.
15. Remove the pan and cool the shells for a couple of minutes. Remove from the parchment or the baking mat by gently pushing up from underneath and peeling the macarons off carefully. Fill with a strawberry filling or buttercream, or both.

Fillings

Since you can't mess with the macaron formula too much or the shells will suffer, the flavor is in the fillings. For strawberry macarons, I love whipping up one or two fillings:

• Easy strawberry jam
• Strawberry buttercream

Strawberry Jam

If you prefer to substitute powdered pectin in place of the gelatin for a vegan filling, use a bit less than called for in the recipe. Or refer to the brand's recommendations.

1. "Bloom" the gelatin by sprinkling it evenly over water in a small bowl or ramekin. The mixture will gelatinize, becoming thick and opaque after about five minutes.
2. Bring the blended strawberries and lemon juice, a small pinch of salt, and sugar to a simmer in a small pot. Simmer gently for about five minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat, and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until it dissolves. Pour the filling into a small heat-safe bowl, and press plastic wrap against the top.
4. Cool the filling in the refrigerator. Stir to loosen it up before piping.

French Buttercream

Silky, scrumptious, and not too sweet. My favorite French buttercream recipe is based on one by Chef Thomas Keller (I worked at one of his restaurants for a time). To add color and more flavor, you can mix in a couple of spoonfuls of freeze-dried strawberry powder at the end. Or whip in a little strawberry jam. You can certainly use an American-style buttercream which is simpler to make. But for French macarons, I love a silky, less sweet buttercream.

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1. Boil the sugar and water in a saucepan to the firm ball stage (248° F). At the same time, beat the eggs until foamy and keep the mixer running at low speed.
2. With the mixer or beaters on low speed, drizzle the 248° F syrup into eggs avoiding the beater.
3. Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture cools to room temperature.
4. Then beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. The mixture may appear broken and lumpy at times, but if you keep beating it will smooth out.
5. Beat in any flavorings, extracts, and freeze-dried strawberry powder at the end.
6. Store French buttercream chilled. Beat briefly with a hand or stand mixer to use after chilling. Serve it at room temperature.

Piping the Fillings

To make quick work of filling macarons, I scoop my fillings into a piping bag fitted with a small round or star tip. Or more simply, use a plastic baggie with the corner snipped to create a small hole. Before you pipe any filling, match up the shells into pairs. And eat any unmatched shells in the name of quality control.

To fill with both jam and buttercream, pipe a ring of buttercream around the outside of half your shells. Be sure to leave a little space between the edge of the shells and the buttercream. Then squeeze a tiny dollop of jam in the middle and top with another shell.

If you keep it simple with one filling, pipe a small circle in the center of half of the macarons. Leave space between the edge of the shell This is a great job to keep kiddos busy and learning in the kitchen. Fine motor skills in action!

Storage

Store filled macarons in an airtight container and chilled for up to a week. Unfilled macaron shells can be packaged carefully, sealed airtight, and frozen. Widely-accepted lore claims finished macarons are best enjoyed after 24 hours of "aging" in the refrigerator. Always serve at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Edible Epilogue

When filling any macarons, the filling should not reach the edge of the shells. Less is more. Or when you and your people bite into the macaron, the filling will squeeze out in every which direction. And French pastry chefs will turn over in the graves.

Best avoided. Because while crafting macarons can be fun once you get the hang of it, we're all really here for the eating. And if I want strawberry jam anywhere, it's in my mouth. Not on my shoes.

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P.S. Don't forget to share your favorite flavor in the comments. The more the merrier!

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