Can I use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste instead of the seeds?

You can absolutely use a fragrant pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in the French buttercream. But not in the macaron batter. Vanilla bean paste contains water and emulsifiers and can compromise the integrity of the batter. In place of vanilla bean seeds in the batter, you can add about a half teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. If you do, let the piped batter dry on the pan for about 20 minutes before baking.

How long does buttercream last in the fridge?

I follow the professional food safety mantra and keep buttercream in the fridge for no more than a week (at least for clients). However, if chilled promptly after mixing, buttercream keeps fairly well. If you chill any kind of buttercream before filling macarons or frosting a cake , you will want to beat it again briefly to revive the texture. You can also freeze it.

Can you freeze macarons?

You can freeze macaron shells in an air-tight container or bag. Many macaron shops do this to stay ahead of demand (or even in regular practice). Filled macarons can be frozen, but the quality of the buttercream or filling will suffer. For best results, freeze your macaron shells carefully and fill them after thawing. Let the filled macarons mature for a night before serving or selling.

Heavenly Vanilla Bean French Macarons [Versatile Recipe]

Name: Vanilla Bean French Macarons
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: PT-479717H4M57S
Total time: PT-479717H4M57S
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 180 grams (1¾ cups) of powdered sugar; 150 grams (1½ cups) of finely-ground almond flour; 3 large egg whites (about 90 grams) from fresh eggs (save the yolks for the buttercream); 60 grams (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) of granulated sugar; Seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; ⅛ of a teaspoon (a tiny pinch) of cream of tartar, optional; ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons of water; 3 egg yolks; 4 ounces or 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened but not quite room temperature (for dairy-free substitute plant-based "butter"); Seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Ingredients

Scale

For Vanilla Bean Shells

180 grams (1¾ cups) of powdered sugar
150 grams (1½ cups) of finely-ground almond flour
3 large egg whites (about 90 grams) from fresh eggs (save the yolks for the buttercream)
60 grams (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) of granulated sugar
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
⅛ of a teaspoon (a tiny pinch) of cream of tartar, optional

For French Buttercream

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of water
3 egg yolks
4 ounces or 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened but not quite room temperature (for dairy-free substitute plant-based "butter")
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

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Instructions

Bring the eggs to room temperature. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a heat-proof mixing bowl for the buttercream.
Measure and prepare. Preheat your oven to 300° F. Slice the vanilla bean open lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the back of a knife. Ready your pastry bag by snipping a small opening, inserting the tip. Set the pastry bag inside a tall drinking glass and pull the bag's opening down around the rim. Line at least two baking pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper and place printable macaron templates underneath. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together.
Whip the meringue. Place the egg whites in your mixer or mixing bowl, and beat them on medium speed until they're foamy. Keep beating and slowly rain in the granulated sugar. If adding cream of tartar, pinch a little in once the whites are opaque. Raise the mixer to high speed (or Level 8 on a stand mixer) and whip the meringue to firm peaks. When you lift the beaters or the whisk out of the meringue, it will form little peaks that stick nearly straight up. Add the vanilla seeds to the meringue and beat briefly to distribute them.
Add the dry ingredients. Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the whipped meringue with a large flexible spatula in a few batches. Mix firmly at first to get it to all come together. Then, use a classic folding motion, scraping the sides of the bowl, then under the mass of batter, and up over the top in a circular motion. The batter is the right consistency when it ribbons off the spatula easily. Err on the side of slightly under-mixing; over-mixed batter won't rise nicely in the oven. Transfer your batter to the piping bag and twist the bag off at the top.
Pipe the batter. Pipe circles of batter by holding the pastry bag completely vertical and a quarter-inch above the center of the first round template. Squeeze until the batter reaches the inner edges of the black. Then stop squeezing and flick the tip away in a tiny circular motion.
Tap and rest the shells. Gently tap the bottom of the pans to help the batter settle. Rest the piped batter on the countertop for 10 to 20 minutes until the tops are dry.
Bake. Bake the macarons for 14 to 18 minutes. Larger macarons take longer to set. Macarons are done when the tops are dull and don't shift away from the bottoms when gently nudged with a finger. They should lift easily away from the parchment or baking mat once out of the oven and nearly cooled. To remove the shells from the parchment, push up on each shell from underneath the paper while peeling it off gently with the other hand.
Make the French buttercream. In a very small pot, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil. While the sugar comes to a boil, beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until they are pale yellow and ribbony. Once the syrup reaches 236° F on a candy or meat thermometer, beat the egg yolks again on low speed while drizzling in the hot syrup. Then, beat on high speed until the mixture cools to room temperature. Beat in the softened (but not warm) butter a tablespoon at a time. Beat in vanilla seeds and/or paste or vanilla extract. Transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag and snip a small hole in the corner.
Fill the shells. Flip half of the baked macaron shells over and pipe a round of buttercream on each. Leave space between the edges of the macaron shell and the edge of the buttercream. Top with the remaining macaron shells, matching them up according to size.
Mature the macarons. Macarons are best after a day of maturing in the refrigerator with the filling. The shells absorb moisture from the filling, the crumb inside expands, and the entire meringue softens wonderfully.
Store. Keep macarons stored chilled for up to a week. But always serve them at room temperature.

Notes

On Making Buttercream

It can be hard to measure the temperature of just a little boiling syrup with a typical thermometer in a larger pot. So if your pot is larger than one quart (check the bottom), it may be easier to double the batch and freeze the extra. You will want to beat frozen buttercream after thawing to revive its texture.

On the Nutrition Information

The nutrient amounts below are based on the recipe as written, with 24 finished macarons. They assume you use every last bit of buttercream (but you might not; I usually have a bit leftover).

Author: Chef Christina
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 14-18 minutes
Category: Macarons
Method: Baking
Cuisine: French
Diet: Gluten Free

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Vanilla Macaron
Calories: 131
Sugar: 13.4 g
Sodium: 8.6 mg
Fat: 5.5 g
Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
Trans Fat:
Carbohydrates: 14.5 g
Fiber: 0.2 g
Protein: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 33.2 mg

Keywords: vanilla macaron recipe, vanilla bean macarons, French buttercream, vanilla macarons